Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Anastasia Gilbert – Petra Cubonova.
Chapter 37:
The usually cheerful room with walls painted in calm and soothing colors, had a bleak feeling to it, melancholy saturating the room. The curtains were drawn, allowing the bright sunrays in Mystic Falls to wash over the room, highlighting the lone figure, a teenage girl who sat in a lotus position in the middle of her bed, two pools of sapphires staring unblinkingly at the two outfits set aside, hanging off the knob of the wardrobe.
Sighing loudly for the umpteenth time since waking up an hour ago, the teenager, her blonde hair a golden halo atop her head, pulled the lapels of her bathrobe tightly together, covering her décolletage and as she blinked, her vision starting misting over with the beginning formation of tears.
"Oh, Ana…"
Suddenly arms engulfed her shaking frame and Anastasia found herself pulled into the warm and welcoming embrace of her aunt. "Let it out. Just let it all out," as she spoke, Jenna's hands rubbed her back in a soothing circular motion, not minding the fact that her favorite powder blue shirt was being drenched by the blonde's tears of sorrow. Once her tears had finally subsided, Jenna pulled apart, ensuring she kept a hand around her, and instigated eye contact, her heart tearing at the sight of red-rimmed eyes that had puffy bags underneath, and blotched cheeks. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. Nobody's forcing you too, sweetie."
Anastasia laughed, the sound a touch hysterical, as she rapidly shook her head and roughly swiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "I have to. Junior year ends in a month and I'm nearly hitting the two month mark of my permitted absence. At this rate, I'll never make it to senior year. I have to catch up and-and…" she trailed off and looked over at the two dresses on display. "I'm ready. I have to be," she sounded like she was trying to convince herself, and Jenna knew that, but she smartly kept quiet, knowing that Anastasia had to let everything out of her chest. "Plus… Klaus might already be in town. There's a huge possibility he'll blend at school to keep a closer watch on Elena. I can't skip anymore. I can't show weakness. I can't-"
"I'm going to stop you right there," Jenna firmly interjected, her voice strong, yet her kind eyes shone with compassion. "You're only human-" Anastasia couldn't quite suppress her snort at that, for she doubted she was a hundred percent human, but Jenna's stern expression prevented her from arguing with her. "Yes, Ana, you're only human. No one expects you to carry the entire world on your shoulders. You have me and John and Lexi, Lee, Mason and…" she trailed off pointedly, not daring to say Elijah's name out loud in case Elena or Jeremy were eavesdropping. "I want you to go to school for you, catch up on what you've missed, hang out with Caroline and your friends, attend cheer practice, be a normal seventeen-year-old girl, and ignore all the supernatural drama."
Sniffing, a tight-lipped smile appeared on the blonde's face and her voice turned bitter, "But Ezra won't be there. I don't, I don't know if I can face that place. When it's lunchtime, Ezra won't be there, standing by the door of my classroom, waiting to escort me there. He won't be hanging with his friends, or surprising me in between classes for a kiss, or, or… he just won't be there."
"Physically, yes," Jenna sighed and ignored Anastasia's eye roll at the classic and frankly overused statement given to those in mourning. "Fine, let me rephrase it. Ezra wouldn't want this for you. He'd want you to be brave. He'd want you to live. He didn't sacrifice himself to make you unhappy, Ana. He'd want you to remember the good times, and to smile more and to heal."
Nodding her head, Anastasia embraced Jenna tightly, a genuine smile forming on her lips. "Fine, but-" and again, her eyes drifted over to the dresses on display. "I'll go, and-and try to be happy, but I'm still going black."
"I didn't expect otherwise," Jenna smiled fondly. She kissed the crown of her head and turned to leave, "I'm going to wrangle your sister and remind her of the rules. Don't take too long, Ana." and she left, the door softly clicking shut behind her.
Anastasia picked her black sleeveless maxi casual dress and slid it on, and as the sound of Elena's hissy fit reverberated from the corridor and seeped into her room despite the closed door, she plugged in her blow-dryer and promptly turned it on, drowning out the grating background noise. Rolling her eyes at the petulant bitch, while pleased that she was finally getting her comeuppance and a firm handling, Anastasia methodically and calmly worked on her locks, thanking Karma for the wonderful job done on Elena.
"She really can be a bitch," she chuckled to herself.
Urðr went by many names; she was known as the Omniscient Princess, the wielder of the all-seeing eye, the Representation of Karma, but most of all, the Embodiment of Fate. Over in Utopia, Urðr stood before the Urðarbrunnr, her bright emerald irises replaced by a molten silver color that filled out her entire eye, including the sclerae, as she admired her wonderful handiwork. Upon hearing Anastasia's gratitude and the comment she made, a wicked smirk materialized on her face, and she cackled, "Oh, you have no idea."
Concealing the remnants of grief from her face with light makeup, Anastasia donned her silver Grecian sandals, grabbed her phone and purse, and left the room, descending the staircase without sparing a glance at Jeremy, who had left his room at the same time. She also stubbornly ignored his pleading calls after her, not wanting to confront her baby brother, who, once upon a time, used to be her staunchest supporter and closest confidant, but had now lost all his morals due to his blooming romance with Bonnie and his firm alliance to the Scooby Gang.
"ANA!" a blonde bullet streaked through the room the second her foot hit the last stair and collided into her, strong yet lissome arms strangling her in a tight embrace.
"Care… can't… breathe!" she managed to choke out, the arms instantly releasing her at the breathless admission. Caroline sheepishly pulled away and dragged her over to the kitchen, where a steaming cup of coffee sat atop the island, waiting for her, taunting her with its wonderful, mouth-watering aroma. Beaming over at John, Anastasia asked, "Is this the famous John Gilbert Morning Coffee?"
John chuckled and ruffled her hair fondly, "Of course it is. It's a special occasion." He cupped her face and inclined her head upwards, allowing identical eyes to collide, "I want you to know, Sunshine, that I am very proud of you. You're doing the right thing by going back. However, if it becomes too much for you, I want you to call me, and I'll pick you up, or, if you'd prefer, let Caroline take you home."
Confused, the blonde Gilbert stared between her father and her best friend, Jeremy and Elena – who was now in the kitchen murmuring indecipherable words under her breath – purposely going ignored. Realizing her best friend's confusion, Caroline chirpily announced, "We're carpooling together. You're stuck with me today." – The duh heavily implied in her tone.
"Thanks Care-Bear," Anastasia genuinely thanked her, tears brimming in her eyes, but this time, they were tears of happiness and gratitude.
The profound fear portrayed in those deceptively innocent eyes made his possession of Safari Sam worth it. He hated possessing those inferior to him, and inhabiting pathetically frail bodies, but for the element of surprise, to be victorious, sacrifices must be made. In retrospect, Isobel's knowledge was a goldmine; not only was she the birth mother of his doppelgänger, but she was a close comrade of Katerina – the illusive and manipulative Katerina Petrova, who never once doubted where Isobel's true loyalties lied and therefore, easily fell into his trap. Isobel unknowingly aided him further by introducing him to the concept of Alaric Saltzman, her ex-husband who currently taught history at the same high school his doppelgänger attended.
It was a pity he had Isobel kill herself, she would have made an extraordinary ally. Unfortunately, behind that ridiculous switch all novice vampires depended on, Klaus instantly discovered where her true loyalties lied: her daughters. Therefore, he had to tie up loose ends and eliminate the vampire before she could ultimately become a nasty problem for him in the future, especially with her remarkable skill of uncovering long forgotten matters that needed to remain buried. …It was a regrettable yet necessary act on his part.
Clapping his hands together, Klaus donned a dark shirt and turned his attention back to Katherine, who looked grossly unpleased at being in close proximity to him. "Okay. Pop quiz. The dagger and white ash are in the Salvatores' possession, correct?"
Sighing as Elijah's compulsion took control of her, Katherine monotonously said, "Wrong. The dagger was used to kill Elijah. But his body isn't in the Salvatores' possession, but with that wench Alexia Branson."
Perplexed, Klaus frowned, "And Alexia Branson is?" Isobel never mentioned her, meaning she had no information regarding this unknown woman that had the potential of becoming a kink in his plans.
"Stefan Salvatore's best friend," Katherine snarled through gritted teeth, prompting a mocking smile to materialize on Klaus's temporary face, easily deciphering the jealousy in her tone. "I don't know why Elijah was given to her. Probably as a safeguard," Katherine shrugged, her answer completely hers; she had no clue why Elijah was in that wench's possession. The Salvatores never brought it up, and for that matter, neither did Elijah and Anastasia whenever they stopped by to compel her.
Klaus scowled and menacingly strode over toward her petrified form, "I don't like that answer, Katerina."
Terrified of facing his wrath, she stuttered, "I swear I don't know. Look, I'm under your compulsion, okay? It's not like I can willingly defy you!"
"Fine. Talk then. The more information you share, the less angry I get, and the less painful your punishment will be," Klaus pleasantly divulged.
Katherine immediately grabbed the offer, though inwardly, she was panicking; she wasn't stupid, she knew that sooner or later, Elijah's compulsion will become public knowledge and when that time comes, she will face Klaus's wrath as she knew that nobody in this podunk town would come to her aid, not when she literally screwed nearly every supernatural resident over. "Okay… Don't forget you're on the outs with Jenna, Elena's aunt. She broke up with you for all the lies about Isobel and vampires. Also, Elena's grounded-" Klaus, or rather Alaric's, brow rose in interest, "-for lying about the existence of vampires, werewolves, witches, etcetera."
"Hmm. Interesting," Klaus mused to himself, mentally crossing Jenna off his list. It would be most difficult to manipulate and toy with her now that she held so much knowledge. Also, the fact that she grounded his doppelgänger implied that Jenna was no pushover. "What about the doppelgänger's twin? I heard from a very reliable source-" Isobel, he mentally supplied and by the look on Katherine's face, she knew the identity of his source as well, "-that she isn't a doppelgänger… What do I need to know about her?"
Even with Elijah's compulsion, Katherine failed to completely mask the flash of fear that quickly passed her eyes, but Klaus dismissed it as her fear of him. "She's an enigma," Katherine revealed with a sigh, peaking Klaus's interest. "Technically, for all intents and purposes she's not supposed to exist. I never had a fraternal twin and for all Isobel's research, she couldn't find anything that could explain her birth."
Intrigued though he may be, Klaus decided to tackle that particular dilemma later. Breaking his curse took precedence over everything else.
"Yes. Yes," he snapped impatiently. "Tell me about her. What do I need to know about Anastasia Gilbert?"
"For starters, I doubt you'll have a run-in with her anytime soon. She's on the outs with her sister, her brother and the Salvatores. Also, her boyfriend recently died," Katherine mentally smirked. Recalling the pain she caused for Anastasia helped her survive through her recurring torture sessions, taking vicious pleasure in her grief, for if Katherine was to be forced into servitude and consecutively tortured, then at least Anastasia was suffering a form of emotional torture of her own. "Since Ezra Fell's death, Anastasia hasn't been attending school. She's still in mourning, the poor thing," she added, the sympathy in her tone palpably unconvincing and leaning heavily towards mocking.
His intrigue surmounted, but nevertheless, he moved on and strengthened his compulsion on her, "What else, Katerina?"
"They were trying to see if Bonnie could find a way to kill an Original without a dagger," she promptly revealed. He racked his brain at the familiar name. "Bonnie the best friend? I thought you said she didn't have her powers anymore?" he demanded with a growl.
Katherine rapidly shook her head, realizing that she had now stepped into dangerous territory, "She doesn't or didn't. I don't know. You kidnapped me, remember? I'm kinda out of the loop."
With that vague conclusion, Klaus showed Katherine kindness by not killing her, and instead, compelled her to repeatedly stab her thigh until he returned, and that, if she got bored, she had the choice to switch thighs. For now, he had a doppelgänger to observe…
Arm in arm, Anastasia and Caroline confidently sauntered down the hallway, making their way to history class with their heads held high and their eyes in front, ignoring the many pitying, shocked and sympathetic stares the rest of the student body were fixating Anastasia Gilbert with. Hushed whispers met her ears, all of them gossiping about and voicing out their shock over the mourning Gilbert's sudden appearance at school, and Anastasia was certain that, by the end of first period, the entire school would be informed of her return.
They made it to class just as the bell rang, and as two of the most popular girls in Mystic Falls High opened the door, a sudden hush resided in the classroom, all eyes widening in shock and focused on Anastasia.
Caroline let out a rude scoff as she deposited herself in her customary seat in the middle of the class. Anastasia however, glared at the entire class and snapped, "Take a picture! It'll last longer." Her exclamation had everyone averting their eyes, some of the boys going as far as to sheepishly rub the back of their necks while a few girls blushed. Satisfied, Anastasia nodded to herself and, after sitting down in her regular spot to Caroline's right, squarely met Alaric's gaze, "Sorry about that. You can uh, proceed with your class, Mr. Saltzman."
Klaus had just opened his mouth to put together an acceptable lecture regarding the sixties, when the door opened and two fashionably dressed blondes walked in, their appearance, or rather one in particular, effectively silencing the class, a remarkable silence that could put a graveyard to shame. He watched as they confidently shortened the distance to their seats, finally distinguishing one of the blonde's face when she glared at the room in large, but it wasn't until the girl with golden blonde hair made a snide remark and finally faced the front of the class did he instantly recognize her, the color nearly draining from his face.
Deep oceans, a sapphire blue, framed with thick, long lashes pierced right through him; eyes he had seen before. They were unmistakably the eyes that haunted him for many centuries. His throat felt dry and he was rendered speechless, feeling more like a teenage boy than a millennium-old predator.
"Mr. Saltzman?" She had a mellifluous silvery voice that sounded like music to his ears and just as he was about to drown deeper into her eyes, overwhelmed by the aura of her presence, the doppelgänger's movement captured his attention, noticing from the corner of his eyes that she was eagerly showing a poster to Stefan Salvatore, successively snapping him out of his dazed stupor.
Shaking his head, he smiled at the blonde. "Right, uh Miss…" he trailed off, realizing that he didn't know her name which would undoubtedly blow his cover. He surreptitiously covered his blunder with a cough, but luckily for him, the entrancing blonde unknowingly covered up his error with her unique brand of humor.
She rolled her eyes and quipped, "Wow, I know it's been nearly two months, but I didn't expect you to forget me this quickly. Really, Mr. Saltzman, that hurts, right here." she pouted, emphasizing the last two words by tapping her chest where her heart was positioned.
Nearly the entire class attempted to stifle their laughter, glad that Anastasia Gilbert's sarcasm, her attitude and her sense of humor didn't die along with Ezra Fell.
With a heavy heart, Klaus proceeded with the lesson, deciding that he'd compel a student to get her name instead of risking the possibility of exposing himself to the doppelgänger, the witch, and Salvatore. During the course of his lecture on the positively boring era, his eyes frequently flickered over to the two blondes, and he easily sensed the other one was a vampire, which most probably meant that the girl he was most curious of, the blonde with the hauntingly familiar eyes, either knew of vampires, or was completely ignorant, and the latter option evoked a surge of protectiveness in him, furious at the unbearable thought of her life being in danger.
Naturally, she would be a resident of this historically supernatural town that was a hotspot for death and danger.
Finally, he dismissed the class. He didn't think he could handle a moment longer in her presence without learning her name. A silvery voice called out from behind, taking him aback, and stunned, he turned to confront her. "Yes?"
Maybe it was his imagination, but Klaus could have sworn that her impish smile was accompanied by a knowing glint in her oceanic eyes. "Is there something you'd like to ask me, Ric?" she inquired. The seemingly innocuous inquiry was quite illuminating, for she had called him 'Ric' which implied that this mystery girl knew Alaric Saltzman on a personal level, beyond a student-teacher relationship.
"No, nothing. You better go before you're late for your next class," he dismissed her.
He watched her leave with the blonde vampire who had been waiting outside for her and once their retreating backs disappeared from his line of vision, he beckoned the closest girl over and compelled her.
Anastasia Gilbert, the doppelgänger's twin.
Klaus was beyond furious as it complicated things; no, he wouldn't – couldn't – allow it to! He never expected to cross paths with her. For centuries, Klaus always believed she was merely a figment of his imagination. Oh, he hoped. He searched endlessly and tirelessly, only to receive fruitless results, leaving him with no choice but to believe the girl simply did not exist. …Until now.
During lunch, he stationed himself in the cafeteria and watched from afar as the girl he compelled approached the doppelgänger, who sat with the witch and Stefan Salvatore. He watched, amused, as the color drained from the trio's faces, expressions frantic as their heads whipped around wildly in search for somebody unfamiliar, but most enjoyable, Klaus reveled in the unadulterated fear that made an appearance in the doppelgänger's eyes. He then alternated his focus onto Anastasia and the blonde vampire, edging closer so that he could be in a safe hearing distance just as the compelled girl approached them to impart his message.
"Anastasia, Caroline, hey!" she chirped, her body practically vibrating with enthusiasm.
Her expression bored, Anastasia lifted a perfectly plucked brow, "What is it, Dana?"
"I know that this might sound completely inappropriate giving the timing and well… everything, but this really, really cute guy is interested in you. He'll be at the dance tonight, okay? So, just look for him," Dana blurted out in one breath. Anastasia and Caroline threw her an identical flat look, and just as they parted their lips to give Dana a vitriolic tongue-lashing regarding her insensitivity, she quickly added, "His name is Klaus."
"Klaus, huh? Sure thing, Dana," Anastasia drawled. Realizing she was compelled, Caroline's glare softened and her visage morphed into a look of concern as she softly said, "Don't be late for practice tomorrow morning, kay?"
Dana grinned from ear to ear, "Sure thing! Bye girls."
The second she departed the premises, Klaus realized that Anastasia was staring right at him, her expression contemplative and a half-smirk tugging at her lips.
"Are you sure?" Jenna gasped, repeating herself for the third time, her hands flying to cover her mouth that had parted in shock.
After sending a compelled Dana away, Anastasia sent a text to John and Jenna, asking that they bring the others together and meet her and Caroline at Lexi's after school. Jenna had waited until Elena was ensconced in the house, forbade her from going anywhere and subsequently gave Jeremy permission to take Bonnie out for a lunch date, before leaving with John, arriving just five minutes after the two blondes.
No sooner had they all congregated in the living room and made themselves comfortable, did Anastasia reveal her suspicions, sending everyone but Elijah to a state of shock and horror.
"It makes sense," Elijah calmly uttered, his tone lacking the horror they all felt. "Alaric is the ideal choice; he is included in all of your lives. He is close friends with Damon Salvatore, and a teacher at the school, which gives him the perfect opportunity to keep a close eye on Elena and remain vigilant. According to Anastasia and Caroline," here he inclined his head toward both blondes, "he sent a message to Elena regarding the dance tonight. No doubt the Salvatores are putting together a plan, and they shall call upon Alaric-"
Lexi let out a sharp intake of breath, her eyes wide, "Who is actually Klaus. He'll be able to thwart their plans and gain inside information."
Elijah adopted a sour expression, his lips tightly pinched together, "Which unfortunately entails that, if Bonnie Bennett has indeed channeled the power of the hundred dead witches, Klaus will know, and furthermore take the necessary precaution to protect himself from any upcoming onslaught."
"Right. Using the many witches he has in his disposal. Fantastic," Jenna dryly muttered.
Anastasia bit her lower lip in thoughtful consideration; she wasn't a huge fan of Alaric after watching him obey all of Elena and Damon's whims without question, and her dislike for him started surmounting when he collaborated with Damon to stalk and thwart John. "Maybe it isn't him. I mean-"
Elijah cut her off with a kind smile, "No, I assure you, Anastasia, your initial suspicion is correct. Alaric is the ideal body to possess."
"Yeah, and another thing we haven't thought of. Initially, Klaus probably chose Alaric because of his relationship with Jenna. That way he could easily get access to Elena under her own roof. He probably didn't realize they broke up until Katherine told him," Mason deduced, a grimace on his face, because there was no doubt in his mind that the bitch managed to survive.
Caroline wrinkled her nose, "And here I thought Klaus wouldn't think twice to kill that bitch." She donned an innocent smile when John and Jenna simultaneously shot her a stern look that screamed 'language!'
"He wants her to suffer," Elijah primly disclosed. "Klaus does not forgive nor does he forget. He holds grudges. He's ruthless. Katerina destroyed his chance to break his curse and spent five centuries tirelessly searching for her. No, in Klaus's opinion, death would only be too kind."
John scoffed, "She deserves it."
"You may not like the guy, but you gotta admit, Klaus is one diabolical mastermind," Mason grunted, grudgingly respecting the vampire's ingenious tactical skills.
At that moment, Jenna's cellphone chimed with a text. She scanned the text and everyone watched her eyes slowly narrow into slits with each word she absorbed, a thunderous expression making a scary appearance on her face, and her knuckles whitened as the grip she had on her cellphone tightened. "I have had just about enough with that girl!" she snapped, shooting to her feet and angrily grabbing her purse. Roughly tucking a caramel strand behind her ear, she confided, "I had Elijah get someone to watch over Elena until our return in case she did exactly what she did!"
Anastasia scoffed, not having expected any less from her twin, "Let me guess. She's at chez Salvatore?"
"Where else?" Jenna sarcastically retorted.
In the end, John chose to stay behind with Caroline and Lexi to conspire with Elijah, while Mason and Lee accompanied Jenna and Anastasia to the Salvatore Boarding House for what promised to be a hilarious showdown. Jenna and Mason parked their respective cars and the four of them stormed into the house, not bothering to knock or offer any niceties.
Voice trembling with rage, Jenna yelled, "ELENA GILBERT! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Taking large strides into the living room, they found that Elena was there, along with Jeremy and Bonnie and not-Alaric. Elena's face paled considerably, and her eyes bulged out in horror as she tried to make herself appear smaller in Stefan's arms – fat chance!
"Je-Jenna, what are you doing here?" Elena stammered, and as the color returned to her face, so did her confidence.
In creepy unison, Anastasia and Jenna arched an eyebrow at the brunette in disbelief, and in a manner of forced calm, Jenna groused out, "What am I doing here, Elena? What are YOU doing here! Did you honestly believe, for even a second, that I actually trusted you to stay home in my absence? I had someone follow you, Elena."
"You what?" Elena was horrified and mortified and furious, "You can't… you can't do that, Jenna! What the hell?!"
"Oh, you'll find that I can do whatever I want to keep you in check. I'm your legal guardian, remember?" Jenna glared daggers at her niece, shocked at how far she had fallen from the obedient and responsible girl she used to be once upon a time. "I'm not arguing on this anymore, Elena. No words can describe how disappointed I am in you. You too, Jeremy. Both of you are grounded!"
Jeremy blinked at his aunt in shock; during his spiraling days after his parents' death when he entertained drugs, he never saw this side of Jenna, but in retrospect, they were all going through a mourning period, therefore excuses were always made, reasons were given and all was forgiven in a few hours' time. But now? Jenna seemed different… more in charge, more mature and confident. "What about the dance?" he asked in confusion. If they were grounded, did the dance count?
Anastasia stayed close to Lee, ignoring the way not-Alaric's eyes pierced her intently as she enjoyed the wonderfully awesome vision Jenna made. Total bad-ass!
"I thought that was a given, Jeremy. You're not going-" Jenna abruptly raised a hand to prevent any interruptions. "And to ensure you don't attempt to sneak out, John and I are staying in tonight and you two are not going to be let out of our sight! Mason and Lee will take our places as chaperones. You've left me with no choice, so don't give me that look Elena. Wipe it off before I do it for you," she snarled.
Stefan, ever the peacemaker, lifted both his hands, palms facing Jenna, in a peace gesture, "Jenna, Klaus will be at the dance tonight. He already made his move, Elena has to be there-"
"Stefan!" Jenna barked, flickering her furious orbs over to him, "For your sake, don't speak. I'm not changing my mind on this. I don't care about Klaus, or the freaking ritual. I. Don't. Care! What I do care about, is that my seventeen-year-old niece blatantly disobeyed me, snuck off and is acting like a petulant and spoiled brat. I am in charge here. Nothing you say or do will change my mind on this!"
Damon snarled menacingly and moved towards Jenna, "Are you sure about that?"
In the blink of an eye, Lee appeared in front of Damon, a hand plunged in his chest and firmly gripping his heart. He allowed his vampire face to show as he spat out, "You listen here, you punk! You will not threaten Jenna ever again. The only reason I let you live after nearly killing Lexi was because of Stefan, but now? I won't hesitate to rip your cold, black heart out. You got it?" While Lee was threatening Damon, the rash vampire's life literally in his hands, Stefan made a move to pounce and forcibly separate them, but Mason fortunately had his eyes glued to his form, almost expectantly, and stood in the middle, shoving him backward. "Don't do it, Stefan!" he warned.
"GOT IT?!" Lee roared in Damon's face. Damon, weak and in pain, his complexion a remarkable white, nodded in compliance, prompting Lee to violently throw him across the room. Anastasia smirked and nonchalantly handed over a handkerchief – a habit that Lexi practically drilled into her head to always keep one on her person as she had befriended a lot of vampires and they were prone to literally getting their hands dirty – to which Lee gratefully used to wipe off the blood that was smeared all over his hand.
Bonnie cleared her throat, her eyes wide with a combination of fear and shock at the unlikely alliance, "Look, we all need to work together. Klaus is the enemy here. Jenna, please, just think about it for a moment."
"Oh, I've thought about it long and hard, Bonnie," Jenna snapped, her voice relatively softer. "You're all children. Not warriors. For too long you've all been carrying out dangerous activities, putting yourselves in danger, and hanging around unsavory people. What you should be doing, is hanging out at the Grill like normal teenagers, studying for your finals, planning for your future. And when the person responsible for your wellbeing grounds you, you do not sneak off to plot against an old and powerful vampire."
"Why am I grounded? What did I do?" Jeremy grumpily asked.
Anastasia gaped at her brother in shock. "Oh you've got to be kidding me! I'll take this one Aunt Jenna," she patted her arm, consolingly. "You, Jeremy, knew that Elena was grounded, and yet, you let her stick around for your 'supercool', super-secret meeting. You let Elena get away with disobeying the rules which, if you ask me, is kind of hilarious, because I doubt Elena would have done the same if the shoe were on the other foot."
"Chop, Chop! Get moving you two! In the car, now!" Jenna snarled, glowering at Elena and Jeremy, both of whom stubbornly stood their ground. "Fine, then. You leave me no choice." She turned to Lee and Mason, and they nodded, instantly understanding what her look meant. Lee forcefully grabbed Jeremy and Mason curled a hand around Elena's wrist.
"Jenna!" Stefan yelled in disbelief.
Jenna merely threw him a disinterested look, "For your sake, you better stand down Stefan, and tell your idiotic brother, too."
Anastasia rushed to Bonnie and slammed her against the wall. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Bonnie. This is family business and you aren't family, so butt out!" she sneered, unbothered and unaffected by Bonnie's hateful glare and the way she shook her head in horror. "You're a monster, Ana. I don't even recognize you anymore."
"Funny. I've been thinking the same about you. But I'll let you in on a little secret. Sheila would be disappointed in you. Suck on that, bitch," Anastasia growled, releasing her and joining Jenna, who was waiting for her in the middle of the living room so that they could leave together, Elena and Jeremy already manhandled outside and into Jenna's car.
Before they left, Anastasia sent a saccharine smile to the remaining four, "Don't look so glum guys, Klaus sent me an invitation too, so I guess I'll be seeing you losers at the dance. Ciao!"
"You've officially made an enemy, Anastasia," Damon threatened, his face apoplectic with rage. But the blonde merely emitted a cackling laugh, "Oh, Damon, it's about time you caught up. 'Cause you've entered my little black book the second you snapped my baby brother's neck. I'll see you around, Salvatore."
To Klaus, Anastasia Gilbert was a goddess; fierce and beautiful.
The moment she walked into the Boarding House, he was enraptured by her movements, the passion in her eyes, the confidence she exuded, her fearlessness. He found himself impatient to return to his own body as he couldn't wait to approach her and engage her in conversation.
"The doppelgänger and her brother won't be attending the dance tonight."
Katherine, despite the agony of stabbing herself repeatedly for hours, and despite her fear of Klaus's close proximity to her, couldn't help but smirk. "Let me guess. Dear Aunty Jenna grounded them. I'm liking her more already," she muttered the last part to herself, taking pleasure in her doppelgänger's suffering.
"Yes. She had them physically dragged out by Mason and Lee," Klaus then frowned at Katherine. "Who are they? You've left out many things, Katerina."
She scowled, a scoff escaping her, "Mason's an ex. He's a werewolf. I was saving him for your little ritual actually. And Lee's the wench's boyfriend."
Klaus arched an eyebrow at her, "Then your efforts have been wasted. I wouldn't have used the werewolf. I prefer to have three women sacrificed for my cause." Katherine shuddered and looked away, suddenly fearing he would use her as the vampire sacrifice. Knowing the direction of her thoughts, he smirked sinisterly and gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes, "Don't fret, Katerina. I won't be using you. Like I mentioned before, death would be an act of kindness, and I don't owe you any." He glared intensely at her, inwardly reveling in the sheer fear she was radiating.
"Anyways," he released her and turned to Maddox. "The witch will be a problem. She's all juiced up and aiming to kill. We're gonna have to kill her, Maddox," he continued, ignoring Katerina's sarcastic commentary.
Maddox handed Klaus a glass of bourbon. "If she has that much power, she can sense me coming from a mile away. I won't be able to get near her. You have to do it."
"In this body?" Klaus waved a hand over himself with a scoff. "I'm a haggard history teacher. She can easily hurt me. I mean, not me, Klaus me, but you know what I mean," he huffed in irritation; he despised feeling vulnerable.
"No witch can handle channeling that much power. It'll kill her. It would kill me. You just have to make her use it," Maddox then proceeded to explain how he would cast a spell to protect him, giving him the opportunity to provoke the witch and consequently kill her. Klaus looked pleased toward the end, and Maddox grimaced, knowing that the revelation of his recent discovery would have to be spoken with utmost caution. "We have another problem, though."
Klaus, who had been glaring at Katherine once more, quickly whipped around to face his loyal warlock, eyes dangerously narrowing into slits, "Oh?"
Sighing in apprehension, Maddox reached into his pocket and pulled out the moonstone. Klaus cocked his head to the side, his expression taut, "What about the moonstone, Maddox?"
Katherine perked up, staring intently at the moonstone with a frown. What was wrong with it?
"That's exactly it." Maddox cringed as he blurted out his next words, "This isn't the moonstone." Silence engulfed the room, a frisson of tension in the air. "It's a fake," he elucidated.
Klaus blinked. He didn't doubt Maddox for even a second; he was a powerful warlock and one of his staunchest allies. Maddox would be able to effortlessly sense the lack of magic imbued in the rock. Quick as a whip, Katherine found herself ripped out of the bloodstained chair and slammed harshly against the wall, held up by her throat, her windpipe being slowly crushed. She thrashed around, eyes wide with terror as she struggled to breathe, futilely clawing at Klaus's stony grip.
"Where. Is. It. Katerina. WHERE IS IT?!" Klaus emphasized each word with a growl, compelling the truth out of her. Katherine, tears of fear streaming down her face and onto the hand he had curled around her neck, choked out, "I don't know."
As though he had been burned, Klaus released her and Katherine fell limply to the ground, coughing frantically while she massaged her healing throat. Glaring up at the furious man, she indignantly spat out, "I found it in Damon's bathroom. If it's fake, the Salvatores didn't even know. They were hiding it from me!"
Kneeling down at her level, he grabbed her face and snarled, "Then where is it?"
Oh, she knew exactly where it was as the epiphany slammed into her like a freight train. Katherine suddenly realized that all along… from the very beginning, when Lucy placed the moonstone in her hand to paralyze her… the moonstone that had been trapped with her in the tomb… The puzzle finally clicked together, piece by piece… Why Anastasia blamed herself and was too distraught. All along, the real moonstone had been safely tucked away in her possession, and a fake was being passed around like candy.
Unfortunately, Elijah's compulsion forbade her from uttering Anastasia's wretched name.
Katherine lowered her head. "I don't know," she whispered, Klaus's compulsion unable to override Elijah's.
The group decided to split up and arrive at the Decade Dance in pairs.
Lexi and Lee were the first to turn up, leaving Elijah by his lonesome, armed with his cellphone in case everything shot to hell – as, according to him, with Klaus in the picture, it was a high likelihood. Caroline and Matt – who had finally showed up at Caroline's the night before and basically demanded she compel him to forget the truth regarding all things supernatural, which struck Anastasia as odd and stirred her suspicions, but decided to file it away to contemplate later – arrived shortly after the vampire sweethearts, Caroline looking far too stunning for words in her Jackie O attire.
At the Gilbert Residence however, due to another shitstorm generated by the one and only Elena Gilbert, Anastasia found herself running late. According to Jenna, "No trust, no freedom" and she made sure Elena was aware of exactly how much freedom she had: zilch. Returning from the Salvatores that afternoon, Elena, portraying her palpable rage, flew out of the car and into the house, making sure to stomp on every single step that separated her from her room before slamming the door shut with a reverberating bang, all the while, Jeremy decided to act silent and broody. Jenna, who was on a roll, didn't agree on allowing Elena to stew behind closed doors and, when John returned an hour later from Lexi's, it was to another argument shaking the foundations. Turned out, when Elena snuck out, she had ample time to look through the Salvatores' vintage collection of clothes amassed throughout the centuries and swiped a dress for the dance. Naturally, now that their relationship lacked any trust whatsoever, Jenna barged into her room and grabbed her purse, locating the balled up dress hidden at the bottom.
With nothing to wear, Elena entertained her third screaming match of the day that even closed doors failed to mute. Freshly showered with a towel draping her body, as Anastasia departed the bathroom, she witnessed argument number four taking place. Unfortunately, just as she added the finishing touches to her hair, another round of yelling occurred, different voices permeating the air with the arrival of three new contenders. Furious, the blonde barged out of her room and descended the staircase, only to find that not only did Mason arrive early – as he volunteered to be her escort to the dance – but the moronic Salvatores stood before the threshold. Evidently, the brothers had put together a half-cocked scheme that was obviously last minute since they had briefly forgotten the change in ownership of the house and therefore, their idea of using their vampire speed to their advantage to sneak Elena out, failed – drastically.
The pathetic showdown reached fruition when John whipped out his impressive collection of anti-vampire arsenal, distributing them to Jenna and Mason, both of whom took immediate aim at the vampire brothers, threatening to gravely maim them. Damon being… well, Damon, donned his trademark cocky smirk and impertinently called their bluff. A trigger happy Jenna didn't hesitate to empty her gun at the cocky motherfucker, therefore chasing them off. Consequently, Damon was 'fashionably late' to the dance as he was held up in the Boarding House, removing the six wooden bullets that decorated his form.
With the Salvatores out of the way, Elena lost all hope of attending the dance, allowing Anastasia to finish her makeup and don her dress. Anastasia's entire appearance was inspired by Audrey Hepburn. The iconic Givenchy dress fit her like a glove, almost like it was made for her. It was a black Italian satin sheath, sleeveless, floor-length evening gown with a fitted bodice and the back was embellished with distinctive cut-out décolleté that left her shoulders uncovered. She carefully descended the stairs in an effort to avoid tripping on her stilettos, especially since the skirt was slightly gathered at the waist and slit to the thigh on one side. The iconic little black dress was accompanied by a pair of black elbow-length gloves and to top off her Audrey Hepburn image, Anastasia styled her golden locks into a huge and smooth bun, an exact carbon copy of Hepburn's hair in her movie, Charade.
Admiring gasps pervaded the living room once the bombshell blonde descended the last step and a blubbering Jenna attacked her with a camera, adamantly forbidding Anastasia from leaving the house until she had snapped more than a couple of photos.
"I see you're still going black," came the acerbic commentary from Elena, her face contorted with an unhealthy dose of envy and eyes blazing with malice. Anastasia rolled her eyes and barely spared her a glance as she casually drawled, "I see you're still a bitter hag."
Taking one last photo, Jenna tackled Anastasia in a tight embrace. Pulling back, hazel eyes shone with admiration as they raked her dress, "Is this the dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's?" her tone was laced with awe and if possible, Elena's jealousy surged. Anastasia winked and twirled around, her mellifluous giggles pervading the air, "Yup. Well… it's not the dress she wore, but it is the same dress, if you know what I mean." Predicting her aunt's next inquiry, she subtly imparted, "It was a gift, from… our common friend."
…Elijah.
John's eyes were suspiciously wet, "Well…You look beautiful, Sunshine. Radiant!"
"Thanks, Dad," Anastasia beamed, the happy moment between them interrupted by Mason's wolf-whistle – pun not intended. "Damn. You're making me want to be young and back in high school, Ana Banana," he teased, eyes glinting with mirth.
"Wow, can you be any more of a slut," a sneering Elena scoffed, effectively obliterating the cheerful ambience with her fat mouth, jealousy and embitterment powering her, not liking the fact that for once, the spotlight wasn't shining on her. "You wearing black isn't fooling anyone, Anastasia. I can see right through you, it's just a mask, a mask covering up the fact that you're over Ezra, reinstating yourself as the slut of Mystic Falls. You've got someone buying you expensive dresses and you're taking someone that graduated over a decade ago to a high school dance. Stop hiding and embrace it, 'cause you may be fooling everyone, but not me," she growled, hands fisted and eyes narrowed, though her expression was belied by her lips, as its corner quirked in a half-smirk.
"Elena!" John, Jenna and Jeremy berated her in unison, the palpable shock and horror palpable in that one word. Jeremy may be pissed off at the blonde, and yes, he felt betrayed by her actions, but even he knew that Elena was taking it too far, and that everything she said were false. Just because his night was ruined, didn't mean he wanted Anastasia to suffer through hers.
Mason however, surprised the entire room by chuckling, patting Anastasia's hand, consolingly. "You know Elena, I foolishly fell under Katherine's spell. Everyone initially thought her beauty took a huge role in winning me over, but that was never it. You know why? Because despite the fact that I very rarely visited Mystic Falls, I was still kept up to date. Carol, Jenna and even my brother, they kept sending me pictures of everyone and your face was included, so I immediately knew what Katherine was. And when I briefly stopped by for your parents' funeral I looked at you and I felt nothing. You see, I was never attracted to Katherine, I was entranced by her personality, I fell victim to her manipulations, and I started falling for her when she offered me a solution to put an end to my monthly torment. But you see, when Anastasia opened my eyes and forced me to see the truth, I like to believe I'm now immune to any manipulations. That's why I can't stand being around you, because I sense Katherine's evil in you." Elena let out a choked gasp, staggering backwards with her eyes wide, but Mason continued, undeterred, "Apparently, you don't just look like Katherine, you act like her, too. And when I see you around Stefan and Damon, I actually feel sorry for them, because they're blind to who you truly are-"
"Mason, that's enough!" John sharply interjected, shooting his best friend a warning look. He may be disappointed in Elena, and deep inside, he knew that he had always preferred Anastasia over her, but despite Elena going out of line, she was his daughter. And he couldn't just stand by and allow anyone to purposely hurt her, even though a part of him sadly agreed with Mason.
Anastasia sneered at the brunette upon seeing the beginning formation of tears in her wounded eyes, "No, Dad. Mason's right. Katherine may have killed Ezra and I would forevermore hate her for it, and I won't rest until she's lying in a ditch somewhere six feet under or burned to ash, but I'm not above admitting to the truth. In my book, Elena's worse than Katherine, because… at least Katherine doesn't attempt to hide the fact that she's an evil, manipulative and murderous backstabbing, two-faced slut. She didn't hide the fact that she was playing both Salvatores, unlike Elena here."
Throwing her twin one last venomous glare, Anastasia accepted Mason's hand, preparing to leave. After parting a morose John and Jenna with one last hug, they turned to leave, but before they could cross the threshold, Jeremy's voice prompted them to pause. "Ana, look, I know you don't owe me anything, but… could you, please, just, can you keep an eye on Bonnie tonight. Make sure nothing happens to her."
Looking at her brother over her shoulder, Anastasia pursed her lips into a mulish line, seemingly thinking over his request. Offering him a bitter chuckle, she spitefully spat out, "I don't think your precious girlfriend wants a… what was it? Oh yeah, a monster babysitting her." and she slammed the door behind her with more force than necessary required.
"OH MY GOD!"
Mason and Anastasia barely had a second to admire the unrecognizable gymnasium when her vision was blinded by two heads of blonde hair, courtesy of Caroline and Lexi, both exuberant vampires engulfing Anastasia into their suffocating embraces, twin expressions of awe on their visages as they showered her with a litany of compliments.
Not giving her the opportunity to get a word in, Caroline continued to squeal, "You're- no freaking way! That's-that's the-, you're wearing the LBT! OH MY GAWD!" Suffice to say, Anastasia and Caroline were huge Audrey Hepburn fans, having watched Breakfast at Tiffany's at least one-hundred-and-twelve times…and counting, and the fact that Anastasia looked like Audrey Hepburn vomited all over her only succeeded in amplifying the bubbly blonde's hyper disposition. "You lucky bitch!" she whirled around to face an amused Lexi, "Next time, since you've got some BFF bond with Mr. Original, can you hint to him that I'm so not opposed to him buying me dresses?"
"I'll make sure to pass on the message," Lexi pacified her, rolling her eyes fondly. Caroline bobbed her head, completely serious. "Thanks!" she chirped. Then, an afterthought struck her. "My favorite color is blue," she pointedly revealed.
Lexi shook her head in amusement as Lee approached her from behind and snaked an arm around her waist. "Only Caroline Forbes," she murmured under her breath as the bubbly blonde parted them with a hyper goodbye and darted over to Matt, who stood waiting for her by the punch bowl.
Taking notice of Anastasia's preoccupied disposition, her eyes fixated on a point over the vampire couple's shoulders, Lee softly brought her back to the present, "Ana darling, where you at? You seem light-years away."
Shaking her head as though she were batting away a few stray thoughts, Anastasia blinked, refocusing her attention to Mason, Lexi and Lee. "I was just thinking… don't you find it odd that… I mean," she inhaled a deep breath and smacked her lips together, slowly verbalizing her thoughts out loud. "Caroline fesses up, Matt freaks out and vanishes. I mean, you two mostly helped Caroline look for him. Three vampires with incredible senses, one of which knows the layout of the town like the back of her hand and could probably navigate around with her eyes closed, and you still couldn't pinpoint him. Then, after an entire day, he just shows up in her room, tells her that Liz brought him over to patch things up and then get this, he convinces her to erase his memories. It just, it doesn't add up. I mean, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I think we need to keep a close eye on Matt," the moment Anastasia ended her speech, her eyes connected with Matt's bright blue ones, and she unblinking held his gaze until he nervously looked away.
Mason dragged a hand down his face, "Look, I learned my lesson before. I'd never doubt you again, Ana. But I think we've got enough to worry about. Let's first deal with Klaus, then we'll tackle everything else. Okay?"
Once Mason imparted his words of wisdom, they all decided to let loose and relax for the time being, and Anastasia found herself whisked off to the dance floor, being swayed away by not just Mason and Lee, but her fellow classmates – Matt purposely keeping his distance, and therefore, increasing her suspicions. Of course, her surging joy was effectively murdered upon realizing Damon and Stefan were casually dancing their way towards her, most probably attempting to trap her into dancing with them. Shaking her head with a long-suffering sigh, Anastasia excused herself and combed the room for a friendly familiar face. Approaching the punch bowl, Anastasia belatedly realized she had closed the distance between her and one of the last people she wanted to confront.
"Anastasia," she drily addressed the blonde.
Sniffing the rim of her cup, a satisfied smile materialized on the gorgeous blonde's face when the familiar scent of vodka burned her nostrils. Chugging the entire drink, Anastasia refilled her cup, needing the liquor courage before she instigated a conversation with her soon-to-be, or already, ex-best friend. "Bon-Bon," she crooned sounding a touch hostile.
Disappointed, Bonnie looked down her nose at Anastasia and breathed out, her tone reeking of genuine confusion, "What happened to you? I don't even recognize you anymore. Ever since your parents-" She cut herself off, shaking her head for emphasis before lamely concluding, "You've changed."
A bark of scathing laughter emanated from the blonde's lips and, whirling around to establish eye-contact, Anastasia dropped the polite façade. "You mean after Elena killed my parents, right?" Bonnie flinched, but before her lips could part with a retort, the blonde snarled, "Like I said, this is family business, and you're not family. Like Elena, you've done more harm than good, so keep your condescending trap shut, 'cause I'm gonna talk and you're gonna stand here and listen. My parents died because of my sister's selfishness and complete idiocy! The love of my life died because of you! It was either my baby brother or my boyfriend and Ezra chose for me because he loved me so damn much that he died. He. Died. My Ezra died so that I wouldn't have to feel the crippling loss of another family member. And why? It could have all been avoided. But noooo… you wanted to protect poor, precious Elena, the eternal damsel in distress. So you have no right to psychoanalyze me."
There was a stifling beat of silence before it was broken. "I'm sorry," Bonnie choked out, her throat clogged with tears as she swallowed back a sob. "Believe me when I say this, Ana. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. Jeremy was supposed to stay out of it. Stefan, Damon and I were going to confront Katherine, but Jeremy, he, he just took off without telling any of us-"
"He told Ezra," the blonde bitterly interjected. Breathing deeply through her nose, sapphire eyes intensely met hazel-greens. "I heard you and Jeremy are a thing now," she casually commented, surprising the witch with the non sequitur, who replied with a brusque 'we are'. "Hmmm. You asked Elena for permission to date Jer. But... you never asked me," her intense look turned into a narrowed glare that had Bonnie reflexively swallowing the lump from her throat. "I'd like to believe it's because you know I wouldn't have given you my blessing and not because you didn't care about my opinion. But for the record, Bon-Bon, you don't have and you never will have my blessing. My brother deserves better than you. He deserves much better than a judgmental and arrogant teenage witch who thinks herself a god. All you can give Jeremy is death and suffering. But I guess I'm too late with the shovel talk, seeing as you've got an expiration date that aligns with Klaus's death."
Reeling backwards, Bonnie gaped at the blonde, not just at the harsh words spoken and the vehement disapproval of her relationship with Jeremy, but her surprising knowledge, "How did you-"
"Know?" Anastasia's face screamed arrogance. "You forget that I took private lessons with Grams, Bonnie. The power inside you is killing you and the more magic you employ, the shorter your life span becomes." Noticing not-Alaric from afar, a devious smirk materialized on her face and barely sparing the dying witch a glance, she drawled out, sotto voce, "Enjoy your last dance, Bon-Bon."
"We have a special shout-out tonight. This is for Anastasia. From Klaus!"
Klaus suppressed his chuckle when Damon and Stefan joined him, flanking him on both sides. As they nattered on and on about the move being a "lame, cheap shot", Klaus absently murmured words of agreement, further feeding the eldest Salvatore's ego while he intently perused the gymnasium for two individuals in particular. No sooner did the brothers leave his side, did he finally locate the witch and Anastasia Gilbert, and by the looks of their postures and facial expressions, they appeared to be in the middle of quite a heated dispute.
It appears that his goddess was burning bridges with, according to Katerina, "the Scooby Gang."
"So, how about that dance?"
Speak of the Devil… or Goddess.
"Anastasia," he courteously acknowledged.
She pivoted around to face him and inclined her head, motioning for him to accompany her. Not seeing any reason to turn her away, and not wishing to either, Klaus met the gaze of his three compelled humans and nodded, silently signaling them to attack the Salvatore brothers. Leaving the gymnasium, they paused in the middle of the lit hallway, allowing Klaus to admire her in full color, and intensely devour her entire form with hungry eyes, appreciating her god-gifted beauty that was unparalleled. She looked, if possible, even more gorgeous than the face that, for centuries, haunted his dreams.
"You know, it's kind of disturbing," she nonchalantly prefaced.
Confused, he cocked his head, "What is?"
The blonde simply stared at him, a challenge in those mesmerizing oceanic pools. "You. Looking at me like that. Through my stepfather's eyes. Kinda creepy," she stated, indifferently.
"Excuse me?"
"Cut the crap, Klaus. I'm onto you," she scoffed, finally reaching to the crux of the matter.
Klaus stiffened. His posture no longer screamed cool and relaxed. Slowly, almost menacingly, he growled, "How did you know?"
Eyes that haunted him for centuries rolled aggressively in their sockets, and her otherworldly face shone with open affront. "Oh, please. Give me more credit, Klaus. I think you'll find that I'm nothing like those blind fools in the Elena-Squad. I've known from the very beginning. You kinda exposed yourself the moment our eyes met. I mean, Ric is my stepfather, he taught me history for months, and we were once a united front against Big Bads in Mystic Falls for a while before I changed sides. No way in hell could Alaric forget my name."
"Clever human," he mused aloud, more impressed than angered. Of course, Anastasia Gilbert was smarter than she looked, he didn't expect any less. "How?" he hissed, taking a step forward, not respecting the concept of personal space.
Not intimidated in the slightest, Anastasia smirked, looking more devious and dangerous than his beloved sister could ever hope to be. "Don't take it personal. It helps when you know what you're looking for. Ever since you compelled my biological mother to off herself, I've been expecting you. And a little birdie informed me that possession happens to be one of your favorite little tricks. You forgetting my name simply put an early end to my little search party. Thanks for that by the way," she sarcastically concluded, every single word that rolled off her tongue only succeeding to intensify his fascination with the literal girl of his dreams.
"Elijah!" he snarled, knowingly. His eyes blazed with palpable fury at the thought of his 'noble' brother being in close proximity of his goddess. "I heard he had a nasty tumble with a very special dagger," he casually stated, fishing for information Katerina obviously lacked. Worst spy in the history of spies in his opinion. Anastasia simply shrugged, offering him a purposely vague retort, "He did."
Silence settled on them, two intense pairs of orbs instigating a stubborn stare-off. Finally, Klaus spoke, his voice uncertain, yet his curiosity skyrocketing. "Why didn't you say anything? Why not warn, as you fondly refer to them as, the 'Elena-Squad'?"
Mirth lit up her sapphire eyes, and her devious smirk turned playful. "And ruin your fun? Now…where's the fun in that? Unless Elena doesn't run, you won't wreak havoc on the town," she started listing, ticking off on her fingers. "Alaric's perfectly safe as you need him to remain alive. He's probably safer as your host than hanging around Damon, to tell you the truth," she scoffed bitterly in afterthought, further amusing the Original. "Katherine's suffering under your wrath, which is a huge bonus for me. And lastly, I do enjoy watching Elena's darling protectors run around like chickens with their heads chopped off. Watching them search high and low for you while you stood right under their very nose has been the pinnacle of my entertainment. So…why would I blow your cover when I'm enjoying myself immensely…?"
In a state of disbelief, Klaus challenged her once more in an attempt to crack her exterior, curious to know if her attitude was simply a façade meant to fool him. "What about your little witch friend, Bonnie? I am not foolish enough to underestimate you. You know I cannot allow her to live if I am to break the curse, not with all the power she wields and the threat she poses to me."
Surprising him for the umpteenth time since his possession of the haggard history teacher, Anastasia snorted, looking wholly unperturbed, "I figured."
"You're not as I expected," Klaus admitted, tone soft, creeping Anastasia out at the palpable adoration in his voice – no, in Alaric's voice. It made her shiver in disgust. "I honestly expected you to put up a fight to save your sister, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you."
Suddenly desperate, Anastasia took ahold of his wrist, her grip firm, "Why? Why are you interested in me? Rose and Trevor took me hostage not long ago to bargain their freedom because apparently, I mean something to you. I want to- I need to know why! What am I to you!?"
The distraught etched on her lovely features almost tore his heart in half. Sadness didn't suit Anastasia Gilbert, not at all. Klaus yearned to tell her the truth, to grant her the information she was evidently desperate for; to give her the final piece that would complete her puzzle, but he couldn't. Wouldn't! Anastasia was not ready to learn the truth, physically and emotionally.
"I'm sorry, love. I, too, am in need of an answer to this startling enigma myself," he lied, hating himself for it.
Disappointed, Anastasia nodded, lowering her gaze and releasing his wrist. However, before Klaus could attempt to lift up her mood, he picked up on the racket the Salvatores were making, easily distinguishing their pained grunts, closely followed by the sound of heads colliding with the lockers. Searching, he tuned in to the witch's location, suppressing his victorious grin at the realization that his plan worked and that she had abandoned the gymnasium, and was foolishly roaming the halls by her lonesome. Regrettably, he needed to leave the enchanting blonde's presence, and, with much reluctance on his part, he bid her farewell, the promise of seeing her again heavily implied and left unsaid.
The moment Klaus disappeared around the corner, Anastasia turned around and quickened her steps, heels clicking loudly and echoing in the empty hallway. She unclasped her clutch and grabbed her phone, informing Elijah of the snag in their plan.
Bonnie couldn't die. Not yet. Not now, and most definitely not before the sacrifice.
Once Elijah promptly responded, offering an ingenious solution to their dilemma, Anastasia in turn sent identical texts to Mason, Lexi, Lee, and Caroline, informing them of the urgent need to locate Bonnie Bennett and text her ASAP.
Ten minutes later, thanks to Mason, Anastasia approached Bonnie's hideout, watching as the witch revealed that Alaric was being possessed by Klaus to the two dumbfounded Salvatores. Instantly hearing footsteps, Damon snarled at her and Stefan offered her a sad smile, but Anastasia didn't care, her eyes never once disconnecting from the terrified, watering eyes of a girl she used to once upon a time, regard as one of her best friends.
"We need to talk," she announced, radiating utmost calm.
Damon looked ready to pounce, "You don't get-"
"Shut the hell up, Damon! I'm not talking to you. You're an impetuous man-child that only knows how to sulk when things don't go your way. I'm here to offer Bonnie a chance to one-up, Klaus. But if you test my patience, I'll leave and let you three flounder by yourselves," the blonde snapped, her irises flickering between an orange-red and its natural sapphire blue.
Stefan, ever the rational brother, gasped in realization, "How long have you know about Alaric?"
Smirking sinisterly, Anastasia shrugged, "Long enough. But that's not the point. Stefan, you're not needed here. I wish to speak to Bonnie and Damon alone. And before you ask me why, I need you to pin down Klaus's location."
Reluctantly, Stefan departed, but not before he shot Damon a warning glance, most probably gesturing for him to behave – Damon? Behave? ...fat chance of that ever happening!
"What's you plan then, oh wise one," Damon snarkily muttered.
Clapping her hands together, Anastasia solemnly met Bonnie's inquiring gaze, "Here's what's going to happen. To gain an advantage over Klaus, Bonnie, you're going to have to let him win. You need to die, and Stefan needs to witness your death."
Bonnie and Damon gaped at her, rendered speechless.
Anastasia proceeded to explain the intricacies of the plan.
She barely had a chance to unpin her hair, remove her makeup and undress herself in favor for her comfy PJs, when rude and incessant knocking against her bedroom door pervaded the air. Groaning loudly, Anastasia kicked off her stilettos and violently threw open the door, only to angrily glare at the one of the three individuals she hated the most, the first and second spots reserved for Katherine and Damon, respectively.
"Elena," Anastasia groused out through gritted teeth. She quickly moved to close the door, but Elena obviously saw it coming. She extended a hand out, stopping it from fully closing in her face and shoved her way inside through the thin crack. "Uh, excuse me, your highness, but get the fuck out of my room!"
Wringing her wrists, Elena cried out, "We need to talk."
An eyebrow lifted in a mixture of bored disbelief, the blonde sneered, and the next words to come out of her mouth oozed with an overload of sarcasm, "Right. I know it's a hard concept for your miniscule mind to comprehend, but normally, in order for a 'conversation' to initially take place, the common requirements are two willing parties, and last I checked, I don't want to, nor am I interested, in having one with–"
"I need your help!"
A/N: Whew! I hope this chapter was worth the wait.
Due to the long delay, I made this chapter very long, and I'm pleased to tell y'all that this is the longest chapter of this story I made to date! XD
(1) FINALLY KLAUS HAS ARRIVED! YAY! =D! (2) Okay, now tell me, tell me, tell me. How did you like Team Ana? I enjoyed writing their little meeting, it's like Lexi and Lee's home is Team Ana's version of the Boarding House where they discuss all life-threatening situations and plot their battles. LOL! Despite how short it was, I enjoyed writing it. …Ya know, while writing this story, I realized how much easier everything would've been and the trouble saved if they just trusted Elijah and didn't dagger him. Right? Right? (3) I need to know: How Bad-ASS was Jenna? Writing her badassery was the highlight of this chapter! So excited to show more of this side of Jenna! (4) As promised, I included scenes with Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline and Mason! (5) Honestly, how did you like the Klaus/Ana interaction? To be perfectly honest, I'm more excited for their next meeting which will be taking place next chapter – a meeting that would be purely awesome, why? Because Klaus wouldn't be in Alaric's body. That's why their interaction wasn't too shocking, 'cause honestly, when Ana looks at him, all she sees is the stepfather she's not too fond of. (6) BTW, Klaus knows what the connection is with him and Ana, he just chose to keep her in the dark. Note that the 'dreams' Klaus keeps mentioning is very important! You'll find out later, like Season Three later. ;) Sorry! SPOILERS… (7) Elena's a brat, huh? That was amusing to write. And I hated writing Ana and Jeremy's hostile relationship. Tugged at my heart-strings. However, I promise, they'll kiss and make up soon enough. (8) And lastly, Anastasia's dress was the iconic LBT Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's, while her hair was styled exactly like hers was in Charade. Basically, I stole inspiration from Audrey! ;)
I'll try and have the next chapter out soon as we are nearing the end of Season Two, which I am totally excited about because I got a MAJOR plot-twister in the menu! ;)
R&R.