Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I want to thank the guest reviewer that sent me that long review where she was talking about love triangles and such. I really appreciate your advice about not needing to please everyone, and that you trust me to take the story where I want it to go. I love hearing that. Thank you so much!
Season 3 Episode 3 The End of the Affair
The next morning I woke up to the sun beaming in my eyes. I rolled over with a groan. I expected to be met with the warmth of my naked vampire boyfriend, but instead I found the sheets to be cold. My eyes opened and I saw that I was in fact alone.
"How rude." I mumbled to myself. Sitting up, I had to stretch, my back popping as I did so. I then swung my legs over the side of the bed, stepping over the towel I had from the night prior and over to Damon's closet. I grabbed a button up shirt and pulled it over me. With nimble fingers I buttoned it all the way up. I took a quick look in the mirror, my pale legs exposed up to my upper thigh. My hair fell in long waves down my back and I grinned before turning and walking out the door.
I padded down the hall, noticing that Jace was already gone. I guessed he had an early shift that morning, and I was a bit glad. I didn't want him seeing me in this state of undress. That was reserved for the blue eyed vampire I was searching for. I hopped down the stairs with a little perk to my step. If I had known sex would be so invigorating, I probably would have done it way before this.
"Damon?" I called out to him. I peeked into the parlor, not seeing any sight of him. I then looked into the kitchen, still coming up empty. I started to pout, my good mood fading with having to wait for him. I then went into the study, where I finally saw him. His back was to me, and he was pouring himself a drink. I smirked.
"Isn't it a little early for that?" I asked, leaning against the door frame. I could hear him chuckle and watched as he took a sip of the caramel colored liquid in his glass. He then turned and his eyebrows rose as his eyes scanned my form.
"Well, good morning to me." He said, his eyes meeting my gaze. With all the confidence I could muster, I made my way toward him, slowly, making sure I took care with each step. He was watching me with hungry eyes, like a predator to prey. But this time, I didn't mind playing the victim. Not if he was my attacker.
"Got lonely up there all by myself." I said, sounding like a pouting child. I was now standing in front of him, only one step away. "You're a southern man. You should know it's not polite to leave a lady all alone."
"I wouldn't call you a lady after last night." He said, wiggling his brow. My jaw dropped and I lightly smacked his arm. He chuckled.
"I'm sorry my dear." Damon said, putting on a fake southern accent. "How can I ever make it up to you?"
I smirked, taking that one step to close the distance between us. My fingers trailed down his chest, feeling the planes of his chest muscles and down to his abs. I could see his eyes glaze over with lust as I felt him up. I licked my lips before meeting his gaze again.
"I wouldn't mind a kiss or two." I said, standing on my tip toes and gripping his shirt. He smirked, leaning in the rest of the way and meeting our lips together in a playful, yet passionate, kiss. I felt my head go all fuzzy again and I gripped his shirt tighter so I wouldn't fall over from the pure bliss I was in. His hands were all over, rolling from my waist, down to my hips and then gripping my back side. I squealed when he squeezed my rump and he took that chance to plunge his tongue into my mouth.
I was in such a state of pure ecstasy that when Damon's phone rang, I held on to him tighter so he wouldn't answer. To my dismay, he pulled back and his eyes looked at the screen. His eyebrows furrowed and then he clicked the answer button, holding it up to his ear.
"Hello?" He said. I watched him closely, trying to figure out who it might be. "Katherine?"
I felt my blood boil at the name. Why was she calling him? I didn't like to be a jealous person, but whenever Katherine, or anyone who seemed interested in Damon, I couldn't help but feel the little green monster creep up and take hold of my mind.
"What do you want?" Damon asked, his eyes meeting mine. I bit my bottom lip, my bad mood gone. "Well, Stefan's still Klaus' little prisoner and Elena still thinks she can save him and no one's thought about you since you left."
There was a long pause.
"You know where he is." Damon said. My eyes widened. If Katherine knew where Stefan was, then that meant that we hadn't been the only ones tracking him. "Where is he?"
Another long pause and then Damon hung up. He then turned moving quickly through the house. I furrowed my brows, following him. We ended up back in his bedroom, where he was putting stuff into a bag. I stood there, a little confused as to what he was doing.
"Well?" I asked finally. "Where are we going?"
"Windy city." He replied, stuffing some clothes in a bag. "Get dressed, we have to move."
I nodded, pulling on my clothes from last night. Damon took me to my house, telling me to pack for an overnight trip and to talk to my mom. He was going to pick up Elena. As much as I didn't want to be alone with Damon and Elena, I didn't trust them to be alone together. I would rather be there to mediate and make sure nothing went down. Besides, I wanted to help, even just a little bit.
I grabbed some PJ's and a pair of jeans. I threw in a t-shirt and zipped the bag up. I looked over to my desk, the letter from John sat there, still unopened. I sighed, grabbing it and putting it in the pocket of my bag. I hadn't built up the courage to read it. In these two months I hadn't got the nerve to do it. Maybe it was because I didn't want him to really be dead, or I just didn't want to hear what he had to say. Either way, the letter had not been opened. It had been collecting dust on my desk for months.
I heard the honk of a horn outside and went out the door. I left a note for my mom, telling her that Damon was taking me for a surprise road trip. I told her I would call her later. Locking the door behind me, I headed out to Damon's car. My mouth became dry when I saw Elena's head poke out of the back seat. At least she had the decency to give me the passenger seat. I sighed before opening the door and hopping inside. No one spoke at first. It was tense, and I found my palms were sweating.
"Well, this should be fun." Damon mumbled. I fought the urge to hit him. His commentary was not necessary and it was definitely not helping. He must have sensed my distress because he placed his hand on my knee. When I looked up to him he was smiling, that smile that made my heart thump in my chest and my body relaxed. This trip wasn't ideal, but I had Damon by my side and that's all that mattered.
The first half of the ride was quiet, and it was mostly just me changing the channels on the radio. Once I had settled on something, I stared out the window. Damon's hand never left my knee, but I eventually took his hand in mine. Every now and then he would give it a little squeeze and I was thankful to have him there. I was a bit nervous, because if we found Stefan, Klaus couldn't be far behind, and I didn't know if I was ready to see him again. After everything he had done… I didn't want to see him. And Sarah invading my dreams wasn't helping either.
"You know Stefan holds some special connection to Chicago." Damon said as we drove down the road. I looked over to him with furrowed brows. "Here."
He pulled something out of a bag and handed it back to Elena. Upon further inspection I saw that it was a leather bound book. Elena took it gingerly in her long fingers.
"Paints a pretty little picture of Stefan's first experience in Chicago." Damon said. From the way he said it, made me think that whatever Stefan did in the windy city was not pretty. Granted, the way that Damon described ripping wasn't pretty either. I shivered at the thought.
"It's Stefan's diary." Elena said, looking at the book. "I'm not going to invade his private thoughts."
"You need to be prepared for what you're about to see." Damon replied, looking at her through the rear view mirror.
"I've seen Stefan in his darkest periods." Elena said, handing the diary back to Damon. "I can handle it."
Damon took it, opening up the beige colored book and flipped through some pages. I almost stopped him, but when did Damon ever stop invading people's privacy. I was also curious about this. I had seen Stefan, seen this scary side of him. But I wanted to know what we were dealing with so that I could be sure what we were dealing with.
"Here's one. March 12, 1922." Damon said, staring at the page. "I blacked out for days. I wake up in strangers' blood, in places I don't recognize with women I don't remember."
Damon then gasped loudly.
"Ahh! I'm shocked!" Damon said, looking to me. "Stefan's not a virgin?"
I smacked him, taking the diary from his hand and handed it back to Elena. Damon pouted at me but I just gave him a narrowed eyed glare.
"Eyes on the road." I ordered. Damon huffed like a child, but eventually he cooled down and started some license plate game. My eyes drifted from the windshield to my side view mirror. I could see Elena's reflection in the mirror, and the expression on her face was a little disheartening. She was rolling her vervain necklace around in her fingers and she was looking from the window to the diary in her lap. I knew she was contemplating reading it, but she never did even crack it open.
If I was in her situation and I had the answers as to what I could see about my significant other, would I do it? Would I invade that trust of privacy just to know if I could handle seeing him in such a state? Stefan was always kind and level headed. He enjoyed the kill that is until he felt remorse. He was pure of heart, and that was his downfall as a vampire. Unless he turned the switch. But I didn't believe that he had, he let Damon save me, he called Elena even if he hadn't spoken, and he saved Damon's life. Stefan could be saved. We just had to get him back to do so.
We eventually made it into Chicago, and I was glad to be able to stretch my legs. Damon had pulled out in front of an apartment building. It wasn't a nice one, it was run down and pretty shabby. It was old though, that much was obvious. I was wondering why the hell we were here.
"What is this place?" Elena asked, voicing my thoughts. I shut the car door behind me, looking up at the faded white building.
"This is Stefan's old apartment building." Damon explained. He popped up beside me, putting his hand on the small of my back as he led us inside. "He lived here in the 20's."
So I was right, this place was old. Damon led us up the creaky steps. No one was around and it gave off an eerie feeling. The pain was peeling there were bugs all over, cob webs in the corners. It was definitely not what I would picture Stefan living in.
"Stefan could live anywhere in Chicago and he chose this?" I asked, looking around at all the dust.
"There used to be an all-girls high school around the corner, but it shut down for attendance issues. Weird." Damon said sarcastically. I fought the urge to smack him again.
"If you're trying to scare me into giving up and going back, it's not going to work." Elena said. Damon hushed her, turning the knob and pulling it out of the door. He smirked and I rolled my eyes.
"Let's add breaking and entering to our list of crimes committed this year." I muttered. Damon chuckled and pushed the door open, stepping aside to let us in. My eyes widened. Like the rest of the place, this apartment was pretty shabby. It was covered in dust, telling us that he hadn't been here in a long while.
"Here we are." Damon said, wiping his finger across a desk. "Stefan's second personality home."
We were all quiet, taking in the sight before us. I wondered how many people Stefan had taken here, only to rip them apart and dispose of the body. An old blood stain in the left corner of the room made me wince.
"He obviously hasn't been here." Elena commented. Damon turned to face both of us, a wicked grin on his face.
"Tour isn't over yet." He said. He then walked over to a book case that was inside the wall. He moved his fingers against the paneling for a minute or two, looking for something. Elena and I shared a confused look, but it was obvious when the bookshelf moved and revealed a secret room. Inside were bottles of alcohol.
"Stefan hid his alcohol." Elena said sarcastically. "What a monster."
"Look closer." Damon suggested, gesturing for us to head inside. Elena went first and I followed behind. We stepped inside the room, seeing the dusty old bottles first. It occurred to me then that this was the time of prohibition and probably a lot of the places around here had secret compartments people hid alcohol in. Elena gasped and I turned to see what she was seeing.
"It's a list of names." I said, looking down the wall covered with random names. None of them meant anything to me, but the list was staggering. There had to be at least a hundred, probably more scratched into the paint.
"These are all his victims?" Elena asked. I swallowed hard. This list was extensive, and by the look of it, Stefan kept an organized log of all the victims he had. What was even worse was that this was just one city. Who knows how many other lives he had taken in other cities.
"Still handling it?" Damon challenged. I turned and gave him a look. I knew Damon wasn't fond of us involving ourselves in the rescue of Stefan, but he couldn't expect Elena, especially with how stubborn she was, to turn around and go home. She was going to find Stefan if it was the last thing she ever did.
"Ok, you two stay here and think of a plan." Damon said, heading toward the door.
"Where are you going?" I asked him.
"His old stomping ground." Damon said. "I'll come back when I find him."
"I'm coming with you." Elena said stepping forward. Damon held out a hand to stop her.
"No, you stay here." Damon said. I felt my eyes widen and my stomach drop. If Damon left that meant that I was going to be alone with Elena. I licked my suddenly dry lips and swallowed hard. Damon turned toward the door, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.
"You can't leave me here." I said, low enough to where Elena wouldn't hear it but Damon could. His expression softened and he put his hands on my shoulders.
"You will be fine." Damon told me earnestly. "Besides. You two need some girl time."
"I don't want girl time." I muttered. Talking things out with Elena was not top on my to do list. In fact, I was still iffy about if I wanted to talk to her at all. With Damon, I was safe from having the conversation that loomed over us like an ominous cloud, but now he was leaving for who knows how long and I would be stuck with her.
"Pretty girl…" Damon said, looking at me with those eyes that I could never say no to. He wanted to find Stefan just as much as Elena did, maybe even more. The way he was looking at me in that second, I knew that I couldn't make him stay or force myself to go with him. This was something he needed to do alone.
"Ok." I said, almost a whisper. He cracked a grin, leaned forward and kissed me flush on the lips. I smiled into it, although it was weak and a little forced. He pulled back much too quickly and slipped out the door and into the hallway. I stood there, staring at the peeling paint of the door for a long time before I sighed. He wasn't coming back for me any time soon.
I turned around, seeing Elena staring at me patiently. I said nothing, I barely looked at her before I bent down and started riffling through my bag. My hands brushed the letter, but I didn't grab it. Instead I grabbed my stake, pushing it through my belt loop so as to have it ready if I needed it. I also pulled out a pistol, looking inside to make sure it was loaded with wooden bullets. If we had any surprise visitors I would be ready.
"You sure are getting into this hunting stuff." Elena said. She was seated on the bed, dust flying up around her. I shrugged, tucking the gun in my back pocket for easy access.
"Have to defend myself." I replied. She nodded, falling silent again. I took it upon myself to look around the room. Nothing of importance showed up, nothing like the names of the victims Stefan had kept track of. Just thinking of it made me cringe.
"You got a letter from John too?"
I whipped around, seeing the envelope containing the words from my late father inside, sitting in Elena's hands. She was looking it over, and I guessed that she recognized John's scribbled hand writing. He had written out my whole first name, and even though I hated being called that, I couldn't bring myself to get mad that he did so.
"Yeah." I replied, ripping the letter from her hands. She looked at me shocked. "I don't think that's any of your business."
"You're right. I'm sorry." She said, expression a little ashamed. "That's not the only thing I'm sorry for…"
"We are not getting into that tonight." I told her firmly. She stared at me for a long time, expression sad and hopeless. Then she furrowed her brows and stood at full height.
"Why not?" She asked. She sounded a little irritated. "What else do we have to do for the next few hours?"
"Not that." I replied. I was not interested in hearing how sorry she was, or hearing how sincere her apology was supposed to be. An apology did not take away what she did
"Alex… I can't keep doing this." Elena said. I furrowed my brows. "I have been trying to talk to you for months. I want to fix this, make it better. Alex… you're one of my most trusted friends… we're sis-…. We're family."
I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. Did I want things to go back to normal? Yes. Did I want to fix it? Yes. Did I trust her? I didn't think so.
"I miss you." Elena added. I met her gaze, seeing the honesty that was etched into her face. I wanted to forgive her, move on and never speak of it again. But the voice nagging at the back of my head wouldn't allow me to do so.
"I miss you too." I replied. She broke out into a grin. "But Elena… things will never be the same."
Her smile faded.
"You hurt me… and…. I can't take that lightly." I told her. "I don't… trust you anymore."
The way she looked at me, it made me feel like I had stabbed her in the gut and twisted the knife. But I wouldn't back down. She had to hear it, and she had to know that it would take more of an apology to fix it.
"I'm so sorry…" She said in a hushed voice. "I swear… It didn't mean anything."
"A kiss always means something." I replied. She opened her mouth but shut it. She looked as if she was going to cry, but I couldn't comfort her. I pushed my lips into a straight line and walked out of the room, John's letter still in hand. I walked into the kitchen, pacing the floor for a few minutes.
I had to fight myself not to go in there and just forgive her. I guessed it was the guardian bond that drew me to her, but also I just wanted things to go back to normal. But things would never be "normal." Not after what had happened.
I looked down at the white envelope in my hand. She asked me if I got a letter too. That meant that he had written ones for both of us. I felt a little jealous at that, I had known John was my father my whole life, while Elena knew for a couple months. I guess I wanted to be special.
I huffed, ripping open the tab of the letter, exposing the words inside. I stared at the piece of paper for a long while, debating on reading it. Was I ready to finally accept that my father was dead? Although I hadn't known him long and our relationship was rocky, he saved my life and he saved Elena's. Everything he did, he did because he was trying to protect me.
I took a long breath, taking out the letter and unfolding it.
Dear Alexandra,
I hope this letter gets to you and that Damon delivered it along with my ring. I know that it will do you no good, but I hope that you will find use in it in some way.
I know I was a failure, as a brother, as a partner to your mother, but especially as a dad to you. I can't tell you why I left you, because nothing would justify it. I regret that mistake now more than ever. Over the last few months, I have gotten to know you, see how much you have grown, and it makes me sad that I will never be a part of it.
I made mistakes, especially with my prejudices against the supernatural. I know now that you are safest with the Salvatore brothers, especially Damon. He loves you, and I know that he will always protect you. Do I wish you could live a full life, have kids and do human things, yes, I wish that very much. But I see in your eyes that Damon is the one you have chosen, and I will support that decision.
Please, take care of your mother. She deserves much more then she was ever given. She is a strong woman, and I see more of her in you every time I see you. I loved her… I hope you know that. Take care of Elena and Jeremy. They need family right now in this pressing time.
You are a Gilbert.
You always have been, and you always will be. I'm sorry that I am leaving this world, unable to get to know you better or even say goodbye. But, I want you to know that I love you. You are my daughter, and I want nothing but the best for you.
Good luck.
Love,
Your Father
I felt a salty warm tear fall down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away. I felt cheated, like everything I could have had was gone now. John wasn't the poster child of amazing fathers, but those last few months I really saw that he was trying. When we were training, I knew that he wanted me to take care of myself, and he wanted me to be independent.
He loved me.
"Bastard." I muttered to myself, putting the letter back in its envelope. Now was not the time for sappy letters and tears. When Damon came back we would have to have a plan of getting Stefan back. Elena was our best bet. She could talk him into returning better than I could. But how did we get Klaus out of the way?
Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps and loud talking. I jumped into action going to grab Elena, who was already making her way toward me. I put my finger to my lip, telling her to be quiet. I grabbed my bag and the two of us rushed to hide in Stefan's secret hide away. Pushed up against the wall, we closed the door and waited to see what would happen.
I heard the door kick open and I flinched. I then slowly slipped my pistol out of my pocket, holding it out, ready to shoot. Elena's eyes were wide, and I could see she was holding her breath. My protective instincts of her were kicking me, making me want to protect her.
"Do you feel that?" The voice was Klaus.' "Is someone here?"
"It's been vacant for decades. People must break in all the time." This time it was Stefan who spoke. "Why'd you bring me here?"
"Your friend, Liam Grant, the one who drank his wife's blood..." Klaus explained. "I never could figure out why you wanted his name. And then you told me your little secret. It was all part of your special little ritual."
Elena shifted her head to the side, looking at the list of names. I followed her gaze, seeing Liam Grant's name on the wall.
"To write it down." Stefan finished. I swallowed hard, holding onto the pistol tight so my sweaty hands wouldn't drop it. I was ready for action, but could I really kill Stefan? Did I have the guts to do it if I needed to? Wooden bullets wouldn't kill Klaus, but he didn't know Elena was alive. I had to keep her hidden.
"And relive the kill... Over and over again." Klaus said, his voice close to the door. I shrunk back a little, trying to hide Elena and I further into the room so as to not be seen. Slowly, the door opened and the moonlight seeped in. I set my jaw, barely able to breathe.
"You believe me now?" Klaus asked. I could see the back of his head, but he never turned to look inside the room. I was holding up my weapon, ready to shoot him in the back of the head as a diversion if necessary.
However, he walked away and lighter footsteps were coming toward us. I braced myself, my finger set on the trigger. In a second, Stefan appeared. At first he looked at the dusty bottles of alcohol, then he looked our way.
He seemed surprised at first, and his mouth opened as if he wanted to say something. He didn't though. His eyes shifted from me to Elena, who without a warning tried to move toward him. I used my hand to stop her, pushing her protectively behind me. Stefan looked down at my weapon and then met my eyes. It was as if we were having a silent conversation, and when I deemed him not a threat, I lowered my weapon.
"Look what I found." Stefan said. My face fell and I began to bring my weapon up again. However, he reached over me and grabbed a bottle of alcohol. He brought it out and turned his back to us, looking to where Klaus must be. He stepped away from the door, leaving me and Elena to breathe a sigh of relief.
The door then slipped closed.
After we were sure the pair had left, we slipped out of the closet. It was dark now and the moonlight shone through the curtains. I was pacing while Elena was sitting, a vervain dart in her hand. I picked up my phone again, dialed the desired number and called. It went to voicemail again.
"I'm going to kill him." I muttered, shoving my phone in my pocket. Just then, the door opened. I turned with my gun pointed at the person, but lowered it when I saw that it was Damon.
"Where the hell have you been!?" Elena yelled. "We called an hour ago!"
"You two change." Damon said, putting a bag on the bed. "I know where Stefan is going to be tonight."
"Are you kidding?" I spat. "They were here Damon! They almost found us. Where the hell were you?"
"I had an hour to realize what a bad idea it was to leave you two here alone, process it, and move on." Damon replied, then softened. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine." I replied. He smiled.
"You see, you didn't need me." He said. He then started rifling through the bag. He pulled out a purple patterned dress, tossing it to Elena. She looked down at it and then back up confused. "What, you're all road trippy and gross."
"Thanks." She replied sarcastically. "So you know where he will be?"
"With Klaus." Damon replied, pulling out a pale blue dress and handing it to me. "So, we will distract Klaus and you deal with Stefan."
Elena nodded, taking the dress and going to the bathroom. I looked down at the dress in my hands. It was nice, but casual enough to be worn out in public. It had quarter length lace sleeves and the skirt when to just above the knee.
"You up for this?" Damon asked. I shrugged. "If you don't want to do this-"
"No." I interrupted him. "I have to do this."
He said no more, taking the dress from me so I could get undressed. I stripped, his eyes never leaving my form and my eyes never leaving his face. He helped me into the dress, zipping it up when I was inside of it. I turned back around to face him and waited for him to say something.
"You look stunning, as usual." He said. I cracked a grin, standing on my tip toes to kiss his cheek. However, he had other plans, turning his head to capture my lips. His hands found my waist and he pushed me flush against him. I let my eyes flutter closed, letting my hands climb up his abdomen and chest until they landed on his shoulders. It was a good kiss, tender and full of passion. We both knew that Klaus was volatile and unpredictable. There was no telling what his reaction to us being there would be. I just hoped that Elena did this quick so no one else got hurt.
"Ahem."
Damon and I broke apart, looking to the source of the sound. Elena stood there, now in her dress, and shifting her weight awkwardly. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and bit her bottom lip.
"Sorry… I just… are we ready?" She asked. I licked my lips out of annoyance, giving Damon one more quick peck before I headed for the door. I guess in a way I was marking my territory, and as childish and insecure as that was, I wanted to make sure Elena knew that I was still here. I was still Damon's girlfriend.
We arrived at the place, Gloria's bar it was called. I stepped out of the car, looking up. It was a classy place from what I could see, but it was still a bar. Now I understood the dress. Damon instructed Elena to stay here while he went to get Stefan. I was to go and break the ice with Klaus, then Damon would be there to back me up.
I could feel the anxiety rise in my gut and tug, making me feel a bit queasy. But I had to do this. I would have to face Klaus sometime. The best time was the present right? I started to walk toward the entrance, struggling a bit in the heels Damon supplied for me. They made my legs look great, but I still wasn't coordinated enough to really pull them off.
When I opened the door the place was pretty crowded. My eyes scanned the place, falling on the curly head of the hybrid I was looking for. He was seated at the bar, taking shots of tequila and asking for more. I took a deep breath, strutting over to him. The bartender put down a shot, but before Klaus could grab it, I did. I knocked it back, trying not to taste the bitter liquid inside.
"That was rude." He said, but his voice was more amused then angry. I smirked, slapping the glass back on the bar. Klaus stared at me for a few seconds before gesturing for two more shots. I took it gladly, the alcohol numbing my anxiety. I knocked back the second one and sat in the stool next to Klaus.
"I hope this seat wasn't taken." I told him. He smirked, shaking his head. "Good."
"I didn't expect to see you here." Klaus said. "I assume your Salvatore is around somewhere."
"You know how protective vampires can be." I told him with a shrug. "So, how's the life of a hybrid treating you?"
He stared at me for a minute, seeming mystified by the fact that I was sitting there talking to him. The alcohol was starting to make me a bit looser, and I was glad. However, I was still in my right mind, and I knew my task was to keep Klaus busy.
"Quite well." Klaus replied, taking his shot. I forced a smile. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Why would you think that?" I asked, a little appalled. "I can't just stop by for a drink with my good buddy Klaus?"
"Last time we spoke you made it very clear that you do not like me." Klaus said. "So, what are you here for?"
"Family reunion." I joked. He shot me a look, one that was irritated and told me that he was done playing games. I swallowed hard. "I was hoping to speak with you."
"About what?" Klaus asked, as if he already knew what I wanted to say. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Even with the drinks, he still made me nervous.
"I was hoping to speak to you about Alissa." I told him. Klaus eyed me for a moment before he let out a laugh. "I'm serious."
"As am I." Klaus said. I gave him a look. "You do not want to hear about the past. It's messy."
"I can handle messy." I told him. He chuckled again. He took another shot from the bartender, knocking it back before he turned serious. He was glaring at the glass, and I wondered if he put just the right amount of pressure would the glass break. But Klaus didn't speak. He just continued to glare at the glass.
"She's been coming to me in my dreams." I told him. He turned to me slowly. "It's like… she's trying to tell me something."
"Like what?" He asked. I shrugged. "She always was good at keeping secrets."
"What happened to her?" I asked. I had asked this before, but he had never answered. I looked at the clock. Elena should be talking to Stefan by now.
"I would rather not say." He told me. I furrowed my brows.
"Why?" I asked. Klaus sighed, gesturing for another shot. I took one, but merely sipped this one.
"Because it is a sad story." Klaus replied. He looked back to me. "You look lovely this evening."
I didn't reply. He was dodging the question again. Just then Klaus' back turned rigid. He turned, an evil smirk forming on his lips. I turned, following his gaze. Damon was walking toward us, and I felt a little more at ease the closer he got.
"I see they've opened the doors to the riffraff now." Klaus commented. Damon smiled, putting his hands on my shoulders, as a way of claiming me I guessed. Klaus glared at Damon's hands.
"Oh, honey, I've been called worse." Damon said. Klaus chuckled. I could feel the tension between the two, and I continued to look at the clock. Klaus' patience would only last for so long.
"You don't quit do you?" Klaus asked Damon.
"Give me my brother back..." Damon said. "You'll never have to see me again."
Klaus smirked.
"Well, I am torn. You see, I promised Stefan I wouldn't let you die, but how many freebies did I really sign up for?" Klaus asked. "And clearly you want to die, otherwise you wouldn't be here, so..."
My eyes widened and my gut wrenched. One bite from Klaus and Damon would be done for.
"What can I say?" Damon asked, hands squeezing my shoulders. "I'm a thrill seeker."
Klaus smiled but then it faded. In a second he stood up, meeting Damon's height and choking him with one hand. My eyes widened and I jumped up.
"Stop!" I begged Klaus. He ignored me.
"Oh, dear, what was that?" Klaus asked, taking a wooden tooth pick and stabbing Damon with it. "I'm a little boozey, so you'll forgive me if I miss your heart the first few tries."
He stabbed him again.
"Ohh! No, that's not it. Hmm."
He stabbed him again.
"Ohh. Almost."
"You want a partner in crime?" Damon asked. "Forget Stefan. I'm so much more fun."
"No!" I yelled. Klaus tossed Damon to the floor, breaking the leg off a chair. My heart sank.
"Or maybe I'll just take Alex with me." Klaus threatened. Damon's eyes narrowed. I was about to grab the chair leg when it burst into flames. "Really?"
"Not in my bar." A dark skinned woman said. "You take it outside."
Klaus rolled his eyes, putting his hand on Damon's throat once more.
"You don't have to negotiate your brother's freedom." Klaus said. "When I'm done with him, he won't want to go back."
He then stood up, straightened out his shirt, and turned to me. I stood as stiff as a board, my eyes never leaving him. He stepped closer menacingly and I fought the urge to snarl.
"It was good to see you again, Alexandra." He said, pushing a lock of hair out of my face. "Sorry about the mess."
He then walked out of the bar nonchalantly. I was frozen until the door closed behind him. I dove down to Damon, checking his injuries.
"I'm fine." Damon said, pushing himself up. "Come on."
We walked outside, going to the car. Elena was already seated inside, her fingers fiddling with her necklace. She was quiet, saying nothing, and not even looking at us when we climbed into the car. Damon looked at her through the rear view mirror.
"You ok?" He asked.
"Just drive." Elena replied.
Damon said nothing more and started the engine. It was a minute or two of me stewing on what to do before I huffed to myself. I reached into the back seat, not even turning around. I found Elena's hand a squeezed it.
I didn't even have to hear her say thank you.