Chapter 13

I was staring at the ceiling the next morning, still completely exhausted from the nightmares that kept tormenting me throughout the night. A light knock at the door snapped me out of my bleak thoughts. I could tell it wasn't Klaus or one of his minions, because they wouldn't wait for an answer. I said "come in" and Elijah slipped in hesitantly. During the short time that I've known him, I have never seen him hesitate before. Something was bothering him.

"Oh, I didn't know I was allowed to have visitors. Did Klaus send you to 'talk some sense into me'?"

"And hello to you too, Elena."

"Sorry, where are my manners," I said dryly. I wasn't sure why I was taking it out on Elijah, since he surely didn't approve of anything that was going on here, but I could feel his eyes scanning me worriedly. I didn't need him pitying me.

"Well, I can hardly blame you for your lack of hospitality." He shot me a kind smile. And then he scanned me up and down, his jaw tense. "All joking aside, Elena, you look terrible. I'm worried that if this goes on any longer it…"

"It's not like there's anything you can do about it, is it? I'm surprised Klaus is even letting you talk to me."

"Actually he's out, and doesn't know I'm here."

"Oh, he'll know soon enough. Or did you miss those hybrids roaming the halls?"

"Elena, I can only imagine what you've been going through, but please, we don't have much time. Niklaus will probably make sure I don't get another chance to talk to you alone."

"Okay, sure, what do you want to know?"

I was trying to avoid this conversation because I knew Elijah was going to want to know all that's been going on, and I wouldn't be able to hide my embarrassing foray into dating his psychopath brother. Elijah had this ability to make you feel ashamed of your actions without even saying anything. And for some reason, I'd hate for him to think less of me.

"I can already imagine that Niklaus is keeping you here under the threat of hurting the ones you love. But the Elena Gilbert I know wouldn't sit here letting herself wither away, without putting up a fight."

His words hurt like daggers, and what hurt more is that I didn't have an answer for him. The truth was that on some level I had this pathetic idea that watching me like this would hurt Klaus and make him regret his decision, but when it didn't, I just gave up the fight.

I didn't say anything, and he went on.

"Just, help me understand. Help me help you. Just say one word and I will take you away from here, even if Niklaus…"

"No," I said finally, unable to listen to more. "I cannot risk anyone else getting hurt because of me. He would kill everyone I care about, and he would dagger you again. I can't let any of that happen."

"But then…"

"Everyone in Mystic Falls believes I'm dead already. They can move on with their lives and I can..."

"You can live out the rest of your days in this room?"

"There are many books on these shelves. It'll keep me busy for a while… "

"Elena…"

"Elijah, don't you think I've been through this over and over in my mind a thousand times already? Don't you think that if there was anything that I could have done that I wouldn't already?"

"Honestly? I think you're being a martyr. There must be something…"

"Elijah, what in hell are you doing?" A stern voice interrupted this futile conversation. It was Rebekah. "If Nik finds out you've been talking with the doppelganger he'll dagger us both. Can't you just play nice until we find out what he wants from us and we can leave this bloody city?"

"I thought you were in no hurry to leave, now that young Marcellus has resurfaced."

"Marcel can rot in hell for all I care. He didn't bother to look for me all these years. Why should I care?"

"Yet, you're still here." I pointed out, unable to help myself.

She shot an icy glance at me and I almost regretted my words, but I tried my best not to let her smell fear. She almost bought it, but then her eyes fell on my necklace and her eyes turned dark, predatory.

"What is my mother's necklace doing around your scrawny little neck?" she growled, tried to rip it off of me, but of course the necklace burned her.

If she was surprised before, she was now flabbergasted. "Why would Nik let you walk around with vervain around your neck?"

Both Elijah and Rebekah were now staring at me suspiciously, and I couldn't help but blush in embarrassment.

Elijah's eyes grew wider, and he suddenly hurried Rebekah out. "Come on Rebekah. Niklaus is bound to come back soon. We'll continue this conversation another time."

She stood waiting with her hand out, until I took off the necklace and gave it to her. She grabbed it by the chain and left. Elijah shot another serious look at me before leaving the room. I knew this conversation was far from over.

Later during the day I could hear some hybrids in the hallway saying that Marcel's people attacked a group of hybrids in the French quarter and killed a couple of dozen of them. Klaus must have been furious, especially since it's become more and more difficult to find werewolves these days. Most of them have gone into hiding when the word spread that Klaus was hunting them down and turning into hybrids.

He came home quite late and he marched straight into my room. I was sitting by the window, reading and didn't bother to look up when he came in.

"I hear that you've been talking to Elijah. Need I remind you that…"

I cut him off right there, "It's crystal clear Klaus. I run – people die." I was sick of his threats.

I looked up, feigning indifference. "Can I get back to my book now?"

He didn't seem to know what else to say to this, and was about to leave when his eyes fell on my neck.

"Where's your necklace?" He asked in a worried tone. That was the most emotion I've heard in his voice in weeks.

"Rebekah took it. Apparently, it's hers. Her mother's to be exact. Who happens to be the Original witch. You failed to mention that fun fact. "

"I'm not here to talk about that wretched woman. You will have another vervain necklace tomorrow." He seemed in a hurry to leave. I guess he wasn't in the mood to talk about how his own mother hated him so much she devoted her afterlife to stopping him.

"Why do you still keep me on vervain?" I asked.

He paused but he didn't turn to face me.

"Vervain necklace, vervain in my food… the taste is quite faint, so it took me some time to realize what that peculiar spice was."

He slowly turned towards me. "I don't want to take any chances. You're not safe if you're easily compelled by any vampire."

He turned to leave again but I didn't give up. "Any vampire… or you?"

Klaus sped to my side and his face was now only inches apart from mine. "Now, why do you imagine I would need to protect you from myself?"

He put on that devilish grin of his, but it was an old trick that didn't intimidate me anymore. He must be desperate.

"Because you don't trust yourself around me," I whispered, taunting him.

"Don't flatter yourself, doppelganger." He scoffed and left the room.

I must have hit the nerve because those sounded more like Rebekah's words than his. It was the most amusement I've had in weeks. I've shifted the dynamics and he knew it.

What he didn't know was that Elijah and I had another chat that afternoon. As soon as he realized Klaus was keeping me on vervain, Elijah suspected something more was going on. My confusion and sudden blushing only confirmed it. I had to own up to my extracurricular activities with Klaus, and Elijah seemed more hopeful than appalled. And of course I knew why. He wanted me to use Klaus' feelings for me to save myself. I tried to explain to him that he didn't have any feelings for me, hell he was incapable of feelings, Elijah should know that better than anyone. However, for some reason Elijah wasn't so sure. And as much as I wanted to get my revenge on Klaus, it felt wrong to go about it this way. Playing on his attraction or fascination or whatever it is that exists between us.

Elijah, however, assured me that Klaus' interest in me was purely due to my resemblance to the Original Petrova and that I shouldn't feel too bad about leading him on. I wasn't sure if he believed it or if he resented Klaus so much that he didn't care.

And after tonight's events it was safe to say that I was onto something, which will make Elijah very happy, save the fact that he didn't know how easily I could fall into my own trap. Even after all this, I couldn't trust myself being so close to Klaus.

Weirdly, I didn't have any nightmares last night and I woke up feeling better than usual. I guess I felt hopeful again and it gave me new strength.

Klaus sent me my breakfast but his minion left without taking any of my blood.

"Hey," I shouted after him. "What about the blood?"

He shrugged. "Mr. Mikaelson said there's no need for more blood."

He left and I ate my breakfast with a smirk.

Later I was having my daily walk around the garden approved again by Dr. Klaus. Elijah saw me and walked up to me, dismissing the hybrid tasked with accompanying me. "I'll take it from here."

"Do you honestly need a companion to walk you around the garden?" He scoffed.

"Yes, because apparently Katherine might show up at any time and snap my neck. Like she didn't run for the hills the moment he lay eyes on her."

Elijah smiled and went on to ask what he was waiting to ask the whole morning. "And.. I hear Klaus visited you last night? Are we making any progress?"

"Elijah, if this is going to work we can't discuss it here in the open. If there's any significant progress I'll let you know."

Elijah agreed and changed the subject to some more trivial topics.

We were walking towards the far end of the garden that I wasn't allowed to go to with my usual companion. We passed through a labyrinth, then a Japanese style portion of the garden with a koi pond and a small waterfall feature, before then we moved on to a beautiful orchard. As we were walking among the trees casting a leafy solace against the sun I could appreciate the cold breeze on my cheek. For the first time in a while I could relax and forget about everything. Or could I?

I could see someone standing under an old apple tree. As we got closer I recognized Klaus. He was painting a beautiful bird sitting on the high branch of the tree. The colors he used were beautiful.

I couldn't miss his frown when he saw us approaching him.

"Elijah, don't you think you're a bit far from the house?"

"Oh, brother, relax. Elena's safe with me."

Klaus glanced at me quickly at his words. "Well, since you're already here, invading my moment of peaceful contemplation… what do you think?" He pointed towards the painting.

"Marvelous as always, Niklaus. That time spent with Monet really did you good."

Klaus grinned mischievously. I'm sure there's a story behind that.

I rolled my eyes and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Do you not like my work, dear Elena?" he said playfully.

"It's okay. I just didn't take you for an impressionist."

His eyes grew wider for a moment. I guess no one has told him before that his paintings were merely 'okay'. The painting was in fact excellent, probably in line with Monet himself, but I wasn't going to admit that to him now, was I.

Elijah smirked, realizing what I was doing. "Well, If you don't mind, I just remembered that I have some business to attend to. I hope you don't mind continuing your walk without me, Elena?"

I smiled playfully. "You're excused."

We listened to Elijah's footsteps in an awkward silence. It's been a while since we were alone without his hybrids crawling around. I felt nervous, and he seemed so himself.

Klaus put down his brush and sat down on the grass. I stared at his painting a little longer, a bit reluctant to sit down next to him. I still felt jittery being so close to him.

"For such mediocre work, you sure have been staring at it for a while."

I was busted, so I sighed and finally sat down cross-legged, a bit away from him. He laughed.

"What? I asked in a higher pitch than I wanted to.

"You sit like a child." He smiled that honest smile that I saw only a few times before.

I chuckled and shook my head. "You're just jealous that you don't have the courage to sit like this. It's a shame, because it's so liberating."

"And why is that?"

"Because you can take a break from taking yourself so seriously all the time."

He just smiled at the reference without saying anything. We stayed like that for a while, enjoying the silence and the cool breeze. After a few minutes he reached into his pocket suddenly.

"I almost forgot. Here." He held out a new vervain necklace. It had a beautiful round copper pendant with a lapis lazuli stone in the middle and an infinity sign wrapped across it.

I stared at it for a moment and he added "Don't worry, no one will come looking for this one. It used to belong to a Dutch princess."

"Were the two of you close?"

A smile escaped him before he answered, "I drew a series of her portraits and the pendant was one of my rewards. May I?" He asked and opened the clasp.

I pulled up my hair and he put the necklace around my neck, taking more time than necessary to secure it. The warmth of his hands hovering an inch from my skin made it burn like scalded. And then when the necklace was on, and his fingers barely brushed my neck, I could feel the familiar tingling spreading from the spot he's touched like wildfire. I could feel my heartbeat speed up, and he paused, of course hearing the traitorous sound loud and clear, but didn't say anything. We sat on the grass for a few more minutes, before he announced that we should get back to the house.

Klaus' POV

When I saw her approaching with Elijah she looked much better than the previous days. Color was back in her cheeks, and she seemed less sad. I have ordered my hybrids to stop taking her blood, as a peace offering, and I guess it was doing her good. Also, I had more than enough of her blood to last me for years, especially since most of the remaining werewolves went into hiding.

I cannot expect for her to forgive me anytime soon or perhaps ever, but seeing her get better was a reward enough. I realized that I have overreacted and I pushed her away in the cruelest way possible. And I pushed until the situation was irreparable, all out of fear of my feelings for her. But no explanation or apology could fix it now. I've lost her, the same way I've lost my siblings. It was foolish of me to expect any of them to forgive me.

I could hear her heart beating faster as she approached me. Was it fear? Anger? I don't dare let myself believe it's anything more, not after all I've put her through.

When Elijah suddenly decided to leave and we were alone, I found it difficult to find the right words. I was never lost for words in the presence of a woman before; not queens, or princesses, and certainly not ordinary human girls.

The necklace I had picked out for her was now lying heavy in my pocket. I felt like a schoolboy preparing to ask a girl to prom. It was absurd.

When I finally presented it to her, her face was difficult to read, and when I put it around her neck she seemed to shy away from my touch, and her heart made a few heavy thuds. She must hate my mere presence.

I couldn't take the awful silence anymore, so I decided it was time to leave.

Soooo.. hi anyone still reading this. I'm sorry it took me literal ages to update. I just found this chapter on my pc and decided to post it. I will try to finish this story (until I'm 40 at least)