Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries.

17

Loser weepers.

Waiting for Elijah's call was a task that was bound to drive them crazy. Days went by and still no sign of either brother, it seemed Niklaus was in no hurry to break the curse, contradicting everything Alex knew about him. Their patience was being tested to its limit, particularly Elena's who seemed to have forsaken a healthy sleeping habit for the time being. The news about the doppelganger's existence spread faster than they would've liked amongst vampires and werewolves alike and any other creature that had any personal beef with Klaus, they all seemed to learn of Elena's existence. Even though Pearl had been extremely cautious when inquiring about Elijah's whereabouts, her help had come with a price, as it would've been near impossible to contact Elijah if the vampire hadn't revealed the reason as to why she wanted it just to get his attention. It had worked like a charm, the only downside being that now Elena and her family were put in the eye of the hurricane.

Preventive measures had to be taken, her protection spells were renewed almost on a daily basis, no one could get inside their home unless they were invited in. Along with that, vervain was secretly added into the Gilbert's diet, Alex had offered to take the cooking duties under the guise of improving her cooking skills, a request that was met with no objections as no one really liked taking the bull of cooking for 5 people, (6 if you included baby Gilbert) she made sure to sprinkle the dry leaves into their food to mask the taste as drinking it would made it too obvious for Miranda's accustomed bud taste, any weird flavour she sensed on the food was blamed on her pregnancy.

A yawn made its way past her lips, reminding her that she hadn't slept much last night keeping watch with Jeremy. Her brother swore he had seen a shadow by the porch when he was in the kitchen grabbing a midnight snack so they had stayed up all night just to make sure there weren't any vampires lurking around. Better be safe than sorry was the sentiment they shared as they camped in the living room, taking turns to peek outside with a pair of binoculars until they could see the sun rise in the horizon.

Despite the threats looming around them, the siblings tried to stick to their usual routine, as it was important to maintain their composure and sense of normalcy, slow and steady, rash decisions lead to rash actions and that always resulted in trouble. She was in no rush, they could wait for Klaus all he wanted.

But then the end of September came knocking on their door and they were no longer as patient as they once were, especially Elena, who was ready to hunt the man down if it put an end to her misery. The arrival of October had awoken Mystic Falls seasonal spirit, black and orange could be found adorning almost each corner of their small town, fake webs and plastic spiders were a must in almost every establishment. People gathered outside of the stores just to gawk at the decorations, blocking most of the walking space and making it almost impossible to move around the mall.

Alex's eyes hardened as she sipped her watered down iced coffee, the ice melted long ago from the heat of her sweaty palms. She spotted Caroline ahead of her, a blonde dot bouncing in the distance amongst the busy mall.

Her feet were starting to get sore, the plastic bags heavy in her reddened hand as Alex followed after her friend as she yet again went inside another store with the hope of finding the last thing on her list for the school's spooky party by the end of the month. Originally, Caroline wasn't going to be in charge of the organisation but the girl the committee had chosen had come down with something and Caroline had to step up, not that she was annoyed with this as the blonde was very vocal with her disapproval of the girl's idea for the themed dance.

Of course, like the good friend she was, Alex had accepted the invitation to accompany the blonde to shop which was just an excuse to get her to carry the bags, like she was the one with the supernatural strength.

Caroline was already harassing-talking to one of the assistants by the time she made it to the store. It smelled like plastic and glue and Alex knew it wouldn't take long for her allergies to kick in.

She made a beeline towards her friend, pointing outside towards a pair of miserable looking men sitting on a bench, "Sweetie, I'm going to go sit with the other husbands. Let me know when you're done so I can come carry your bags,"

Playfully, Caroline rolled her eyes, "Alright, go on. But just so you know, we're not done yet. We still need to find our costumes." She reminded her.

"You can pick one for me. I'm not picky. Just remember the key words, slutty and impossible to bend over without flashing someone." She joked, making the poor assistant widen her eyes in surprise as she looked at them.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I already have something in mind," Caroline said enthusiastically, clapping her hands together, "You'll love it."

Alex nodded with a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "I'll be outside." She repeated taking her leave and plopping down onto the bench with a sigh as she dropped the bags next to her, stirring her coffee to try to blend it so it wouldn't taste just of water.

'Maybe I should just get another one...' She bit back a yawn, pretending she wasn't tired was becoming harder each passing day. The feeling of being watched was bound to drive her insane before the end of this month. They were tired, all three of the Gilbert siblings were experiencing some degree of burn out. Nights were the hardest part of the day as they were more exposed from attacks.

Lost in her mind, she almost dropped her drink when her phone rang, startling the man next to her, "Sorry," she mumbled quickly, frowning at the private number displayed on her screen.

Her gut tensed as she answered in a calm voice, "Hello,"

"Miss Gilbert," a man's voice called cheerfully from the other end, making her grip her phone tighter as she subtly looked around, "I hope I didn't catch you in a bad time, did I?" Klaus inquired politely, "I'm in town taking care of some personal business and decided it was about time we meet in person. Don't you agree?"

'Personal business?' Alex wondered, looking around and glaring extra hard to some guy that was also speaking on the phone before answering, "Yes, it is about time. The full moon is in two days. Wouldn't want to miss it now, won't we?"

He chuckled slowly, humorlessly, "Indeed, Miss Gilbert. Are you free right now?"

"Yes," she responded, gulping when she saw Caroline coming at her with murderous intentions, "Can you text me the address? I need to take care of something first."

He paused before answering, "Of course. I'll be waiting," he said, "What's a few more minutes compared to a thousand years, hm?" he muttered, ending the call.

Caroline was already on her, arms crossed as she tapped her foot, silently demanding an explanation.

"Something came up," she stood slowly, hands raised in surrender as her phone beeped with a new message.

"You promised you'll help me!" Came the whinny reply, "We still need our costumes,"

She needed a good excuse or else her friend wouldn't let her go-

"And don't you dare lie to me! I heard a man's voice talking about a meeting," Caroline cut her off, pointing at her accusingly and then she smirked, "You bitch! Are you going to ditch your best friend for some guy?"

Alex cursed her super vampire hearing, mulling a believable excuse, "I-" Caroline's expression made her stop, she couldn't do this, it was bad enough she was lying to her family, doing it to her friend was her limit, "Actually, can we talk in your car? This is not a good place," she said, grabbing the bags, looking around nervously for what was to come.

Her brows knitted, noticing Alex's change of demeanour, lips falling into a line as she too looked around before whispering, "I'll get the rest of the bags. Walk ahead of me." Caroline said protectively, jaw set.

Telling Caroline the truth had been easier than she expected, a strong sign of how much she trusted her friend to listen without judging her decisions. Alex poured her heart out, revealing her fears and deepest thoughts that she didn't dare to share with her siblings so as to not add more fuel to their own doubts. Caroline had calmed her down, offering a shoulder to lean on and her unwavering support, she had even suggested Alex let her tag along for safety reasons, a plea she had to reject, not because she wanted it to, heavens knew that she wished for nothing more than to have her friend by her side but Alex needed Klaus attention on her and knowing the history between those two, now wasn't the moment for their fateful meeting.

Reluctantly, Caroline had dropped her off at her home, asking one last time to let her accompany her, at least for moral support, even promising to keep her mouth shut and not to glare at him. Alex declined again and before she could leave, her friend made her swear to call her as soon as the interview with a vampire was done to which she agreed.

Elena wasn't home, her aunt told Alex she was busy babysitting, much to her dismay. Undeterred, she was quick to change her clothes and fix her makeup before she went to her closet, opening the wide doors, ignoring Molly's wrecked face peeking from the rack of clothes, she could find the culprit of putting her there later, for now she needed to move fast.

Alex parted the hanged clothes, finding what she was looking for. The wooden box was beautiful, made from red oak, its sides adorned with an intricate floral design courtesy of the same carpenter that she found to carve the white oak stakes. Her secret box was special, having a hidden compartment at the bottom and having an enchanted lock that could only be opened with her blood, it was the height of security. She set the journals aside, took out glass vials and ceramic containers with herbs and poultices before she could lift the lid and access the compartment, rapidly counting the stakes out of habit, pocketing the moonstone and deciding to leave the dagger behind since it wouldn't do nothing against Klaus besides pissing him off.

"All done," She muttered to herself, taking a deep breath before she put everything back in place, running downstairs, waving goodbye to her aunt as she stepped outside, jogging to her car.

The drive was quick and uneventful soon enough, she arrived at the location, double checking the address, Alex parked in front of the fancy restaurant, glad she had decided to change into something more appropriate for their meeting. She stepped out, grabbing her purse before a valet came to her inside, smiling politely as she handed him her keys. Squaring up, she made her way in and towards the host, giving him her name.

He nodded, checking for her name before motioning to follow him, "This way please, Mr. Mikaelson is waiting for you."

The restaurant was full, and the sight, far from being comforting, made her uneasy, Klaus's might not have many allies, but those that aligned with him were far from weak. Unable to spot the faces of his most well known minions, Alex set her gaze forward, spotting the one and only Niklaus Mikaelson. He looked exactly like he did in the T.V show, not a detail was a miss.

'Shit,' was all she could think of, he was alone, whatever favour she had earned with Elijah wasn't in play with his brother. She was on her own.

Then it clicked.

He had shown himself, forsaking his usual tactics to meet with her. She didn't know what to make out of this, he either didn't think much of her or she wasn't coming out of here alive.

The host stopped, pulling out a chair for her, right in front of Klaus as the man grinned at her, blue eyes shining.

"What a pleasure it is to finally meet you, Miss Gilbert. I heard plenty about you,"

"Just Alex please, Miss Gilbert makes me feel old." She said, taking a seat as the host left them.

"A feeling I can relate to," He said, remaining silent, keen eyes studying her form, like a predator.

Since he wouldn't talk, she took it upon herself to start this fiasco, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

"Curiosity got the best of me, I must admit. It's not often my brother and I meet each other just to talk so I assumed you must be the real deal if you were able to convince the mistrustful Elijah to speak for you." He took a sip from his glass of wine, setting it down before continuing, "So tell me, Alex, is it true what Elijah told me?"

"Depends on what he told you."

He smirked, leaning back on his seat, "Ah, you're a cautious one. Good," He muttered the last part, "Tell me then, what makes you think I'm going to agree to your terms? You might've convinced Elijah but he's not the one in charge here, love." He informed her, "Who's going to stop me from simply taking the doppelganger right now? She's unprotected, away from the safety of her home and those little spells of yours," He said and her eyes widened, "Ah, you wouldn't think I've been doing nothing these past month, would you? I've been busy watching you two."

He had arrived in Mystic Falls the day after seeing Elijah, with one clear goal in mind, find the doppelganger. Wearing a face not his own made it easier to blend in the small town, allowing him to ask around freely without raising any alarms. The doppelganger, Elena Gilbert was easy enough to find as she seemed to be quite popular amongst the townies. She was just like Elijah had described, harmless and pitiful unlike her previous incarnations. Whatever, that just made things easier for him. He was so close to achieving his perfect form.

Now the problem was finding the moonstone. It could be anywhere, hiding in the most obscure location without a way of knowing where it was, he had it all and nothing at the same time. But there was one more thing he could try, if what his brother had said was true, then the doppelganger's sister could be the key to his predicament.

The young witch became his next target, just as easy to find as she too benefited from being part of a founding family. He went to her workplace, pretending to be a customer in need of help. She had helped him without a fuss, answering all of his questions no matter how many times he repeated himself just to get on her nerves, unaware of who she was talking to she did her best to guide him. He was about to leave without buying anything, the smell of herbs becoming more unpleasant with each passing second when a bell rang and the door opened, revealing no other than Elena Gilbert, cradling her bandage hand. The witch had excused herself, motioning the other girl working the register to take her place as she rushed to her sister's side. He rejoiced at the chance of seeing their interaction anticipating the worst, perhaps a fight or a screaming match? Will the witch be angry? Would she look at her sister with the same emotion a curator looks at a damaged goods, or maybe she'll reproach her carelessness?

Instead, he had gotten a worried older sister, gently guiding Elena to the back, voice soft and concerned as she inquired what had happened. That's not what he had expected, he was disappointed really, the image he had conjured of their relationship was the complete opposite of what he got, feeding his curiosity. The witch was a walking contradiction, caring for the doppelganger but also willing to sacrifice her.

He had decided to give her a chance and use her for his own gains, asking Elijah for her contact info, he had set a meeting.

His unsettling admission didn't take her by surprise, "You haven't lived that long by trusting everything you heard, not even if it comes from your own brother's mouth." She cleared her throat, "I will help you with the ritual, my sister will participate willingly and," She paused, realising she'd lost him, "I'll work for you." she said in a desperate attempt to make her offer more attractive.

"I already have a witch at my disposal, one far more experience than you. Try again,"

Time for plan b, her family came first no matter the price.

She sighed heavily, reaching for the wine bottle and pouring herself a glass under his amused stare. She gulped it, not caring about her manners, she needed encouragement, even if it was fake. "I don't know if Elijah told you, but I know about you, your past, your present and your future," She remarked the last word, letting it sink in, "I could help you conquer the world. All you have to do is agree to let my sister take the elixir, promise no harm will come to my loved ones and release your siblings,"

Klaus raised a brow, "Anything else? Perhaps, should I release my mother too? Give Elijah his perfect little family."

"That's impossible because you can't open her coffin. It's protected with magic and only a very powerful witch can do it." Alex said smugly, reaching for her purse, "I know where the moon stone is, you could be free in just two days." He needed another push, time for plan c, "Besides it is on your best interest that my sister survives. Her blood is the key to create more hybrids, isn't that what you want? A powerful army under your command?"

His face hardened, it was impossible for her to know that. Gritting his teeth, he finished his remaining wine, pouring himself another glass and refilling hers, "Very well. I can agree to the first two, the third one depends on the success of the ritual." he spoke gravely.

Alex scoffed at that, "I'm not stupid, you'll wait the moment Elijah turns his back on you to put a dagger through his heart."

He laughed at that, "It seems I might've underestimated you." he said, "But I'm not changing my mind on that, love."

"Fine," She said, reaching to take his hand and he let her, intrigued to see where this was heading to. She deposited something on his palm, cool and round. Alex let go of his hand, standing up to leave, "See you in two days. Don't be late."

He opened his palm to see the moonstone sitting innocently on it. He had spent a thousand years picturing this moment and not even another millennia he would've guessed this was how he got his hands on it. He let out a chuckle, sending chills down her spine as she walked away, ignoring his burning gaze.

"Remember, love, if you cross me, I'll show you there's a worse fate than death." He said loud enough for her to hear.

He watched her go, lips curled into a smirk, it seemed his future just got more interesting.

The power went off when I was writing this so I had to rewrite it from memory ),: