Hello, readers! I hope you are all staying safe during this pandemic and that your families are also safe, so be careful. I am also glad that many are enjoying this story, so I just want to say thank you all very much for the support.
ALSO, I am thinking that this story might change to M, but I am not so sure. I will see how the writing goes, but I will let you all know and put it up to a vote. This is just a warning, not set in stone and I will tell you all the reasons for the change of rating.
Now, to answer to the reviews:
-ArtemisLuna85: Thanks for the support! And yes, I am happy to say that we've gotten to Mystic Falls and dive into the whole drama, which will include a lot more interactions and such. I am also nervous about writing the other characters and do them justice, so I hope you'll enjoy!
-xenocanaan: While I will still follow the series' plot, I will have Gwen change certain things as time passes, since her status as a faerie will have something to do with that. My intention of adding June to my story is to also change things up a bit. Wish I could share more, but I am not going to spoil!
-GhostGypsy: Happy to announce that Gwen and Rebekah will do a lot more bonding; I love writing those two together! I am also happy to know that you're loving the story.
-OnyxWriting: Glad that you enjoyed! And you don't have to wait for long.
-Sting3: Welcome to the story! I am so glad you're liking it so far!
-Love . Fiction . 2020: I'm glad you're liking it and hope you'll continue to do so!
-PrincessMagic: I welcome you to the story! I am glad that you're loving the story so far! I am also happy that you like the little group I created.
-Leila Davis: I am so happy to know that you love Gwen, since I am enjoying writing her and trying to make her flow naturally into the plot. The faeries in my story are a bit hard to explain and write about, but I hope I don't disappoint. And I am so desperate and nervous to get to the meeting with Kol, 'cause I strive for them to be a cute couple, too!
Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to the Vampire Diaries and claim no ownership over anything pertaining to it. I only own my characters and whatever else that is not from the show.
new in town
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Mystic Falls, Virginia
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Taking her eyes away from looking around the Mystic Grill, Gwen turned her attention to the waitress with a soft smile when two plates with the same order were placed on the table she and Juniper were occupying. The girls thanked the waitress before digging into their burgers, moans of pleasure leaving their closed mouths when the flavors of meat, buns, bacon, cheddar, and caramelized onions met their taste buds after having gone almost half the day without eating anything. After taking a few more bites and their hunger being partially sated, they paused to look around the bar from the corner booth they had picked out to survey the place.
"This is a nice place," Juniper hummed as she reached into her bag, searching for a certain herb she thought would come in handy since she had opted to leave behind her grimoire and only bring her emergency kit. She found no logic in bringing her grimoire when it had nothing about hybrids. "I can imagine it can be a bit suffocating, though. Small towns like this one?" She glanced up at Gwen. "Everyone knows everybody, so nothing is a secret for long."
"I think it's nice, but that's probably my hunger talking," Gwen said as she took another bite of her burger, watching Juniper pick out an herb from her bag.
Juniper brought the sage that she had rolled into a small ball close to her face and blew air into it, waiting for a bit of smoke to come out of the herb before placing it in the middle of the table to act as some type of incense. "Okay, now we can speak freely without any nosy vampires listening in."
Gwen hummed as she stared at the smoking plant. "Does it really work?"
"Trust me, I know my herbs and spells. It also only works for the area of our table," Juniper explained, taking a sip of her soda. "If anyone comes and sits with us, they'll hear us just fine, but they won't hear anything outside of the area of our booth."
"So, people walking by or sitting nearby won't hear us?" Gwen asked to clarify.
"Nope," answered Juniper, grabbing her burger to continue eating. "So, what did Klaus want us to do that he can't do himself?" She was too hungry to do anything else but sit and enjoy her food after the long trip from Chicago to Virginia.
"The people he got into a scuffle with know who he is, so it makes sense that we scope out the town, but I don't know what we can do," Gwen answered, taking a sip of her Smirnoff to satiate her dry mouth, and she found herself liking the flavor. "I don't even know what he wants us to look for."
Juniper stared at the bottle of flavored vodka Gwen asked her to order for her. "Not that I have a problem with it, but since when do you drink that?"
Gwen glanced at Juniper's inquiring eyes. "I thought I could try it. I already tried some champagne when I went shopping with Rebekah, so I just thought I'd give this a shot."
"What?" Juniper feigned a shocked gasp with a hand placed over her chest, her eyes widening comically. "Are you replacing me as your best friend? What, trying to get her to like you by drinking while underage?"
"Stop it." Gwen rolled her eyes at her with a lopsided smile. "You're more of a sister than a friend." She looked at her drink. "I still prefer my teas."
"Well, I recommend you try wine. It's better than beer if I do say so myself," she told the half-faerie. She cleared her throat and focused on their task. "So, for now, we keep our eyes and ears open for the one thing towns are always known for," Juniper said after finishing her food, sighing heavily as she was overcome with bliss. She smiled as she leaned back against the booth while rubbing her full belly.
"What's that?" Gwen asked, taking a bite of her burger.
"Gossip," said Juniper, grinning. "Trust me, this place is the center of everyday gossip, which includes everything that everyone is up to. We'll pick up something eventually, just you wait." She scoffed. "Although, I highly doubt we'll be lucky."
Gwen hummed, taking her time to eat her burger while looking around the place. She watched people come and go, sitting at the bar or a table, spending time as a group, or taking some time for themselves. The place had a cozy feel to it, which was something she could get used to. "Um," she hummed as she looked back at Juniper, "is it okay for you to come all the way here with us? I mean, what about the store?"
Juniper waved off Gwen's concern, her lips slightly pursed. "Nothing for you to worry about, doll. I have no problem in doing Klaus this solid." She grinned with raised eyebrows. "Especially when I already cashed in my favor by having him cover any debts that Missus Bixby owed." She chuckled at the younger girl's widened eyes and shocked smile. "Yes, she's gonna be a very happy lady in her retirement."
"Tell me about it," Gwen said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she slowly came to realize something she hadn't thought about. "So, you're going back to Chicago after finding out what's wrong with Nik not being able to make more hybrids?"
Shrugging her shoulders, the witch took a sip of her drink. "I can't just leave the store closed forever."
"That's true," Gwen sighed as she placed what remained of her burger after losing her appetite at the thought of having no one else but Klaus and his overprotectiveness. "So, we'll be saying goodbye soon." It pained her having to say that out loud, having grown to care for Juniper, since she was the only friend she had. And even though they had known one another for only a year or so, she already considered the witch her family.
"What?" Juniper frowned at this, completely taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"Well, once Nik has his hybrids, he'll move us again," Gwen explained, already used to the nomadic lifestyle she had with Klaus. She also figured Rebekah would be joining them now that she was awake. "It's how it's always been."
"Don't be silly. It's not like we're not going to see each other anymore," Juniper said, folding her arms on the table while staring at a saddened Gwen. "Phones do exist, so we can always keep in touch, or whenever you feel like Klaus is being overbearing and you want to run away." This had Gwen chuckling. "I might also have to look for a new place after getting Missus Bixby settled."
Gwen perked up at this, raising an eyebrow at the smirking witch. "What?"
"The old lady's debts are gone, thanks to Klaus," Juniper explained. "I'll have to visit her to let her decide what she wants to do with the place since she'll probably live out her remaining days in Florida, which will leave me free to do as I wish. I might even surprise Klaus by moving next door to wherever you guys end up, so you need to keep me updated."
The half-breed had to laugh at the image of Klaus' face if he heard Juniper. "That would be an amazing thing to witness."
"See?" Juniper shared a smile with Gwen as she scooted closer to the younger girl, placing an arm around the latter's shoulders. Their temples leaned against one another as they stared at the table, both still smiling. "You won't have to be alone again. Not you or me, got it?" Gwen's body became still, not having expected the witch to see through her, but she nodded against Juniper's temple. "We may not be related by blood, but when has that ever determined who family is?" the witch asked rhetorically.
"That's true," said Gwen. It wasn't that she could no longer live with Klaus or anything, but he was more of a father to her than anything else. "Thanks."
"For what?" asked Juniper.
"For being my friend," Gwen answered.
Juniper squeezed Gwen's arm. "That is nothing you have to thank me for…but you can grovel a bit." This had them both laughing.
Both girls separated from one another and went back to their food and drink, making conversation about the town and where they could go to next to get more information to bring back to Klaus.
Not a few seconds later, two girls sat next to their booth, which Juniper took notice of since it was the booth in her line of vision but behind Gwen. The witch's eyebrows furrowed when they landed on a brunette with straightened hair who was accompanying a blonde girl with wavy hair and blue-green eyes. The witch immediately recognized the brunette with almond-shaped, brown eyes as the one she saw in her visions when looking for the necklace. She also recalled the familiar chilling sense she got when seeing a vampire, which was what the blonde was.
"Here we go," Juniper mumbled, directing her attention back to her drink.
Gwen looked at her friend, giving her a questioning look. "What is it?"
"Don't look. I don't want you to move," Juniper told Gwen, locking eyes with the latter to keep her from looking away since people tended to do the opposite when given an order. "Don't look away from me when I tell you that the girl who I saw with Klaus' necklace is behind you, sitting in the booth next to us with a blonde chick who is clearly a vampire."
"Okay," Gwen said with uncertainty. She did not think they would encounter the person they were looking for in the first place they visited, which left her wondering what they should do next. "What do we do now?" she asked, getting nervous for some reason.
"I'm thinking," Juniper huffed, her mind coming up empty. "You're supposed to be good at this," she told Gwen. "What would Klaus do if he were in our shoes?"
"Oh, yeah, just give me a minute while I take out my journal with notes on how to massacre everyone in here in different, unique ways," Gwen deadpanned, her eyes narrowed when they settled on Juniper. "Why would you think I'd know what to do? Because Nik raised me?"
"Right," Juniper groaned. "I keep forgetting you're a sheltered girl."
Gwen frowned. "Hey!"
Juniper waved a hand at Gwen. "Please, you know it's true. You're a daddy's girl."
"Whatever," the young girl mumbled while leaning back on the booth with a pout.
Juniper exhaled loudly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm no good with evil plans. Torturing and manipulating others isn't my forte. How does Klaus even do this?" She gave Gwen a playful glare. "Why didn't you pick up a few things from him over the years?"
"Excuse me for having a heart," Gwen countered, but she did question herself if she had a heart after seeing Klaus commit many atrocities things over the years and never condemning him for it. She just couldn't.
"Damn," Juniper scoffed. "I was hoping for a bit of insight to the mind of an evil genius, but I guess having a conscious is good."
"Sorry to disappoint," Gwen told Juniper, sarcasm present in her voice. "I don't even know if I have a conscience. I mean, I've gotten over anyone who Klaus has ever killed. It doesn't really affect me." She sighed. "Am I a horrible person?" And it wasn't the first time she asked that question, but it was the first time she asked out loud and not to herself.
"Probably," Juniper said while shrugging her shoulders, causing Gwen to tilt her head. She placed a comforting hand on Gwen's. "It's not that you're a bad person, but many people see Klaus as the greatest evil that has walked on this earth, but you see something else." At Gwen's raised eyebrow, she continued. "You see the side of him that is still human…I think. I mean, the infamous Klaus took in a baby and raised her, and he did so without any intention of using you like others would have."
Gwen nodded, humming. "He's a good man."
"Exactly," said Juniper. "He may be your hero, but he's the villain to many others who will view you as a horrible person for siding with him."
"What about you?" Gwen asked the witch.
Juniper shrugged. "Everyone's crazy to me, but I love you best."
Gwen chuckled before taking a deep breath, giving the two girls behind her a discreet glance. "So, what do we do about them?"
"I don't know," said Juniper. "I mean, we have to do something other than sitting here."
Gwen hushed Juniper as she tried to listen to the girls talking behind her, pushing her hair behind her ears to hear what the teenage girls were talking about without trouble, since their only option was to do as Juniper had previously suggested–keep eyes and ears open. The witch gave the girl a halfhearted glare for having been shushed before scooting closer to Gwen to also listen in on the conversation being had by the blonde and brunette.
"I don't know, Caroline," said the brunette with downcast eyes, placing her arms on the table. She thanked a waitress for the drinks she and the blonde had ordered when they sat down. "Do you really think it's a good idea?"
The blonde kept herself from rolling her eyes, huffing, "Come on, Elena. You've been brooding all summer." At Elena's pointed look, she further explained, "I know, I know." Her eyes softened as they met the brown ones of her friend. "I do understand why, but we're gonna be seniors this year. And being seniors involves pranking our teachers to start our last year with a bang, it's an obligation."
"An obligation?" asked a smiling Elena.
Caroline nodded, giving Elena an incredulous look as if the latter had lost her mind. "Yeah." She took a sip of her drink, finding that she would soon need another type of drink, preferably B+. "We've had a semi-crappy summer after a very crappy time." It had been quite difficult recently, what with Klaus killing Jenna and taking Stefan, not to mention everything else that preceded that. "We should be making memories, happy memories."
"Which brings us to Senior Prank Night," Elena stated, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Exactly. These are the memories that stay with us forever, and if we don't create these memories now, then what's the point of it all?" Caroline said, excitement dripping from her voice with her pearly whites showing. After everything they had gone through, she wanted to help everyone remember that they are still high school students, and they deserve to have some normality in their lives. "Prank Night will start us off. I already have Tyler, Bonnie, and a few classmates on board, which leaves you and Matt."
Elena tapped her fingers on the table, looking down into her cup of coffee, thinking over what she should do. She had so much on her mind, what with her failed mission in Chicago and her argument with Damon, who had yet to respond to her calls or messages. Still, she felt like her head was going to explode if she continued to think about her problems, so setting up pranks could be a good way for her to take her mind off things and get back to living her life. "Okay." She nodded, causing Caroline's smile to widen. "Let's prank some teachers."
"Oh, I love you!" Caroline squealed, hugging her chuckling friend. "This is gonna be a fun night of many more that we'll never forget."
"Oh, fun," Juniper sighed, annoyed. "I so do not miss school, which is why I was more than happy to skip a few grades. It was all so filled with unnecessary drama." She grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth, causing Gwen to frown in question. "Let's go."
"Where?" asked Gwen, grabbing her purse to follow Juniper.
"I think we got exactly what we came for," Juniper simply said, calling over the waitress to pay for their food. She grabbed the sage and blew on it to stop it from smoking before wrapping it up in napkins and storing it back into her purse. "We should head back and report to Monsieur le Capitaine."
Gwen chuckled as she stood up. "I think we're going to make him very happy."
After the girls paid for their food, they passed by the table Elena and Caroline were sitting at and left the Mystic Grill. As they left, brown eyes followed them out of some type of curiosity she couldn't explain while ignoring the blonde girl beside her, having never seen the two brunettes in town before. After being called out for spacing out a few times, Elena returned her attention to Caroline, forgetting the two strangers.
Leaving the bar behind, Gwen and Juniper walked through town and looked around as they headed to where they agreed to meet up with Klaus and Rebekah. They enjoyed the afternoon breeze as they talked about the town's history, including how the town operated. They found that it was quite staggering how potent the presence of supernatural creatures was in such a place that not many would look at twice on a map. After some time, the pair reached their destination.
Klaus smiled when he saw Gwen and Juniper. "There they are."
"Took you long enough," Rebekah said from where she stood next to her brother, being both bored and annoyed.
Gwen and Juniper walked toward Klaus and Rebekah. The siblings stood beside the truck that they had parked in a near-empty parking lot that appeared to not be used since there were only two other cars in the lot. Inside the truck were the coffins, along with an unconscious Stefan who had not had the best trip. To Virginia, all three girls steered clear of Klaus when he released his frustrations on the younger vampire.
"Excuse us for eating something. Unlike either of you, we need to eat human food every once in a while," Juniper said as she found a seat on the hood of a car parked next to the truck. "We can die if we don't."
"We do have some information," Gwen told Klaus.
"What did you find?" asked Klaus.
"We found that girl Juniper saw wearing the necklace," Gwen answered. "I think her name's Elena."
Klaus' face fell as his eyes became blank, turning away from the women as he began to pace in front of them with slow steps. While he already had an idea of what Stefan had been hiding from him, it only angered him more to know that his speculations were proven true. Now, he had to think about what he wanted to do moving forward. It was all supposed to be easy to figure out and deal with since he could just kill the supposed-to-be-dead doppelgänger and figure out his hybrid problem with Juniper's help, but he was also angry.
Gwen stepped closer to Klaus, placing a hand on a mumbling Klaus's arm. "Nik?" He turned to her, ceasing his pacing. "What do we do now?"
The hybrid took a moment to calm himself. "Well, obviously, the doppelgänger being alive has to have something to do with why I can't sire more of my kind." He glanced at Juniper. "Right?"
Juniper hummed. "It's a possibility."
"Elena is the girl you sacrificed?" asked Gwen, trying to make sense of everything so far.
Klaus nodded, recalling how he felt Elena die in his arms during the ritual, which made no sense to him how she could still be alive. "I thought I did."
"Stefan's dead girlfriend?" asked Rebekah, getting even more annoyed.
"Yes, but it seems she's very much alive," Klaus said before he addressed Gwen and Juniper. "Is she a human?"
Juniper nodded. "Very much."
Klaus looked at Gwen. "Did they mention anything else?"
"She's going to a prank thing at her school with her friends tonight," Gwen told him.
Rebekah frowned. "Prank thing?"
"Prank night," Juniper clarified. "It's a thing that students in their last year of high school do before classes start," she explained to the Original vampire. "They go to the school the night before the first day of school and set up pranks for the teachers to find the next day." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "It's called 'Senior Prank Night'."
"I have to admit, I'm quite jealous of the freedom the youth have in this day and age," said Rebekah, glancing at Klaus. "So, are we crashing this party or what?"
"Okay, before we go guns a blazing," Juniper began as she hopped off the car she was sitting on, looking between both Originals, "we need to know what we're getting ourselves into. Like, how many vampires are in this town? Are there any witches? Werewolves? Anything else that we need to be worried about?" At the exasperated looks she received from the vampires, she scoffed. "I know you guys are practically invincible, but Gwen and I aren't. Excuse me for having a little bit of self-preservation for us."
Now that Juniper brought it up, Rebekah said, "I would also like to know if there are any werewolves. Their bite won't kill me, but I'd rather avoid the pesky side effects."
"Fine," Klaus sighed, placing his hands on his hips, having the attention of all girls on him. "There's Stefan's girl, the doppelgänger. She has two best friends; the witch known as Bonnie Bennett and the baby vampire called Caroline."
"We saw her at the bar," Gwen mentioned. "Caroline, I mean."
"Let's see. Who else?" Klaus hummed as he tried to remember the supernatural residents from when he was in town last time. "There's Stefan's brother, Damon." He released a sound that was between a groan and a sigh. "He might be a nuisance but getting our hands on Elena will keep him in line."
Gwen's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Klaus smirked. "He's in love with the girl."
"His brother's girlfriend?" Juniper asked with her mouth slightly open in shock. At Klaus' nod, she chuckled, "Wow, this town should have a series based on it. I mean, you have everything you need to make it into a supernatural drama series about two brothers in love with the same girl." This had Gwen chuckling, while Klaus tried to conceal the slight twitch of his lips.
Rebekah raised an eyebrow at Klaus, grinning. "Well, it does seem that history loves repeating itself."
Gwen and Juniper looked at Rebekah, both asking simultaneously, "What?"
"She means nothing," Klaus cut in. "My sister tends to recall unnecessary things."
Juniper smirked at the hybrid. "I'd love to hear the rest of that story."
"You never will," Klaus said while giving Juniper a warning glare.
"Any werewolves to watch out for?" asked Rebekah.
"There's only one wolf in town, but I'll need that one alive," Klaus told his sister before turning to Juniper. "We'll use him as our guinea pig for when we get the answer to my problem. What do you think?"
"If he's the only werewolf, then you shouldn't damage him too much," Juniper mumbled as she thought about what she could do. "Since there is a witch in town, we can use her. Better a witch who knows this town and its spirits to help us figure things out than me, an outsider."
Feeling like everyone was forgetting something particularly important, Rebekah asked, "And my necklace?"
Juniper glanced at Gwen. "Did you see her wearing it?"
Gwen hummed, not recalling seeing the necklace. "I don't know. I don't think so."
"We'll find it, sister," Klaus interrupted Rebekah when he saw her open her mouth to protest, knowing that she would fight tooth and nail for the thing, and she was not above killing anyone for it either. "Besides, once we find the doppelgänger, we'll get the necklace back."
"I would prefer we get it above all else," Juniper said, preferring to use the article of jewelry to get the answers Klaus wanted. Also, it was a powerful item, one that could not be ignored. "It's not just a way to communicate with the Original witch, it's also a powerful magical tool."
"And rip apart whoever has it," added Rebekah.
"Then, what's the plan?" asked Gwen.
"Juniper is with me. We're going to figure things out, scout the place," Klaus began to explain the beginning of his plan. He glanced at Gwen. "You stay with Rebekah and wait as a backup." At the narrowed looks he received from the young girl and his sister, he said, "I haven't figured things out yet, so can we please exercise some patience?" He paused when he heard groaning coming from within the truck, so he walked over to it, reaching for the latch to open the backdoor. "Speaking of which." The girls followed him and watched as he jumped into the back of the truck as Stefan slowly regained consciousness.
"Okay, so we don't have much of a plan," Juniper stated, folding her arms over her chest.
Klaus chuckled, shrugging while looking down at Stefan as the younger vampire began to stir awake. "I think that going in guns a blazing might be our best strategy." He crouched next to Stefan. "Hello, friend."
Stefan looked up at Klaus, his eyes squinting as his hand rubbed his healing neck. "Klaus–"
The Original hybrid raised a finger to his lips and hushed the vampire. "Stay quiet. I don't want to snap your neck just yet." He gestured to the three girls standing outside of the truck as Stefan sat up against a coffin. "All right. Let us go back to what we know so far," he said, watching as Stefan turned his attention to the three women. "Anyone care to start?"
"You daggered me and thought I had my necklace with me," Rebekah began.
Klaus sighed. "Yes, which you lost."
"Misplaced, and your fault," countered the blonde vampire.
"You turned into a hybrid and went to make yourself a happy bunch of hybrids, but they died because they found out you're annoying," said Juniper, to which Klaus rolled his eyes.
Gwen added, "You need the necklace to contact the Original witch to figure out why you can't make hybrids."
"Gloria said the necklace was with a girl," said Klaus.
"I found out that the girl is here in Mystic Falls, who happens to be doppelgänger who is supposed to be dead," said Juniper, which had Stefan's eyes widening in shock as he recalled Klaus showing him where they were when he was last awake before his neck was snapped once more. "Which means," she paused as her eyes met Stefan's, "you lied. So did Gloria, but you took care of that, I assume."
"I think that sums up everything," said Gwen.
Klaus turned to Stefan, grinning. "Are they missing anything?" he asked. "Not that it matters, since I'll get to the bottom of everything very soon."
Stefan looked back to Klaus' looming figure. "I can exp–"
Before another word left Stefan's lips, Klaus snapped his neck. "That's enough of that." He did not want to get even angrier by hearing Stefan's repetitive excuses. He stood up to jump out of the truck and stand in front of his sister, the witch, and the half-faerie.
"What now?" asked Gwen.
Klaus smirked. "We're going to crash a party, make the night a memorable one."
.
Juniper felt an unpleasant shiver go down her spine, prompting her to hug herself and rub her arms as she walked down the school's hallways beside Klaus, both in search of Elena. "Ugh, this place is bringing back some unpleasant memories."
"You mean to tell me that a snarky person like you wasn't liked?" Klaus teased her, looking down another hallway they passed.
"I was a straight-A student in a catholic private school with a rebellious attitude and foster parents with no tolerance for anything that didn't fit their image of a perfect family," she said, remembering how unbearable her life was while living with such strict people. "I had some friends, not the popular crowd but not a crowd you messed with. I did punch a lot of snotty people."
Klaus had to laugh at this. "I take it that your foster parents were not very happy about that."
"No, and they never failed to tell me how much I disappointed them." While Juniper had tried to be grateful, she just couldn't take the rules placed on her when she tried to be good, so she stopped pretending to be someone she wasn't. "After skipping grades and graduating, I went on my own and searched for my real parents. You know the rest."
The hybrid pursed his lips, finding himself sympathizing with her situation. "I can understand that."
"Yeah," Juniper said, clearing her throat as a memory came back to her. She debated on whether she should tell Klaus but opted to do so since it was better than him finding out through someone else. "And since we're being honest and open with each other for once, I have a confession to make." Klaus raised an eyebrow at this, slightly frowning. "And there's no need for you to get mad since nothing bad happened."
"What is it?" asked Klaus, stopping in his tracks to look down at the brunette with his arms folded over his chest.
"I might have been the witch who told your brother where to find the doppelgänger," Juniper said, trying to get it out as fast as possible, but the scowl on Klaus' face told her he heard her loud and clear. "Elijah, I mean."
Klaus didn't know how to react, but his thoughts immediately took him to think that she was trying to get rid of him. "Did you also happen to tell him how to kill me?"
"No!" Juniper gasped, but she was now interested to know what kind of spell was strong enough to kill an Original. She shook her head and tried to gain control over her curiosity. "Look, he had come to Chicago looking for you. When he didn't find you, he came to me to find a way to locate you," she explained.
"And you just told him where I was?" Klaus scoffed, turning away from her to pace in a circle before glaring at the witch. "He almost killed me."
Juniper huffed. "Well, that is on whoever helped him, not me. I just pointed him in the right direction to get him away from Gwen."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" asked Klaus. "You know, there are phones for this kind of thing." He placed his hand to his ear, making it seem like it was a phone. "'Why, hello, Klaus. I hope you are having a splendid time breaking your curse, but I should warn you that your brother is trying to find you with murderous intent'."
"I didn't know he had a way to kill you. If I had, I would have warned you," countered Juniper.
Klaus rolled his eyes. "And you couldn't turn him away?"
Juniper gave him a mirthless laugh. "Oh, yeah, that's what I should have done. I should have turned away an Original and hope to live past the exchange."
The hybrid was upset, but he wasn't as upset as he thought he was going to be. Juniper came clean and she had valid reasons to do as Elijah had asked of her. He could also tell that she didn't mean to cause him any harm, she would have done so by now, especially since he had left her to watch over Gwen–a weakness the witch could have exploited long ago.
"So, are we going to move past this or is it going to be a thing?" Juniper asked Klaus, her hands on her hips as she looked up at him expectantly.
Releasing a heavy sigh, Klaus nodded as he began to walk with Juniper following him. "No point in torturing you now."
"Exactly, this is just a tiny thing I forgot to tell you, so now it's a convenient time for me to have done so," said Juniper, causing the hybrid to roll his eyes with an annoyed sigh.
Just as they rounded a corner, Klaus lifted an arm to keep Juniper from walking, his heightened senses picked up on laughter coming from behind double doors that were soon opened by one Elena Gilbert, who lost her smile when she came face-to-face with the smiling hybrid and impassive witch. "There's my girl," he greeted the shocked doppelgänger, watching as all color was drained from the teenage girl's face.
"Klaus!" gasped Elena, eyes wide. She managed to break out of her frozen state, finding the strength to turn around and try to run. Even though she knew that there would be no point in running from the hybrid, she still needed to do something…anything. Her sense of survival screamed at her to run away.
Klaus didn't let Elena take a single step as he appeared in her way, glaring down at her. "You are supposed to be dead," he almost growled. "What are we going to do about that?"
"Well, we have our work cut out for us," Juniper said as she stepped closer to Elena, trying to get a feel of the brunette's aura. There was an unsettling thing surrounding the doppelgänger that did not sit well with the witch. "Death follows you," she said, causing Elena to frown. "I wouldn't be surprised if it ever catches up to you."
"Not yet," said Klaus, grabbing Elena's bicep with a vice grip. "We still need her to answer a few questions for us."
Juniper looked at Elena and sighed when she didn't see the girl wearing the necklace. "And things just got complicated."
"What?" Klaus asked with a frown.
"She doesn't have it," said Juniper, giving him a pointed look that she also directed at Elena's neck.
"That puts us in quite a pickle." Klaus pulled Elena along with him as he marched through the school hallways with Juniper matching his strides. "You put a large kink in my plans, sweetheart," he told the panting doppelgänger. "The whole point of breaking the curse and becoming a hybrid was to make more hybrids. I haven't been able to do that." He turned a corner sharply, causing Elena to release a hiss at him pulling her arm, which felt like he was cutting off the circulation in her limb. "Now we bet that it has something to do with the fact that you're still breathing."
"Correction, that's your bet," Juniper spoke up. "I have a different theory."
Klaus glanced at Juniper with a raised eyebrow. "You're telling me that now."
Juniper huffed. "Yeah, but I need more info."
"If you're going to kill me, just do it!" Elena hissed at Klaus, glaring at the hybrid.
"Not until my friend and I compare notes, but I do have ways of making you suffer," Klaus told Elena as he pulled her into the school's gym where a few students were setting up cups all over the floor.
Juniper groaned as she watched the students fill the cups with water, coming to a stop next to the bleachers to stare at the excited teenagers. "Seriously? This is the best kids can do these days?"
"What would you do?" Klaus asked Juniper.
"Well," Juniper hummed. "I would do balloons filled with paint and," she paused to point at the ceiling, "have them up there in a net that would release them the moment the gym doors are opened." She grinned at the hybrid. "Water dries, but paint is a bitch to clean up."
He couldn't deny that he was impressed, so Klaus said, "Not bad."
"That's just what's at the top of my head. If you give me more time, I can come up with a better one," said Juniper.
Klaus chuckled as he stepped forward with Elena. He cleared his throat and focused to adjust his voice. "Attention, seniors," he spoke up in the best American accent he could muster, his voice echoing all around the gymnasium and gaining the attention of all students. "You have officially been busted. Prank night is over." All he received were groans and complaints, but the gym was slowly being emptied. "Head on home."
Juniper frowned at Klaus as she came to stand beside him. "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?" Klaus asked her in return, his accent returning.
"Change your accent," Juniper clarified. "I don't get it. It's not like anyone here knows who you are, and I doubt they care."
"It makes me less suspicious," Klaus supplied as he released Elena.
"Right," Juniper mumbled.
Just as two students were about to walk past the hybrid, Klaus stopped them by lifting a hand in front of them. "I remember you two," he said to the two teenagers who looked at him with confused stares, one being a brunette girl and the other a dark-haired boy.
The girl frowned at Klaus, failing to recognize him. "I'm sorry. Who are you?"
"Oh, don't worry, I wasn't in my right head last time we met," Klaus said offhandedly, releasing Elena's arm, confident that she wasn't going to try to escape.
"When are you in your right head?" Juniper taunted the hybrid, folding her arms over her chest.
"Can we not start?" Klaus told Juniper as the witch lifted her hands in surrender. He locked eyes with the girl. "Lift your foot up, please, Dana." After saying the words, he smiled when the girl immediately did as he told her before looking at the boy. "If she drops her foot, Chad, I want you to beat her to death. Understood?" He received a slight nod as an answer.
"Don't, Klaus," Elena pleaded. "You don't have to hurt anybody."
Klaus glanced at Elena. "Oh, come on, love. Of course, I do."
Juniper rolled her eyes as she approached Elena. "He always has to hurt others. He's got a bit of a dramatic flair."
"I saw you," Elena said as she stared at a smiling Juniper. The doppelgänger remembered earlier in the day when she had seen the witch leaving the Mystic Grill with another girl. "You were at the Mystic Grill."
"Oh, you saw me," Juniper said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm Juniper Blake, a new girl in town."
"With a nasty attitude," added Klaus.
"Look who's talking," countered Juniper as she reached for Elena's hair, eliciting a flinch from the latter. "I'm not hurting you." She grasped a single strand of hair and pulled on it until it was no longer attached to Elena's head, causing the human girl to hiss. "I'm only here to figure out a few things that the great Klaus can't do so by himself."
Klaus merely rolled his eyes at Juniper's comment, but he frowned as he watched the witch gathering Elena's hair between her hands before closing her eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Concentrating. You said you killed her, so I am just figuring out how she survived," Juniper responded as she focused on her magic and the power surrounding the doppelgänger. It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for. She opened her eyes and blew into her hands before opening them to let the hair go up in a small, black flame, letting the microscopic ashes fall to the floor. "She's alive at the cost of another's life." She turned to Klaus. "Someone used a spell to give her the life force of another."
"Quite smart, if it weren't such an inconvenience," Klaus remarked, now understanding how Elena survived after having drained her of her life.
"What do we do now?" Juniper asked Klaus.
Klaus grinned and said, "We wait for the rest of the gang."
Rough Translation (French to English):
Monsieur le capitaine.-Sir captain.
End of chapter!
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