Hey everyone! Sorry it took a while to update. Some of this chapter takes place around Season 2, Episode 18 "The Last Dance". However, it is only during the day. The next chapter will cover the night of the dance.


Chapter Twelve: Being a Monster

Kiara woke the next morning to the feeling of fingers tracing shapes along her back. It took her a few seconds to remember that she was no longer in the Salvatore basement. Her eyes opened half expecting to see Damon taunting her through the barred door with a bottle of water in his hand. For days she hated herself for trying to do things the peaceful way. She hated that she kept herself weak by only taking as much as she needed instead of having her fill and for hesitating when fighting Katherine in the first place. But her eyes found a photo of her and Holly at the Grand Canyon on her dresser instead.

She was home. With Elijah lying in bed next to her. And she thought all that pain had been worth it. She shifted around so she could see Elijah's face. As if she still wasn't sure if she believed that their escape really happened. He looked so relaxed, studying her with his inquisitive eyes.

"You're still here." She smiled.

"Did you doubt I would be?"

She shrugged. "A part of me still expected all that was a dream or something. Certainly seems like one."

"A good one, I hope," he said. His hand reached up to brush over her curls.

She only nodded.

"Are you alright? Do you regret what happened yesterday?" He pulled his hand back, uncertainty flooding his eyes.

"Oh." She sat up to face him properly. "No. That's not it. You were—that was great. Really. It's just, this is all kinda new to me. That's all."

"What is?"

Kiara looked away from him.

There was still so much they didn't know about each other, so much she hadn't told him about herself and her past. And it wasn't that she didn't trust Elijah enough to tell him. It was just, now she felt too embarrassed to. He was a vampire. A sophisticated dangerous creature that's seen the world, had countless relationships and experienced so much. So much more than she has. It wasn't so much the age difference between them that made her feel uneasy, it was her lack of life experience.

She would be eighteen soon and sometimes she still felt like a child. She had been so sheltered. How could she tell him that she's never dated anyone before? That she'd never even had the chance to make enough of a connection with someone to become their friend until recently?

She's never been to a birthday party, or a sleepover, or a school dance. It was pathetic really. She had nothing to offer. Only a few stories of her own to share.

"I, I'm just used to being alone most of the time, that's all."

He frowned and took her hand in his. "But you couldn't have always been alone… you mentioned your mother passed, exactly how old were you when that occurred?"

"Twelve." She chewed on her lower lip, debating if she should say more. Then added, "But I hardly remember her anymore."

"Why not? Surely she was the one who raised you up until that point," Elijah said.

Kiara shook her head. "I was never really allowed to see her. She was always really sick…" She looked down at their joined hands. "I always kind of thought that was my fault."

"Children often blame themselves for things outside of their control. Abuse, divorce—"

"Yeah, maybe," Kiara said. "But the older I got, the weaker she became and the more my father hated me."

Elijah didn't say anything to that. How could he?

"Katherine said that Succubi change when they mature sexually and stop aging once they've fully developed," Kiara told him. "That kinda suggests that succubi are born, right? I've been thinking… maybe somehow I fed on my mother while she was pregnant with me and then for years after without even knowing, maybe in my sleep. Maybe I kept feeding on her until she died. It would explain why my father wants me dead. I killed the woman he loved. Who could blame him, right?"

"Even if that were true, it wouldn't excuse attempting to kill his own child."

"Maybe not, but I can understand it."

"Regardless, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Not until we can confirm if what Katerina said is the truth or not," Elijah told her.

"That might be difficult," Kiara said, leaning back against her bed frame. "The only person I know of that had information on Succubi was Isobel and she's dead. Johnathan Gilbert has all of Isobel's research on the subject, but I doubt he'll give it to me now."

"Why is that?"

"When Damon was holding me, prisoner, I kinda told him that I wouldn't bring Elena back after the sacrifice, even if I could. Then I told him that I hoped Klaus would rip her heart out and feed it to him."

His eyebrows rose at that, but there was no judgment in his eyes. "That's… understandable considering the circumstances."

"Understandable or not, it kind of breaks the deal I had with him. He said as long as I agree to at least attempt to bring his daughter back, he would give the journal to me after all this was over. I'm sure Damon told him what I said by now, for all I know Jonathan burned the damn thing."

"I'll add that to the list of grievances I have with Mr. Salvatore," Elijah said.

Before Kiara could reply, there was a knock on her bedroom door. Kiara cracked it open and stuck her head out to find Holly standing there with clothes draped over her arm.

"What's this?" she asked her.

"A suit, what's it look like?" Holly held her arm out and Kiara gathered the clothes. And it was. A dark blue suit with a crisp white shirt and maroon colored tie. "I used the remains of his old one to get his measurements. This is the best I could do with our budget."

Kiara smiled at her. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

Holly shrugged. "Yeah, well, I didn't want him walking around the house without clothes on any longer than necessary and you mentioned how he favors suits so..."

Kiara felt Elijah approach her from behind so she turned to hand him the clothes. He nodded and thanked Holly, promising to pay her back, before disappearing into the bathroom to change.

"Well I'll tell you one thing, you certainly know how to pick 'em," Holly said, making Kiara blush. "Anyway I was wondering what the plan is… you know, is he planning on staying here a while? Are you safe to go back to school? Because you've missed a lot already… and you worked so hard to catch up with everyone else. It wouldn't be fair for you to have to drop out now."

"I agree," Elijah said, stepping out of the bathroom fully dressed. "Kiara's education should be a priority. As far as Kiara's safety, I plan on securing that today."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Holly folded her arms in front of her.

"I believe in facing threats head-on," he told her. "And after Damon's recent behavior, I'd say a visit is in order…"

"I'm coming with you," Kiara said.

"I'd prefer that you didn't. No reason to expose you to such violence again."

"Elijah," Kiara sighed. "I've been thinking—"

"Don't tell me, you want to spare him?" Elijah held his hands together in front of him. The perfect picture of patience. But she could see the storm brewing in his eyes. "After everything he's done, you'd let him live?"

Kiara sighed and said, "What's the alternative? A war with every supernatural creature in Mystic Falls? Because if you kill Damon, Stefan will come after you. Then so will Elena, who you can't kill without Klaus flipping shit, and then there's Caroline, the sheriff's daughter, and Bonnie, their best friend who also happens to be a witch, and, did I mention Alaric? Damon's best friend and the local vampire hunter—"

"Kiara," he cupped her face with his hands. The familiar tingling sensation on his fingertips calming him a little. "Do remember that I'm an Original. I can't be killed and they won't be capable of doing much of anything to me now that I am in possession of the dagger," Elijah said, releasing her to button his suit shut. "You know as well as I that Damon should face the consequences of his actions. I've looked the other way far too many times now. Your recent captivity was simply the last straw."

Elijah smiled at both of the women and then began to descend the staircase. Kiara followed close behind with building anxiety. Holly had always told her not to harm others and when they discovered she had these new abilities, she warned her to be extra careful, that taking a life is something that cannot be undone. It seemed that wasn't exactly true in Kiara's case, but still, she didn't want anyone to die because of her, even if it was Damon Salvatore. If she wanted him dead, she would have killed him yesterday. Wouldn't she?

"And what about me?" she asked. "And Holly? We both live here. What happens to us while you all reign terror on the town? What happens after it's over?"

"I assure you, the two of you will remain safe."

She reached out and grabbed his hand before he could open the front door. "Wait," she said, making him turn to her. "Let's be smart about this. You said Klaus has used daggers like that against your siblings in the past, right?"

"That's right…"

"Well, think about it, how would the Salvatores get one?"

"Are you suggesting that my brother gave it to them?"

Kiara nodded. "Think about it, thanks to my little dream invasion, he's convinced you're working against him. He must know where you are by now and started to put together what you're up to. If the others are stuck in your siblings… then that dagger is Klaus's only weapon against you. I doubt he would lose something that important. No, this is retaliation and, let's face it, smart thinking on his part. With you out of the way, no one else is really a threat. You said it yourself, you're the only one who has a chance to kill him."

Slowly, Elijah nodded in his head in agreement. "You could be right. This could very well be Niklaus's doing, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm thinking… Klaus probably has spies watching everything going on here in town. Gotta keep the precious doppelganger alive, right? Hell, he may even be somewhere in town by now. If he sees you aren't daggered—"

"He'll see the attack coming," Elijah finished. "All right. What do you suggest?"

"I suggest… you make a deal with the Salvatore's. They let everyone think you're still daggered and you don't kill them all," Kiara said, but he didn't look happy with the idea so she added. "For now. When this is all over and you have your family back, you can decide what to do then. For the record, I still think you should try talking to your brother… give it one last shot to bring the family back together without bloodshed, but I know that's not my call to make. "

He took a step closer to her and brushed her hair out of her face. "And what about you?"

"I don't know…" she shrugged. "Maybe Luka and his dad can channel me again, you know for some extra juice, and try to find your siblings with a locator spell? That way we can undagger them. Klaus said he brings them everywhere with him, if he's close by then they must be too, right?"

"No," he smiled, admiring her for a moment. "How will I assure your safety? I can't follow you around town unnoticed or go with you to your high school. The Salvatore's could try to use you against me. You said that's how they got the Martin witches to work with them since my absence."

"That's what Katherine told me," Kiara nodded. "I don't know. Maybe Luka can look out for me at school?"

"Hm, I suppose I can attempt to keep the peace for now," Elijah said, twirling one of her red curls around his finger. "If I were to take Elena now, who knows what Niklaus would do. Still... I will make it clear to the Salvatore's that your safety is a priority of mine, that you are under my protection and any harm done to you makes the deal null and void." When Kiara smiled, he added. "However... you should know that this only delays the inevitable. They will be punished for what they've done."

Kiara nodded and didn't argue with him.

"That being said," he gave her a pointed look. "I believe I should go alone to negotiate these terms." Kiara went to object to that, but he said, "Don't worry. I know how to go unnoticed. Please stay here until I come back. I don't want to risk anything happening to you while I'm away."

Kiara let out a breath and said, "I guess I can do that," as he stroked her cheek with the back of his finger.

"Thank you." Elijah smiled and kissed her forehead before stepping out of the house.

"Wow," Holly said, leaning an arm on Kiara's shoulder. "That was impressive. I didn't think you'd be able to convince him. He seemed pretty intent on killing Damon. He must really have a thing for you."

"Maybe," Kiara shrugged. "Or maybe, I'm just a succubus that can affect people to do what I want. Or maybe he just told me what I want to hear and he's about to go rip Damon's head off. Who can say really?"

"Just be careful, Kiki. I don't like where things are headed."


Thankfully, Elijah got the Salvatore brothers to agree to their terms. They would tell no one that Elijah had been undaggered, work with the Martin witches to complete Elijah's plan, and leave Kiara alone. The only problem was they insisted that Elijah leave town until Klaus arrived. They didn't trust him or want him around, which Kiara thought meant that they were probably up to something. But Elijah didn't seem worried about it.

They were less than two weeks away from the next full moon. Elijah promised he would return before then, whether there was a Klaus sighting or not, and he wouldn't be going far. The Martins agreed to watch out for Kiara on his behalf. So with a heavy heart, Kiara had to say goodbye to Elijah. At least for the time being.

"It's not fair," she told him. The two of them were sitting on her front porch where it all began. "I just got you back."

"I won't be far," he said. "I'll use this time to reach out to some contacts I have to find out more about you. In the meantime, you live your life, concentrate on school."

Kiara frowned, eyeing the bloodstains hardly visible on his fingers now, and wondered if it was Damon's. She pictured Elijah shoving his hand into the vampire's chest and squeezing his heart in his fist.

"You can call me as much as you like, Damon was kind enough to return your cell phone," he pulled it out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Although she had a hard time believing he just handed it over.

She took it. "Do you text?"

He smirked at the question. "Of course. Though I would prefer to hear your voice."

She nodded in agreement.

They sat there a few more minutes before he stood and offered her his hand to help her stand. Then he pulled her into a passionate kiss. When he finally pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers and said, "It's only temporary."

The words ghosted over her lips.

"I know," she said, her eyes still closed. But it was like he was reminding himself of that more than her.

When she opened her eyes, he was gone.


That was almost a week ago now. Kiara struggled to catch up on the work that she missed, spending most of her lunches in Mr. Saltzman's room doing make-up work and avoiding the younger members of the Mystic Falls gang. Despite his friendship with Damon, Mr. Saltzman was the only person in the school that Kiara felt she could trust. After all, he came to check on her as soon as he heard what Damon was doing. No one else had done that.

The rest of her time was spent with Holly or the Martin witches. They were teaching her a lot about witchcraft and magic in general. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to locate the rest of Elijah's family. Klaus must have had them cloaked. Which didn't surprise any of them, but it disappointed Kiara a little. The closer they got to the full moon, the closer Elijah got to having to kill his brother.

As the days counted down, she grew more anxious about it. She may not have known Elijah long, but she knew it would break his heart, especially if they couldn't find his other siblings. She doubted killing Klaus was something he could actually do though. She didn't have any brothers and sisters of her own, but the way Elijah talked about his made it pretty obvious that he loved them. Even Niklaus. Especially Niklaus.

And killing someone you love… well, that just didn't seem like something Elijah would be capable of.

"Kiara?" Mr. Saltzman called from his desk.

She looked up at him from her usual seat.

It was lunchtime. They were the only ones in his classroom, but she still felt more comfortable sitting in the back of the room. She was working on an essay that was due Monday on a book that she hadn't even finished yet. Reading required a focus that she just didn't have lately.

"What's up, Mr. S?" she asked.

Klaus could never get used to anyone calling him that, much less the young woman in front of him. There was something intriguing about her. She was a mystery. Unknown territory.

Both Greta and Maddox hadn't even heard of the existence of an actual succubus until he came back to Alaric's apartment telling them he just encountered one. He then proceeded to choke Katerina until she explained why she hadn't mentioned the girl to him before. She claimed that she hadn't known about the girl until he compelled the truth out of her. It turns out Kiara had fed from her not long before Maddox brought her to him and there were side effects. Katerina couldn't do anything that would harm Kiara and even Klaus's compulsion couldn't force her to, not until the effects wore off. Which both pissed him off and fascinated him.

Looking at her now, questions built up in his throat, but he could only force out the words, "You seem distracted…"

"I've got a lot on my mind." She shrugged. "And honestly, I haven't been sleeping all that well lately. But, you know more about that than anyone, what with your best friend holding me hostage for over a week and then nearly ripping my head off right in front of you."

"Yeah," Klaus said, shifting awkwardly against the desk behind him. "We never really talked about that night."

"Look, I know it wasn't your fault. I certainly don't blame you or anything," Kiara said, doodling in the corner of her notebook as she spoke. "And you probably think I should apologize for putting you to sleep like that and for the things I said to Damon. But I hope you can understand that I won't, not when I know I won't mean it," she looked back at him and added. "I will say thank you though."

"Thank you?" Klaus scrunched his eyebrows together. "What are you thanking me for?"

"For coming to check on me that day. You were the only one who did," she told him. "So thanks."

Klaus swallowed, mentally correcting her. He hadn't gone to check on her, he had gone to bask in her misery. Hadn't he?

He cleared his throat. "It was nothing. So, how did you get involved with all this in the first place?"

"You mean, how did I get involved with Elijah?" Kiara raised an eyebrow at him. Her unusual green eyes shining in the sunlight passing through the windows.

He nodded.

"It was just… dumb luck, I guess." Kiara leaned her head in her palm. "I was out for a walk one night and we just bumped into each other, or I guess I bumped into him. He was, I don't know, charming? Handsome. I shouldn't have let him walk me home. I hadn't fed in days and things got out of hand. If I hadn't fed on him, he probably would have never realized what I was and we would have never spoken again after that."

"Wait, go back, you fed on Elijah?" Klaus asked, not sure how he felt about that at the moment.

"Yes."

"And he just… let you?"

"No." Kiara shook her head. "He attacked me. Well, the first time anyway. Turns out, vampires are sensitive to me, or my charms I guess. More so than humans."

"How so?"

Kiara smiled, color rushing to her cheeks, and shook her head at the question. "It's hard to explain… Anyway, Elijah came by my house the next day, claimed he had witch friends that told him what I am and he was hoping I would do him a favor."

Klaus leaned forward unintentionally. "What favor?"

"It had nothing to do with Elena, if that's what you're thinking," Kiara shot him a look. One that said she remembered which side he was on and it wasn't hers. "It was a personal thing. I went into someone's dream to ask them a question. Turns out it isn't easy to lie to me. Anyway, we sort of became… friends after that."

"Who?" asked Klaus. Although he knew the answer, he wanted to hear her say it.

"What?"

"Whose dream did you go into?"

Kiara hesitated. "Klaus. I went into Klaus's dream."

"Why?"

"I don't want to say…" Kiara shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Well, at least tell me what he was like," Klaus said. He couldn't help himself, not even if he wanted to. There was a strange part of him that wanted to know what she would say, what she really thought of him. He wanted to figure out if she had been manipulating him when he entered her mind that night. "Everyone's talking about the big bad hybrid that's coming to break the curse… is he as scary as they say he is?"

After Greta sent him into her mind, he couldn't figure out how to feel about the woman. He had been angry when he realized she had tricked him and invaded his privacy at the command of his brother. He intended to terrorize her with her own methods. Become the stuff of nightmares for her, literally. But he found that she had been dreaming about him already. And she was kissing him, or the human memory of him as it turned out. And the things she said… how he wasn't that person anymore, how she liked his eyes, something about the way he had looked at her, and it confused him. It wasn't until Katerina filled in the blanks that he began to understand.

"I," Kiara started, but then stopped to think a moment longer. "I don't know really. It's not like I actually met the guy, everyone's different in their dreams…"

"How was he?" Klaus pressed. "In his dream, I mean."

Kiara bit her lip and looked out the window, not sure how to answer. It was strange talking about this with her teacher, but she supposed he was close enough to be her friend at this point so there was no harm in trying. "Honestly? He was kind of… beautiful."

Klaus froze, unable to force any expression on his face. The word sent a flurry through his chest that seemed to kick his heart into overdrive. That certainly wasn't what he expected her to say and he didn't know how the real Alaric Saltzman would react to such a statement.

"Alright, relax," Kiara laughed. And he did, ignoring how the sound caused goosebumps to rise on his skin. She looked back at him and said, "I'm not saying he didn't scare me, he did once he started threatening me. But before that? I don't know, it's hard to explain. He was human, at first, and sweet. Dreamy, you know? Like one of those damaged artistic types that always look like they're off somewhere else in their head?"

Klaus hesitated before stepping forward. He replied the way he thought the real Alaric might and said, "So what are you saying? That you actually like this guy? He isn't some damaged artist, he's an Original vampire. A hybrid. He's coming to kill Elena."

"It's not that simple," she snapped, silencing Klaus immediately. "No one's ever just one thing. Look at you, you're a teacher and a vampire hunter. A boyfriend and a widow. Why should Klaus be confined to being one thing?"

He just stared at her. At a loss for words.

She sighed, looking away from him again. "You just don't understand. How could you? You're human. Monsters can only be villains in your stories."

Klaus eyed her for a moment. It seemed she wasn't only talking about him anymore. "Are you saying he isn't a villain? That Elijah isn't?"

"I didn't say that," Kiara looked out the window. "They may be villains in Elena's story. Maybe in yours too. But it doesn't mean they have to be in mine. Elijah's been kind to me. He's protected me. Promised to help me figure out more about what I am and if there's any way I can be fixed."

"Fixed?" Klaus asked as if the very idea was offensive. He realized it was out of character as he said it, but it was too late to take it back now so he asked, "What makes you think you need to be fixed?"

The bell rang and Kiara gave him a sad smile. "Because I'm a monster too, aren't I?" She didn't wait for him to answer. Instead, she said, "Anyway, I gotta go. I'll see you around." She gathered her things and disappeared into the crowded hallway.

Klaus watched her go and took in a shaky breath, trying to calm himself. He knew she once thought that he saw past something, that he had caught a glimpse of the real her or the girl she was before she became a succubus. Now he was beginning to worry that she might be able to see him too. Maybe in a way that no one else has in quite some time. And for the first time in a long time, he felt almost… scared.


That weekend Kiara had planned to leave town. She wanted to spend some time with Elijah, but he said he may have found someone that knew about succubi and she agreed that he should meet with them instead. She asked if she could go with him, but Elijah wanted to see if the person was legitimate first. It seemed he was still feeling protective of her after her unpleasant stay with Damon and she didn't want to push it. So she agreed.

She had been trying to feed a little more than usual, to keep her strength up, but the more she fed, the more she realized that she needed to learn to control her abilities. She broke the glass on her front door when she shut it too hard one night and accidentally broke a record running around the track in gym class. Recently she even gained the ability to see people's auras and read the level of attraction they felt for her. Her vision was now clouded with the reminder that she was a monster capable of preying on anyone at any time and it scared her. Any information Elijah could find was better than nothing and he said he would call her after with any news.

By Monday, he still hadn't called yet. Kiara tried not to worry as she wandered the hall to Mr. Saltzman's classroom during lunch. She was a little later than usual. The Mystical Falls gang had been watching her ever since she came back to school and she had to walk the long way around to avoid talking to them. It was taking everything she had to keep from telling them off. Now she wasn't sure what she was capable of doing in a moment of anger so she figured it was safer for everyone if she kept to herself. Mr. Saltzman seemed to understand that.

"Kiara," he stood as she passed his desk like he was surprised to see her. His hands moving some papers around on his desk. "You're here."

"Yeah…" she grinned and dropped her backpack by her usual desk. "That okay?"

"Course," he forced a laugh. "Why wouldn't it be?"

She shrugged. "Good because it looks like the 60s threw up out there and I'd rather not see Elena and her friends. No offense."

"None taken. I hated the 60s."

"You say that like you were there," she laughed, plopping down in her seat. "What are you like 35?"

"Yeah," he shook his head, annoyed with himself for the slip-up. "I just mean, tie-dye and bell-bottoms aren't really my thing."

"Well, yeah. You have more of an 80s cool guy kinda vibe going on. All leather jackets and plaid shirts," she said.

He rolled his eyes. If there was anything Klaus hated, it was Alaric Saltzman's choice of clothing.

"Hey, I like it. I mean, give me 80s style over 60s any day."

"I take it that means you won't be going to the dance tonight?" he rose his eyebrows at her.

Kiara pursed her lips together and give him a curt nod. "That would be correct."

"Don't tell me nobody asked you…"

"Actually," she said. "A few people did this time. Guess I'm not as good at blending in as I thought."

Klaus tried not to laugh. Of course, someone like her couldn't blend in. It seemed strange to him that she would even want to try when she was so clearly meant to stand out.

"What is it then? You planned on going with Elijah or something?"

Her face flushed slightly, much to his annoyance, but she shook her head. "I never go to school dances."

"Wait," he said. "Are you saying you've never been to a school dance?"

"Nope."

"Well, that's just…" Klaus tried to find the words. "tragic."

She laughed. "It's okay. I'm not really a homecoming queen kinda girl anyway. I'll leave that to the Caroline Forbes of the world. Besides, parties aren't really my thing… getting dressed up and all that. I wouldn't know where to start. I don't even know how to put on makeup if you can believe that."

Klaus scoffed. "It's not like you need it." Her face fell. Like he had just told her that she'd run over his puppy. "I just mean—"

"I know what you mean…" she looked away from him, suddenly uncomfortable. She had never noticed his attraction to her before. "But it's like I said… parties just aren't my thing. I don't like big crowds or being the center of attention. I never have. Even before I became this…"

"Maybe if you had the right person there with you," Klaus lifted his shoulders. "You'd feel differently."

That earned him another smile and he let out a breath of relief.

"Yeah. Maybe," she said.

Suddenly his phone dinged on his desk. Or rather Alaric's phone rang on Alaric's desk. Klaus walked over to it and read the text message he'd just gotten.

"It's an SOS from Damon," he told her, fighting the urge to smirk. "He says Klaus is in the school."

Kiara frowned. "He's here? Are they sure?"

"Apparently he compelled a girl to ask Elena to save him a dance tonight. Creepy, huh?"

"Either that or he just likes to dance," she shrugged sarcastically. "I'm just surprised I didn't see him," she scratched the back of her neck, almost looking disappointed. "He doesn't seem like to type to pass up an opportunity to mess with me, but I guess that would come second to Elena. She is the doppelganger after all."

Klaus pushed down another smirk, wondering if that was jealousy he was hearing in her voice. "He says he wants to meet after school to talk about the plan for tonight." He looked up at her. "Are you coming?"

"To what? The meeting?" Kiara shook her head. "No way. Damon can go to hell. I never agreed to help kill Klaus. Besides, I'm not going to the dance. Remember?"

His phone dinged again. "He says he wants me to bring you."

The bell rang indicating the lunch period was over. She threw her bag back over her shoulder and said, "Tell him to go fuck himself." And left.


Between lunch and the last bell, Luka had texted her back saying he and his father would be meeting with Bonnie to discuss things after the meeting. They worried tonight might be their only chance to kill Klaus and didn't want to pass up the opportunity. She couldn't blame them. Besides, there was a chance Greta would be at the dance too. Luka had to go. He thought that it was better for Kiara to stay away. They promised Elijah they'd keep her out of harm's way after all. She agreed there was no reason for her to go, even if the Salvatore brothers promised to play nice. It was clear to her that Elena was their top priority. They were having Luka, Jonas, and Bonnie risking their lives for her after all. Though the risk was much less with the three of them sharing the power from the burned witches, but still… three lives for the sake of one? It just didn't add up to her.

When she went to her locker to grab the rest of her books, she paused. There was a piece of paper rolled up like an old scroll tied with a ribbon. She looked around her in confusion before slowly reaching out to untie it, half expecting it to be spelled or poisoned to harm her. When nothing happened, she picked it up and unrolled it.

She gasped.

It was a sketch. A beautiful pencil sketch of her. Sitting at her desk. Gazing out the window with a thoughtful expression on her face. There was a sadness in her eyes that she never realized was there before, but what surprised her was the letters in the bottom right corner that spelled out, Klaus.


Reviewers:

Only reviewer: Thank you. And yes, I did change my picture. That's me. A more current picture. I hadn't changed it in years.

19vanelkc: Lol. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

darklou: Thank you for the review. It helped me out again. Sometimes just the simple wondering of what might happen next with something is enough to spark the next idea or even remind me of something that I may have been forgetting.

smokey-eyed amazon warrior: I wanted to answer the questions you had in case others were wondering the same things. Kiara is going to be 18 years old on May 12th. I think Elijah was between the ages of 25 and 30 when he was turned? So there is a bit of an age difference right now. Kiara was harmed when the Martin's put her into Klaus's dream, but she had never been harmed in another person's dream previously. In her own dreams, she has full control of what happens so no one is able to hurt her there. Kiara tends to choose the non-violent route (at least for now), mainly due to Holly's influence. Holly is a witch who believes in the rule of three and she always warns Kiara to be careful because killing someone is something you can't take back (or at least most people can't). So I think Kiara wanted to try to keep the peace with Damon. Besides, she didn't know Katherine had already left by that point and she got stabbed the last time she tried to undagger Elijah with her there. I hope this helps/makes sense.

TeamBedward: That's so cool. Please feel free to message me if you have any ideas about using succubus lore or anything. I have a general plan for what I'm doing with it when it comes to the Vampire Diaries world... but any suggestions or information you have is welcome. I'm glad you are enjoying it so far.

ignira: Thank you very much. I appreciate the feedback. I'm happy to have you as a reader and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


So I listen to music when I write sometimes and I realized there is a song that really fits this story (for both Klaus and Elijah). Or at least I think it does. Kelly Clarkson's Beautiful Disaster? If you don't know it, consider giving it a listen and letting me know what you think about it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We are slowly making some progress and the next chapter is going to be a big one so get ready!