She had left his house almost immediately, rushing to Caroline's.
"Sheriff Forbes." She said as the woman opened the door.
"Elena, Caroline is upstairs. What-"
"I got the cure for her." She said holding up the vial as the sheriff ushered her upstairs, looking relieved.
When she reached her room, she saw her friend looked pale and clammy, not unlike Damon had, with Matt next to her.
"Here," She passed the vial of blood to Caroline who downed it in a go.
The effect was almost instantaneous, her colour improving, her stance relaxing, as she settled into the pillows.
"How did you get it?"
"I made a deal, he gave you a little blood, I'll give him some for his hybrids." It had struck her as odd, the deal, he had taken her blood before without even telling her, so she had been shocked when he had agreed.
"Lena-"
"It's nothing Care," she sat down on the bed next to her friend, in the space Matt made for her, throwing an arm around the blonde. "I would've had to give it to him anyway. I was actually surprised he agreed." She said frowning.
"He's the reason this happened at all."
"I know. But it's over now. Some birthday huh?"
"Yeah," she said with a weak smile, all four of them relieved.
She was back outside his mansion the next day. She had been informed by one of his hybrids that he had wanted her to make good on their deal as soon as possible.
She had hoped he wasn't still angry about the previous evening, although how it was her fault evaded her. If anything, it was his. She raised her hand to knock and the door was opened by another hybrid. She was led to a different room this time, probably a sitting room. This one had rich carpeting and leather couches in front of a fireplace, with a bar tucked off at one end.
"Oh good, you're here. Let's get on with this shall we?" She could feel her heart racing as his gaze was fixed on her, and yet, it wasn't fear she felt, but something else, something she couldn't quite figure out just yet. Ever since what had happened at the school, her fear of him had started to diminish. She had expected herself to be more afraid of him, after all that he had done, but there was something telling her that she didn't need to be afraid of him, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. She was definitely going mad.
"Yeah, okay." She saw there was a nurse with him, likely compelled, and sat down on one of the couches, as the nurse began to prep her, and he sat down opposite her with a glass of scotch.
Soon there was a needle going through her arm and her blood was being collected as he stared at her neck. At the scar he had left at the sacrifice, she realised.
"So, where are Stefan and Damon on this fine afternoon?" He asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. He had pulled his eyes off her neck, giving her his full attention. Elena was almost thankful for the needle in her arm, as she resisted the urge to squirm under his gaze.
"I don't know." She answered honestly.
"You know if they keep playing this game with me, someone is bound to get hurt." He was leaning forward as he spoke, his gaze fixed and calculating.
"I know that. But Stefan doesn't care anymore, remember?"
"Ah yes, something you still blame me for I'm sure." He was gesturing at her with the glass in his hand and she was distinctly reminded of Damon.
"You were the one told him to turn it off."
"And yet, I didn't think he'd go after you."
She didn't answer him then, instead turning to look at the art on his wall. It was the painting of a landscape with a horse that was looking away. She wondered where he had gotten it from.
"You're ignoring me, how mature."
"I just don't want to talk about Stefan with you." She said turning to face him again.
"Very well. How is your brother?"
"You tried to kill him. How's your sister?" She could feel the anger burning in her as she faced him.
"You told her about my mother."
"Yeah, she was pretty angry about your partiality to matricide."
"You know, doppelgänger, there is something different about you." He got up from his place on the couch and rounded the centre table to sit next to her, his arm thrown over the back of the couch as he leaned towards her.
"I have a name." She was surprised when her words came out breathy instead of angered.
"Yes, Elena, you do." She had thought her name sounded rich when Elijah said it, but it was nothing compared to how Klaus said it. She knew he could hear the sound of her heart as it betrayed her.
"Doesn't change the fact that something has changed. You're different. If I couldn't smell your blood right now, I'd say you were Katerina, like the night of the homecoming dance."
"You knew." She said slightly amazed.
"I knew the second I saw her. But I wanted to know what plan she had up her sleeve. I must say, I didn't think you would get Mikeal."
"Yeah, well, you had been on the run from him for a thousand years."
"I had. But thanks to your friends, I can finally settle down now." She could feel her hackles rising at his words.
"Oh is that why you're taking my blood? You want to turn your girlfriend into a hybrid?"
He smirked at her, clearly entertained, as he finished his drink.
"Don't tell me you're jealous love." She scoffed, but couldn't help the anger in her rising.
Before she knew it, the needle was being taken out of her arm, and she winced, sticking on the bandage that was offered to her.
"Did no one offer to heal you?" He gestured at the healing bruises on her wrist.
"No."
"And here I was thinking," he walked towards the bar at one end of the room, filling his glass, "that you had many people to protect you."
"I didn't exactly go around showing people." She said as she pulled down her sleeve to cover her wrist. She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her when his face changed and he bit into his wrist, before coming to take a seat beside her, offering her his bloody arm.
"Go on then, wouldn't want you passing out while driving. You're worth more to me alive than dead."
"Don't I know it." She took a deep breath before she lowered her mouth against his bleeding wrist. She had expected the coppery taste, but she had also thought it would be difficult to drink, like it had been the time Damon had fed her his blood. Instead, she felt warmth spread throughout her, she felt euphoric. This was probably the most powerful blood in the world, blood that was a saviour to vampires. And she was drinking straight from the source. She felt a swooping sensation in her stomach, even as she finally pulled away, licking her lips. She could see his eyes follow the movement of her tongue, almost like he couldn't look away, just as she couldn't look away from him. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard her phone chiming, indicating an incoming text.
It was from Jenna asking her when she'd be home.
"Well, I should get going." She stood up quickly regretting it immediately when she felt the room spin. She blindly reached out and held on to something, someone, she realised as Klaus placed one hand on her back to steady her while she was holding on to his other arm. She looked up at him, directly into his eyes, and was taken aback by how blue they were. She looked away before he could notice her staring.
"Careful there, love. I already told you I need you alive." She bit back her reply in lieu on sitting back on the couch as he left the room.
She took deep, steadying breathes as she looked around the room again, noticing that all the walls and the floor were made of wood. She kept being drawn back to the painting and got up again, carefully this time, walking over to observe it closely. She wondered when and where he had acquired it from, it was a beautiful piece of the countryside. And the horse, it was almost as if someone had painted it with care, the careful brushstrokes, the soft angles, the striking beauty of it. It was breathtaking. She frowned when she noticed something in the corner and realised it was signed by the artist who painted it, and felt her eyes widen.
"Here." Klaus had returned with a plate of fruits and a glass of water. "You are human, even when my blood heals you, you'd still require sustenance."
"You painted this." She hadn't meant to sound accusing, but she had.
"Yes, I did."
"You paint."
"What do you think I do in my spare time love, torture children?" There was that smirk again, with the dimples.
"I was thinking more along the lines of vampire fight club." She said as she moved to her place on the couch and took the food from him. She wondered if this was how Hansel and Gretel had felt, but realised that she had already been sacrificed.
"Yes, as fun as it would be to watch amateurs have at it, I do prefer painting."
She could imagine it then, him painting, probably by a French window, fully concentrated on the work of art before him. She had always seen him as someone who destroyed, so it jarred her to know that he was capable to creating something so beautiful, so human.
"Yeah, I can see why. I've seen Stefan and Damon fight."
"Over you?"
"Yes, actually. Damon forced me to drink his blood before the sacrifice." She saw a flash of anger over his face at her words, but it passed by quickly.
"And Stefan?"
"Wanted to respect my choice of not wanting to be a vampire."
"So how did you come back human?" He tried to feign nonchalance, but she could see he was interested. She took her time before answering him, munching of the dragonfruit on her plate.
"It was John, my birth father, he sacrificed himself for me."
"So when you came to the sacrifice, you knew you would come back."
"No, I didn't know what John was going to do."
They sat in silence for a while as she ate until her curiosity got the best of her.
"When did you make that?" She asked gesturing to the painting.
"A few centuries ago. Theo was a good friend."
She frowned until she realised he was talking about the horse in the painting. He had been the one to have taken so much care to paint the beautiful creature. She was confused again, it was easy for her to believe, to see him as a monster, yet she couldn't reconcile the man who killed thousands with the man who was looking wistfully at the painting of his old horse.
He tore away from it once he realised she was watching him, the mask of indifference back in place.
"Well, if you're done you should leave." She put the plate down, she had to leave, to get away from him, and whatever emotion it was that she was beginning to feel.
"Yeah. Try not to get another one of my friends bitten again."
"I make no promises love." She shook her head at him, infuriated by his smirk, and picked up her bag and left. It was there again then, the feeling that she was being pulled back, but she ignored it again, walking to the door and not looking back.
