Chapter 15: Name Your Price

Klaus drummed his fingertips on the walnut surface, from his position at the head of the grand table. He regarded his brother with speculation; narrowed gaze, lips quirked in a sly smirk. "That's quite the favor, brother."

Elijah kept himself composed, linking his hands elegantly on the table in front of him from his spot on the other end. "I beg to differ, Niklaus. What good is she to you laying daggered in a box? Don't you think she's paid the price of defying you long enough?"

Klaus shrugged a shoulder. "She's a reminder that even those I love most will turn on me. If you ask me, I'm doing her a favor. She has tragic taste in men; I'm only saving our darling sister from future disappointments." he chuckled to himself.

"Brother…I am asking you to release her to me. Rebekah is our family…she deserves to have her life back. I know she has wronged you in the past, but give her a chance to make amends." He saw Klaus falter for a moment, and he went in for the kill. "Don't you remember our promise to each other? Always and forever."

Niklaus was silent, his penetrating stare reading through Elijah for any sign of deceitfulness. "And what do I get out of it?" He voiced in a low timber.

Elijah crossed a knee over his leg, leaning back in his chair with his hands in an open gesture. "Name your price."

"How is she, Elijah?" He asked suddenly, mischievous gleam in his eyes. "The Petrova girl you've been consorting with. I wonder…how has she evaded me these last two years."

Elijah gave no sign of waver. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Klaus stood, walking along to length of the grand table towards his brother. "Oh, sure you do. She beguiled you just like all the others, and how can I blame you…her resemblance to our beloved Tatya is uncanny." he teased ruthlessly, feeling himself get under Elijah's skin when the other original let out a small sigh. "She is my price, Elijah." Klaus continued in a hard and serious grumble. "I want to be the one to rip her heart out of her chest. Bring her to me, and you can have Rebekah."

Elijah narrowed his gaze. "I don't know where she is."

"Well, I don't believe that, but even if you didn't, I'm sure you'd be able to find her. She's in love with you after all." His smirk turned into a grin, and soon a chuckle, which he covered with a fist over his mouth. He took a second to collect himself before his steely blue eyes pinned on his older brother. "These are my terms. Accept them…or don't. The choice is yours."

Without another word, Elijah gracefully rose from his seat, and strolled out of the compound, a hand tucked in his pant pocket.

…

Elena was wide awake, but kept her eyes closed. She knew the second she opened them, she'd be faced with the reality of what was to come. Marcel allowed them to settle in the motel for the night, and they would continue their journey the next day. For the first time in days, she got to sleep in a bed and while sleep evaded her most of the night, at least she was comfortable. Now, she could feel the sun peeking through the blinds and hitting her face, threatening to pull her away from the comfort of this small reprieve.

Marcel yanked the blinds open, and she buried her face in the pillow with a groan. "Time to go." he grumbled moodily. Last night he'd been in a decent mood; but it seemed that had vanished when the sun rose. "Get up, we have a ways to go." he tossed her shoes as he moved around the room, collecting his things. Elena reluctantly sat up, flipping the blankets off her body. She was still dressed in the clothes from the day before, and wished Marcel had considered a pair of leggings instead of jeans when packing for her.

Before she knew it, they were back on the road, and she found herself grimacing as she watched him guzzle down a blood bag while driving. She turned her head when he tossed the empty bag in the backseat. "Gross." she mumbled.

"Would you prefer I stop for something warmer?" he snapped.

She glanced at him sharply. "No." She regarded him carefully. "So, I guess you made your decision." He raised a brow in question. "You're going to hand me over to Klaus. If you were going to kill me to spite him, you would have done it by now." Elena stated evenly. She knew she was right when the vampire remained silent beside her. She had time the last few days to come to turns with that. Maybe this was always her fate…maybe Katherine was right; she was safer at Riverside Hospital. Elena could no longer delude herself into thinking that Damon or Katherine would swoop in and save her; Marcel was almost 200 years old and standing toe to toe with him would be a death sentence.

Watching as the trees passed by them in a blur, she let the tears fall, saying a silent goodbye to both of them.

…

The mood in the hotel room was somber. Elijah had just shared the news about Klaus' terms to get Rebekah back and the silence that followed was deafening.

Katherine took a deep breath before standing from the chair. "I'll do it."

"What?" Damon's head shot up.

"Katerina, no. Klaus will kill you." Elijah pleaded almost desperately.

Tears collected in her eyes. "I started this, Elijah. I have to be the one to finish it. I owe this to my sister. Elena took the blame for everything our whole lives; she's sacrificed for me time and time again…I owe it to her to let her have the chance to live her life." Her gaze slid to Damon who was staring at her in wide eyed disbelief. "She loves you, Damon, and I know you love her too…she deserves to be happy."

Elijah weaved a hand around her head, tunneling through the hair at the nape of her neck and forcing her to look back at him. "I will not let you do this." He whispered passionately; his voice strained with emotion. "I promised you-"

She cut him off, holding the hand to her face. "I know what you promised me." She turned back to Damon, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Can you give us a minute?"

He nodded, relieved. He was starting to feel uncomfortable with the intimate moment being shared between them. "I'll be at the bar downstairs." He desperately needed a drink. Damon wasn't sure how to feel about Katherine's decision; of course, it meant getting Elena back, but he'd loved Kat too, and he'd already lost her once.

When Katherine heard the door click behind him, she turned back to Elijah with a watery smile grasping his hands in hers tightly. "I want to thank you, for the best two years of my life. When I turned, I never expected that meeting you would change everything."

Elijah's jaw clenched as he reigned in his emotions. "We will find another way."

She continued, ignoring his interjection. "I spent my whole life searching for the one thing that made me happy, and it led me right to you." Her hands trailed up his chest, and linked around his neck. "I know we have this unwritten agreement…but I don't want to go another day without you knowing how much I love you, Elijah." she cried, the tears streaking her cheeks, and when his fell freely she wiped them away with the pad of her thumb.

He leaned his forehead on hers. "And I love you. Which is why I refuse to let you give yourself over to my brother." he claimed firmly, leaving no room for argument.

She sighed with a miserable smile as she pulled back, looking deeply into his eyes. "I know…and I'm sorry." Elijah barely had time to shoot her a questioning stare before she snapped his neck, slowly lowering him to the floor. She padded him down, searching for the item he'd once told her he stole from his brother; an item he said never left his person, and turned it over in her hand. "Goodbye, Elijah." She sped out of the hotel room, and headed to New Orleans.

…

Damon stared down into his third drink. He should stop…he was useless as it was, but he had to stay sharp. He pushed it away and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair before heading back up to the room. He rushed in when he noticed the door ajar, and Elijah laying in a pile on the floor. He dropped to his side, trying to wake him up while glancing around for any sign of Katherine. "Wake up!" He shook him hard, sighing in relieve when his eyes flickered open. "Thank God. We gotta go." He pulled Elijah to his feet.

"Where is she?" the original grunted, rubbing his neck.

"My best guess is she's headed to make good on Klaus' terms. Looks like she snapped your neck and hightailed it out of here." Damon packed his bag roughly. Elijah chuckled in sarcastic amusement; only Katherine could punctuate her love for him by snapping his neck. She was determined, and stubborn and he loved that about her. Damon sighed in frustration as he frantically searched for the car keys. "Hope you have a ride." He pinned him with a deadpanned stare. "She took the rental."

…

Katherine almost turned back at least three times before she finally found herself in New Orleans. She was petrified, and she knew of only one way to step foot in the mansion without crumbling. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, letting the last tear fall. When they snapped back open, they were cold and black. With a little smirk, Katherine's heeled boots echoed loudly as she threw the front doors open. "The cute one is here!" She announced proudly, sauntering in with her curls bouncing around her.

It only took seconds for Klaus to appear at the railing with a self-satisfied smirk. "Well, that didn't take long, did it. I guess Elijah cares less for you than I thought." His eyes scanned the floor. "Where is my wayward brother?"

She shrugged carelessly, wandering the floor casually. "Probably nursing the world's worse headache…considering I snapped his neck." Klaus' gaze narrowed on her. "He's fine…obviously."

Klaus slowly walked down the stairs regarding her with apprehension. "So, you're here alone. Awfully noble of you."

Katherine scoffed. "Please…I don't do noble. Elijah told me all about your little deal, and I'm here to renegotiate."

The original laughed. "There's hardly more I could want than your heart on a silver platter."

Now it was Katherine's turn to laugh. "I doubt that." Her eyes followed him as he came to stand in front of her. "What if I told you I have the key to breaking your curse?" Her brows raised, sensing his intrigue.

His jaw clenched. "I'd say you're lying." he grumbled lowly.

"Am I?" She canted her head. "It wasn't hard to find really. Little tip; hiding it in your sock drawer…" she giggled teasingly. "Not the best place. Unless you're a twelve-year-old girl." Klaus grabbed her by the throat roughly and the vein in her forehead popped. "Ooh…did I touch a nerve?" she cooed, unaffected.

"Where is it?" He growled in her face. "Give it to me!"

Her lips curled in a smirk. "You think I'd bring it with me? How stupid do you think I am?" He released her with a push, causing her to stumble back. "It's somewhere you will never find it; and unlike you, I'm good at hiding spots. I need reassurance that you will hold your end of the bargain. We want Rebekah, and I don't particularly feel like dying so…in exchange, I will give you back the moonstone."

He narrowed his eyes on her. "What could you possibly want with my sister? What is Elijah planning?" he questioned, instantly suspicious.

Katherine gave him an exasperated look. "He isn't planning anything. He just wants his sister back; so much so that he was prepared to hand me over to you at all costs. But my self-preservation skills are pretty extraordinary, so! Here we are. Do we have a deal?"

Klaus' glare bore right through her for a long ten seconds before he sped up to her. "No." His hand penetrated her chest, and her mouth fell open in an agonizing scream, but before he could register, Klaus found himself pinned against the brick wall.

Katherine slid down the opposite wall, clutching her chest and gasping for air. Her eyes fluttered with relieve when she spotted Elijah.

The elder original growled hatefully at his brother, his eyes red with rage and his fangs bared as he clutched Klaus by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Enough! You will release Rebekah to me, brother, or so help me God, I will make the next century of your life full of misery." For the first time in possibly decades, Elijah saw fear flash in Niklaus' eyes. "Katerina is off limits; do you hear me? If so much as a hair on her head is harmed, you will regret it." he seethed, each word pronounced with calculated malice.

"Give me the moonstone, and you have my word." Klaus uttered reluctantly.

Elijah released him, letting his eyes melt back to their hazel brown. "Done. Now tell me where Rebekah is."

…

One day later:

Elena stared out the floor to ceiling windows across the water. On the other side was Klaus' compound, and by the end of the day, she'd be in his custody until the full moon…and then she'd be dead. Part of her hoped this day would last forever, the other part couldn't wait for it to be over. Her head snapped around when she heard the knock at the door, and her gaze immediately sought out Marcel, who stalked into the living area from the bedroom with a deep frown. "I thought you said he didn't know I was here?" Panic flared inside her. No, it wasn't enough time.

"He doesn't." he mumbled, taking a deep breath before opening the door. He froze in shock at the person on the other side.

The blonde smiled sweetly. "Hello Marcel."

AN: Hey everyone! Things are going to start getting intense from here on out. We'll get a Damon/Elena interaction in the next chapter as well. I'm curious to know what you guys think is going to happen. Will Klaus find out about Elena? Will Marcel still hand her over? Now that Katherine has turned it off will this change how she feels about her sister? So many questions! Well thanks for sticking with me, I'm going to try and wrap this up in about 5 more chapters, I think. Please review!