I do not own anything in this story. The CW created the universe, and I just play in it.

This is my first fanfiction. Please rate and review!


"Klaus!" Stefan shoved the apartment door open and stormed in. "Klaus!"

The apartment was empty but in filthy disarray. Shoes, mostly ugly hiking boots, were strewn by the door. The couch was ripped and covered in tears, and the floor dotted with feathers. Empty bottles of beer were littered everywhere, and a half-full bottle of bourbon stood on the counter. All the windows were covered with heavy, dusty drapes, and there was a plain gray cooler underneath the counter. A glittery gold cardigan was slung over the counter stool, glaringly out of place in the filthy apartment.

Something blurred by Stefan, and he suddenly felt himself slammed up against the wall, the point of a stake pressed against his ribcage. Katherine stood over him, her teeth bared, fury dancing behind her eyes.

"I thought," she hissed, her long dark hair falling over his face, "that you were going to kill Klaus. I thought that once he was dead, I would be free of his compulsion, and I would be free to go. I thought, Stefan Salvatore, that you were going to keep your word." She pressed down on the stake, and Stefan gasped as it ripped through his shirt and pierced his chest. "I guess I thought wrong."

"We tried to kill him," Stefan gasped as the stake dug deeper. "We tried, Katherine. It was Elijah. Elijah stopped us."

"I don't care," Katherine snarled. "He's. Still. Alive."

Suddenly, she flew backwards, skimming across the room and slamming into a bookshelf on the opposite wall. Stefan ripped the stake out of his chest and sank to the floor, breathing heavily and gasping in pain. It took him a moment to realize that he was staring at a pair of expensive loafers.

"Hello Stefan," Klaus said, smirking down at him.

Stefan scrambled to his feet. "Klaus."

"Thanks for the housewarming call." Klaus sauntered across the room, where Katherine was picking herself out of a human-shaped hole in the bookcase. "Now, now, love, I thought we agreed that you weren't to talk to anyone."

"Get your hands off me," Katherine snarled, pushing him away and stalking over to the couch. She sat down and tightly crossed her arms and legs. "Go to hell."

"So, Stefan, what brings you by?" Klaus walked over to the cooler and pulled out a blood bag. He yanked the top off with his teeth and took a long draught. "Last I checked I'd killed your girlfriend's aunt and almost killed you, so I didn't think we were on speaking terms."

"I need a cure for a werewolf bite," Stefan snapped, watching as Klaus sucked down on human blood.

"You do, do you?" Klaus tossed the empty blood bag into the trash. "Well, I have some business to attend to first."

The front door opened, and a familiar man walked in. "Hello, Stefan."

"Elijah." Stefan glared at him.

"Now, now, I don't want any unnecessary bloodshed here. I am renting this apartment, you know." Klaus turned to face Stefan. "I've got some brotherly business with Elijah, if you don't mind, Stefan."

"Klaus, you have promised to return our family to me. Don't go back on your word," Elijah warned.

"Yes, yes, our 'family'. I'll be a moment, brother." Klaus disappeared down the hall.

Stefan fixed his eyes on Elijah. "How could you side with Klaus? We could have ended him."

"He is my brother!" Elijah's eyes flashed. "He is my family, Stefan. He is going to bring back our family. Our family. Is there anything you would not do for your family, Stefan?"

Suddenly, Elijah buckled. He fell to his knees, his skin turning gray and cracking. Stefan yelled in surprise as Elijah looked down at the white-oak-ash covered dagger, prodding out of his heart.

"Goodbye, brother," Klaus hissed, catching Elijah as he fell to the ground. He tossed him onto the couch, where Katherine was watching in horror. "Now, Stefan, I believe you came here for business."

Stefan turned away from Elijah's dying body. "I need a cure for werewolf bites."

"And why should I help you, when you were plotting against me and trying to kill me? Why shouldn't I kill you, right here and now?"

"I guess you could," Stefan said carefully. "But you won't, will you. Because you need me, Klaus. I can be exactly what you need. A Ripper."

"No, no." Klaus looked Stefan up and down, sizing him up. "You talk a big game, Stefan. But you are no Ripper. The Ripper of Monterey is long gone. What I see left is a heartsick fool of a vampire, throwing himself at a human girl and drinking a diet of furry creatures. You are no Ripper."

"I could be a Ripper," Stefan insisted. "Give me the cure, and I'll be the henchman you never had."

"You want a cure, you say?" In a flash, Klaus was standing at Katherine's side. Fangs flashing, he dug his teeth deep into her neck.

"No!" Katherine screamed, thrashing against his hands. Klaus yanked his teeth out of her neck, leaving a bloody wound behind. "No, no, no!" She pressed her hand against the blood leeching out of her neck.

Klaus brought his own hand to his mouth, and bit. A river of blood ran from the deep cut in his wrist. He brought his wrist to Katherine's mouth and forced her to drink his blood, as Stefan watched.

The minute Klaus's blood touched Katherine's lips, her wound closed up. In a few seconds, it was like it'd never been there in the first place.

"You want your cure," Klaus breathed, glaring at Stefan. "There it is."

Stefan stared. "Your blood."

"Well, of course." Klaus wiped his mouth on his sleeve and tossed Katherine aside. "But not your cure, I'm afraid. You tried to kill me, you plotted to kill me, yet you expect me to help you." He strode over to the cooler and popped open a new blood bag. "But I'm not completely cruel, am I?"

"You're a monster," Stefan hissed.

"No, no. A monster would kill you, here and now." Klaus sipped blood. "I'm no monster. So I'll give you three seconds to run, before I tear you limb from limb." He turned and fixed his eyes on Stefan. "One."

"Klaus, without the cure, Damon will die."

"Two."

"Klaus!"

Klaus closed his eyes.

"Three."

There was a whoosh of air. When Klaus opened his eyes, the only other people in the room were Katherine, and the cold dead body of his brother.


This chapter was really hard to write from Stefan's point of view, and I hope I did a decent job! xox