"Hey Klaus," Jeremy pushes past the dumbstruck vampires and into the house.
"What he said," Damon pipes up. "What are you doing here, and who did you torture into inviting you in?" Still too shocked to move, they remain on the porch.
"Damon, Damon! Elena invited me in herself!" Amusement glitters in his eyes as he watches the brother's growing discomfort.
"Elena!" Stefan calls, rushing into the house, followed by his dark haired brother.
"tsk, tsk, She's not here boys, be gentle." Klaus purrs.
"Where is she?" Damon snarls, stepping into the dangerous personal space of his sworn enemy. "Where is Elena?"
Angrily, Klaus steps away from them and into the living room, taking a seat on the couch next to Jeremy. As the brothers watch in horror, he lifts the remote, and flips on the television. Unexpected move, well played. But something fishy is definitely going on.
When Elena enters the room, both men's eyes light up when they see her in one piece. Smiling even. She doesn't notice them though. Instead, she's taken her own seat on the couch, between her brother and arch nemesis. But why? Smiling up at Klaus, she sees him put his arm on the back of the couch behind her, and she accepts in happily.
"Ok, what is going on here?" Elena starts at the sound of Damon's voice.
"Damon!" She squeals. "And Stefan." Hand over her heart, she stands up. "When did you get back?"
"Just now, to see this."
"Elena, what's going on?" Stefan asks. "Where's your necklace?" He's compelled them, he must have.
"I'm still wearing it..." Elena mumbles, lifting it off her shirt.
"I don't understand... How?"
"It goes like this Stef," Klaus leans back, arm a little too casual behind Elena. "the Salvetore brother's took off, and someone had to step in to take care of the Gilberts." He smiles triumphantly, egotistically.
"What did you do to her?" Damon crosses the room, hands coming to rest upon Klaus' collar.
A little startled, Klaus' eyes widen. It takes him less than a second to recompose himself. "Come on now Damon, you can't say you didn't see this coming." He tilts his head to the side, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Why don't we go in the kitchen." Elena jumps up, eager to pull the breaks on the forming violence.
"Yeah, Elena, let's do that." Stefan follows her into the other room, followed by his rigid brother.
"Elena, tell me. What is going on?" He demands fiercely.
"Ok, ok, it goes like this..."
"I don't think it'll set to well with the Salvatores if you're hanging out here all the time." Jeremy is flipping through channels on the television, not really seeing what's on, but still pushing the button over and over.
"So what, are you banning me from your house?" Klaus chuckles.
"No." A snarky grin lights up the boys face as he thinks of how much less the vampire brothers would be hanging around the house if Klaus stayed around.
"You never did like them did you?"
Only nodding his reply, they returned to a silence of watching the channels flip.
Things would be different this time around. They'd set their priorities. Elena would either chose a Salvatore, or they'd both have to get out of their lives; and Klaus was around to ensure it. Jenna, Alaric, Jeremy, and all of Elena's friends put together, hadn't been able to force this act upon her; but it seemed that maybe Klaus' authority would change her.
(A/N: I know this chapter is short, but it's gonna be a one short chapter one long chapter kind of pattern. ... It works in my head.)