Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes used/borrowed. Sorry this took so long to post! I've been acclimating to school again and my new workload (which is considerably less this semester, but now I have to study for SATs and ACTs).
i found a martyr in my bed tonight
"If I had a heart I could love you
If I had a voice I would sing
After the night when I wake up
I'll see what tomorrow brings."
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Stephanie received two surprises when she woke up the following morning: one, Klaus had left her another drawing, and two, Carol Lockwood was dead.
She found the first on her desk, taped to the leather face of her journal. It was just a pencil sketch, but the shading was perfection and it looked like an exact replica of its likeness, which was of a horse and carriage from the time of Steph's childhood. Stepping out of the carriage was Klaus' guess of what she looked like when she was a young girl, which Stephanie admitted was pretty accurate. She found the second thing out when Caroline called in tears and said that Tyler's mom was dead and he was leaving with Hayley and they'd broken up just before he'd gone. Also, there was a memorial at the high school that morning. Stephanie was upset, but couldn't find it in herself to be surprised at Carol's death; though everyone surely thought the 'accident' was just alcohol poisoning, Stephanie had a pretty good idea of who or what had killed the mayor. She called Damon, Elena and Jeremy at the Gilbert lake house and told them the news.
"Carol Lockwood always said that togetherness in times of tragedy leads to healing. That one community is stronger when it is together . . . but how can a community stay strong when its mayor is gone? And Carol was so much more than a mayor." Liz Forbes was standing stiffly in her sheriff's uniform as she addressed the people gathered in the high school gymnasium for the mayor's memorial. She was choked up and her eyes looked suspiciously red rimmed. Caroline sat in between Bonnie and Stephanie, holding their hands for comfort, and Kol had joined them for the event to keep an eye on the increasingly unstable witch. Matt and Anna sat just in front of Caroline and Bonnie, while April was on the other side of Anna, biting her nails anxiously.
"Where's Elena?" Caroline whispered as Bonnie forwent the offered flame, and lit her candle with magic. Caroline and Stephanie shared flames, and then Steph lit the person on her left's candle.
"At the lake house; she and Damon didn't think it would be a good idea to leave Jere there or bring him home yet," Stephanie replied softly.
"She's probably so upset she's not here." Caroline dabbed at her eye with a Kleenex and sniffled. "And everyone is probably wondering where Tyler went. Oh, my mascara's running." The breakup was hard on her, especially considering the fact that Tyler had chosen to run off with Hayley Marshall, of all people.
Down at the podium, Liz was continuing steadfastly on. "She was an opened minded friend and a concerned mother taken from us too soon by a terrible accident. So please join me in a moment of silence in her memory." Everyone bowed their heads and the gym was eerily silent for several beats. "Thank you very much." Liz cleared her throat and wiped a little at her puffy eyes. "In this tragedy, our town has elected an interim mayor that many of you will recognize. Rudy Hopkins." She nodded toward the crowd and the people cheered, while Bonnie's father stood to receive the applause. He joined Liz at the podium, which Liz gave to him with a slight inclination of her head. Bonnie seemed to wake up at the sight of her father and she blew out a billowing rush of air.
Kol noticed and she her mildly concerned glance that he tried to cover up with a bit of humor. "Not on good terms with Dad? He can't be as bad as mine was."
"Have you noticed him around?" Bonnie's whole body was rigid and she glared at her father. Stephanie was surprised the man wasn't lighting up in spontaneous flames. "He's a traveling pharmaceuticals rep and he's never home. It's the reason that I stayed with my Grams so often and why you're allowed at my house. He probably still thinks I'm daddy's little girl and am going to do everything he says at the drop of a hat."
"Which I gather isn't going to happen?" Kol sounded amused.
"In his dreams, maybe," Bonnie said shortly and glared at her father as he began to address the student body. Kol said nothing more, but he felt the bleachers' minute trembling increase as Bonnie's brows furrowed deeply into her forehead.
"Thank you Sheriff Forbes. Carol Lockwood put this town first, and that's why I'm here. You folks are the future of Mystic Falls and I intend to ensure your protection. For the time being, I am implementing a curfew of 8:30 PM and am canceling this evening's decade dance. While I realize that the late mayor's death was ruled as an accident, there are several minds thinking the same thing; that it was far too coincidental, combined with the other multiple deaths the town has suffered. Keep in mind that we only have your best interests at heart. Thank you." Rudy left the podium and the principle came forward to excuse the students.
The group of friends stood and headed off school grounds. Matt slung an arm around Anna's shoulders and she placed her hand on his hip. "We've got to get to work," She said apologetically to their little group of friends.
"We'll call you later." Matt nodded at Bonnie. "Good luck with your dad." His voice was a little wistful, reminding Steph that as far as she knew, Matt had never known his own father. The couple turned and walked to blonde's truck together, whispering quietly into each other's ears.
"I can try and help," Kol said suddenly and his attention was riveted onto the witch as his side. His eyes were scarily intense.
"With what?" Bonnie adjusted the strap on her purse and fiddled with her phone. Steph and Caroline pulled a little away from them to give the two a little space.
"The Expression;" Kol replied, "considering everything. I can call Elijah and Finn and see if one of them has our mother's grimoire. There might be something in it that can help you with your control."
There was a spark of interest in the witch's eyes that warred with a small fire of her ever lit defiance. "I don't need help controlling it."
Kol barked dry laughter, a quick and harsh sound. "Was that a joke? Because it was made in very poor taste. Besides, there are tons of spells you've probably never heard of that you can learn from Mum's books. It'll be a learning experience – a fun one."
Bonnie bit her lip but quickly nodded. She couldn't hide that she was at least a little excited to learn more magic and possibly learn to control what she had. There was a dark part of her though, a part that remembered Shane's death and had almost enjoyed it, which warred with her anguish at taking a human life, even if it was to save more lives. She avoided thinking on it too much and tried to focus on a certain level of detachment.
Kol smirked and his good humor returned with his relief. "Good." He pulled out the cellphone Bonnie had recently taught him to use and texted Elijah – if possible, he'd rather avoid talking to Finn, the boring bastard. Beside them, Stephanie and Caroline paused in their own conversation.
"Did you see that?"
Kol glanced up as Bonnie asked, "See what?"
"Rebekah," Caroline replied uneasily. "I thought she was over there." She pointed towards the trees, but no one could be seen in the shrubbery. Of course, that meant nothing in the world of the supernatural where almost everyone had enhanced speed and a special talent for going unnoticed on their side.
"She's probably home for a little family reunion. Wonderful." Kol rolled his eyes, uninterested, and returned to his phone. "How do you play Angry Birds?" He asked Bonnie suddenly.
She huffed, bemused and sufficiently distracted. "I'm going to the Grill for a while," She told her friends. "Tell me if anything happens with Rebekah, okay? I'll take care of her if I need to."
"Let's not get violent," Kol muttered, and continued to bother Bonnie on their way to the Grill, eager to learn how to play the little games on his phone. She eventually showed him the admittedly easy rules and controls and then he was set. They walked into the restaurant and bar together, and were quickly flagged down by Rudy. Bonnie accidentally brushed passed an older woman on her way to the table and felt and brief tingling sensation. She glanced up, but the woman was already at the bar and did not turn back.
"Bonnie?" Kol asked, distracted.
"It's nothing," She muttered, gaze still locked on the woman and her companion. Bonnie looked away and gave her father a short wave.
"Bonnie," Rudy said with a wide grin. "Sit down and talk with your dad."
Bonnie gave him a slight smile and sat, Kol following diligently and still occupied by his game. "Hi Mayor."
"I noticed a few of your friends were missing from the assembly," Rudy cut to the chase pretty quickly, making Bonnie roll her eyes. "So much for the mandatory part, eh?" His tone suggested that he was planning on a much more stern enforcement policy than Carol had had.
Bonnie sighed and the smile dropped. "Dad, stop. You can't come in here and start making rules like you've been here the whole time."
"I think this town needs some rules," Rudy warned lightly, confirming Bonnie's assumptions. His gaze was intense as he looked her over as to if classify each and every change in her since he'd been home last.
"Dad, you're forgetting that I can help protect the town." Bonnie crossed her arms over the table and Kol looked up for the first time, intrigued to see how Rudy would react.
"I am well aware of your . . . gifts," Rudy said and his nose crinkled a little distastefully. Bonnie's lips straightened into a thin, hard line.
"I'm Kol," The Original introduced spontaneously and he smiled brilliantly – and falsely – at the witch's dad. "I'm a witch too. So Bonnie has a little help with her self-proclaimed – and earned – right to protect the town."
"Be that as it may, I'm your father," Rudy told Bonnie. "That means I get to protect you." He leveled a wary glance at Kol. "And I already know who you are. Sheriff Forbes said nothing about being a witch though; she told me that you're one of the Original vampires. Care to explain that?"
He could have cursed for his screw up. Instead: "I'm a compulsive liar," Kol blurted, "Can't help myself." He shrugged.
Rudy nodded slowly. "Good to know."
"Come on, Kol, let's get out of here," Bonnie grumbled and stood. She put a hand onto the vampire's shoulder and dragged him after her, ignoring the trembling glasses on the tables and the bar. As she stalked away from the Grill, Kol following after, she ranted. "I don't get him. He hates magic and he really hates me using it. Now he says it's a gift? That's why he really travels all the night, you know. He can't handle that his daughter practices 'the occult.' It's too weird for him."
"There was a certain amount of disgust when he mentioned it," Kol volunteered less than helpfully. "He didn't sound genuine at all."
Bonnie ignored him. "And now he wants to be a protective father? No, not like this."
"Don't ask me about what fathers are supposed to be like," Kol said lightly. "I was never as good as Finn or Elijah, I wasn't as much as a trouble maker as Klaus, I wasn't his little angel like Bekah, and I wasn't the baby like Henrik. So really, I don't think my father saw much use for me."
"Guess Mystic Falls is the place for people with daddy issues," Bonnie said wryly, but she'd calmed down a bit since her father was out of view. She looked at Kol. "Did Elijah text you back?"
"He's bringing the grimoire personally," Kol told her. He'd received a text during the tennis match between father and daughter. "He wants to make sure it doesn't get stolen, the bloody control freak."
"At least he said we could use it," Bonnie told him and something in her grew lighter at the thought of looking at a brand new grimoire with untold secrets of the past. Her whole body seemed to tingle in expectation and excitement. They accidentally brushed Stephanie, who nodded at them and continued on her way to the Grill.
Steph was stopping by to get a drink, not quite ready to go to an empty house. Caroline had gone home, eager to be alone and wallow about her ex-relationship, and Damon, Elena, and Jeremy were unlikely to return for days. Steph seated herself at the bar and waved at Anna, who'd somehow managed to get to the bar and grill and into uniform in such a relatively short time.
"Hey," The other girl greeted with a sigh. "The usual?"
"Am I here that often?" Stephanie wondered wryly and Anna shrugged, so Steph thought that was probably Anna's kind version of a 'yes.' "Yeah," She agreed and Anna disappeared behind the counter for a moment. Steph heard approaching footsteps and ignored them, but when it became clear they were heading for her, she turned.
"Is this seat taken?" It was two young women, pale and dark haired, and definitely not anyone that she knew from Mystic Falls or otherwise. There was something off about them, but it wasn't physically noticeable. Steph tapped her fingers on the bar, letting her ring click on the hard surface, which attracted the younger's attention.
"Nah," She said finally. Better to find out what these newcomers wanted sooner rather than later. "It's open."
The women smiled gratefully and sat on either side of Steph, boxing her in and raising her hackles. "You look a little young to be drinking," The elder of the two women said with a hint of motherly concern. "How old are you, sweetie?"
"Old enough," Stephanie assured them and Anna returned with her tumbler. "Thanks, Anna."
The former vampire glanced at the women with a critical eye. "No problem. If you need anything else, I'll be in the back. Matt's coming out for his shift," Which meant that she was suspicious of their newcomers as well, and so Steph nodded; she'd tell one of them if the patrons in the Grill were in danger.
"So, did you just move to Mystic Falls?" Stephanie inquired. She took a sip of her drink and eyed the ladies. The elder looked to be in her early thirties, while the other looked to be no more than 21 or 22 years old. There was an air of something that clung to them, indicating that despite their young age, they'd been through a lot of pain. Their eyes were older than their faces.
"No," The elder spoke again with a light smile. "We're just visiting. I'm Jane and this is my sister, Sophie."
"Family live here?" Random visitors in Mystic Falls were rare, and ones that looked as ragged and determined as these two were usually up to no good.
"Just some old friends that we're hoping to catch up with." Sophie folded her hands onto the bar and leveled Stephanie with her deeply disconcerting gaze. "Do you know Klaus Mikaelson?"
"Not personally, no," Stephanie lied easily. She made a vague hand motion out the Grill doors. "He lives in one of the mansions at the edge of town and is a bit of a recluse, if you know what I mean. Great artist, though. His pieces have been showcased during many of our charity events throughout the year. Just recently he had a piece on post-modernism at the Winter Wonderland themed event." She added, "It was very pretty."
Jane and Sophie exchanged glances. "Hm, I don't think he was an artist when he last saw him," Jane said thoughtfully.
Stephanie nodded slowly and threw back her drink and left a twenty on the table for Anna or Matt to pick up. "I've got to go, actually. My friend is having some problems with a break up."
"Bye," Jane said cheerily and she waved. "Hope your friend is okay." Stephanie left them at the bar, but she turned her hearing to focus on their conversation. Maybe they'd reveal something when they thought she was out of hearing range.
"Was that her?" Sophie whispered.
"Yes, the Ripper," Jane swiftly replied. Stephanie felt her brows furrow; maybe she'd hurt someone from their family during one of her Ripper binges and they'd come calling for revenge. But they'd asked after Klaus as well . . . why not just ask for her? They picked up their things from the bar and Steph realized they were preparing to follow her out. She ducked into the alley next to the Grill, blocked out her unpleasant memories of the place, and waited. Jane and Sophie found her moments later, looking unsurprised.
"You're smart, Miss Salvatore," Jane said. "How'd you know we were looking for you?"
Steph just tapped her ear. "Why ask about Klaus?"
"We wanted to make sure he was still in town," Jane admitted. "We need you both for something important to us and to our family."
Stephanie arched her brow. "Oh?"
"Yes. Now, this won't hurt a bit," Sophie promised and she pulled out a bag of what looked like dust, and poured it into her hand. Stephanie unlocked her muscles, but before she could blur away, Sophie had blown the dust straight into the vampire's face. Steph blinked rapidly in surprise. Her legs turned to jello and she staggered into the brick alley wall.
"What did you do me?" She slurred. She felt very . . . off balance.
"Just a little thing until we've gotten what we wanted." Jane and Sophie were walking towards her, but they seemed to be coming from different angles. Maybe that was the magic working; everything was looking fuzzy and their voices sounded like they were coming from a tunnel. "Don't worry. You won't remember this at all." Then her vision went black.
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"Right, so, how's that urge to kill me going?"
Jeremy breathed through his nose and glanced up at Damon through his long brown eyelashes. "I want to rip out your heart and toss it into the lake and then burn your body and spread the ashes."
"Sounds like improvement to me!" Damon smirked.
"Damon, you're not helping," Elena sighed and she rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly.
"But it's really an improvement," Damon argued and threw a hand at Jeremy, who stood next to the wood picnic table. "Before, he wanted to mutilate my body first. Now he just wants to kill me without the torture. That," he pointed out, "is something I'll call progress." The vampires and the Hunter heard the crunch of tire on gravel, and turned their heads to see the pizza delivery girl arriving. Again.
"Really?" Damon demanded as the girl stepped out of the truck with a pizza in hand. "Really, Jeremy?"
"Gotta eat," Jeremy said unapologetically as he stepped forward to pay for the pizza. "And there's nothing else here."
"Here's your double pepperoni pizza . . . for the third day in a row," The girl said cheerily and she exchanged the pizza for her money.
"Keep the tip," Jeremy urged. He opened the box and was already eating a slice as the girl returned to her car.
"Don't come back for a few days!" Damon hollered. Elena walked over to her brother guiltily and placed a hand onto his shoulder. He stiffened and his eyes met hers. A few tense seconds passed and he relaxed minimally.
"I'm sorry, Jere." She squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "I'll go into town and get some stuff from the store so you won't have to eat pizza anymore. I'm so sorry we didn't think of it earlier. I guess it's a vampire thing."
Jeremy smiled. "No biggie."
Elena returned the cheer with a sunny grin. "Alright. I'll be back soon." She gave Damon a significant look and pointed at him sternly. "Don't go too hard on him while I'm gone, and don't do anything I wouldn't do. Be nice." She addressed both boys, "And behave." She patted Jeremy's shoulder and kissed Damon in the corner of his mouth. Elena reached into his back pocket, making a smirk curl Damon's lips, but she was only retrieving his car keys, which she dangled in front of his face.
"Be careful with my baby," He warned.
"I'll try," Elena sang and danced away from his wandering hands. "I'll be back soon."
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Stephanie blinked. She was standing in front of the Grill and she remembered being at the bar just a moment ago, but she felt like she was missing time . . . she felt otherwise unharmed, though a little queasy, which was an odd sensation for a vampire to have at all. She ran her hands over her person, checking for injury but found nothing out of the ordinary. She still had her phone and her wallet, but closer observation revealed that her jacket was gone.
"Who the hell would steal my jacket and not my phone?" She muttered. A better question was how someone could have stolen from Stephanie – a vampire – at all. Steph ran a hand through her hair and looked back at the front door and remembered the strange women and their odd questions about her and Klaus. She thought she'd pay him a visit and ask him a few question – relating to the women and the pressing urge to discuss his clear motives for stopping his search for the Cure.
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"So, I've done some digging," Rebekah drawled, "and it seems that the hunt for the Cure has ceased. Care to tell me why?" She'd run around Mystic Falls and did some snooping with Faye's help, and they'd found out quite a bit of information from a few interesting sources. The only thing they couldn't find out, it seemed was why the Mystic Fall's Scooby gang had quit their search for the vampire cure. "Tell me the truth or Faye will fry your brains out." As if to prove that she would, Faye grinned and wiggled her fingers and in the spaces between them, energy crackled.
The hair on Caroline's arms stood up, and she crossed her them. "This is the third time I've been taken hostage in as many days and it's getting really old, Rebekah." They'd found Caroline alone at home and they'd snatched her up and taken her to a private part of town where no one was likely to look: the Lockwood's cellar. It was all over town that the mayor had passed and her son was nowhere to be seen.
"Tell us what we want to know, and we'll let you go," Rebekah informed her airily. She examined her nails. "Or else it's going to be a very long afternoon. So talk."
Caroline sighed loudly and banged her head against the stone walls. Her huff of exasperation echoed. "Fine, okay? We stopped looking for the Cure because there no one wants to take it anymore. And, well, we were kind of persuaded."
"By who?"
"Kol said that to get the Cure, you have to wake up Silas, and then he'll bring down the veil. It's actually really complicated and I don't know all the details," Caroline admitted. "I'm not a great person to ask. Stephanie knows more. Or your brothers. Your brothers would definitely know."
"Silas is like the boogie man!" Rebekah was incredulous. "He's not real! You gave up your search for that?" She put her manicured hands onto her hips and hovered threateningly over the baby vampire.
"Kol and then apparently Shane were pretty convincing," Caroline argued. "We didn't want to risk and no one wanted the Cure bad enough for that. Except Klaus."
"Why isn't Klaus searching for it then?" Rebekah demanded sharply. "And Shane's the professor, right?"
"Shane's the professor," Caroline confirmed, and then added, "And Klaus stopped looking for it because he changed his mind for some reason." She threw her hands up into the air. "I don't know everything. Ask him!"
Rebekah spun on her heel, disgusted. "You're useless. Come on, Faye. Leave her here."
"Sure thing," Faye drawled in her smoky voice. She winked at Caroline and walked after the blonde Original, swaying her hips. Caroline flashed away quickly, no doubt about to warn her friends of their little meeting. "So what do you want to do now?"
"The little Gilbert is the Hunter, so we'll need him," Rebekah began to list, "we have our witch." Here, she gave Faye an appreciative look and the witch smirked. "We'll need to swipe the sword from Klaus when he's busy, and then we'll need that blasted headstone, wherever the hell that is."
"Might be with the Hunter," Faye suggested. "We heard quite a bit about that Shane guy though. That kid said he had it during their school occult presentation."
"We'll check with the Hunter, who's at the Gilbert's lake house." Rebekah nodded to herself and she grinned. "Thanks, love."
"Looks like this'll be easier than you thought," Faye teased. "No need to worry at all."
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"Brother."
Kol glanced up and stepped off the Bennett porch. "Elijah! Glad you could make it." He spied the thick book in the other's hands and anticipation rose in his belly. "Thanks for bringing that with you."
Elijah looked over Kol suspiciously. "I'm still not sure what I'm doing is . . . wise."
"You're helping out a witch," Kol badgered. "That's good and noble and everything you stand for, yes? Come on, just hand it over." He made a gimme gesture with his hand and took another step forward eagerly.
Elijah pursed his lips, but extended the grimoire he'd brought. "Be careful and please return it when you're finished."
"Of course." Kol rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'm going to lose it." He took the book from Elijah's hands with more respect and reverence he awarded to anything in life and pulled it close. "Thank you," He repeated more genuinely.
Elijah quirked his lips and inclined his head. "You're welcome. Have you heard from Finn recently?"
"Nope," Kol popped the 'p.' "Been gone for a while with no word. I think Rebekah's in town though, and you know Klaus is here." Elijah nodded thoughtfully.
"I might them a visit. Goodbye, brother." He looked at Kol and said frankly, "And do try to stay out of trouble." He disappeared into thin air, and Kol smirked to the spot where he'd stood just a moment before.
"No promises." Then he headed back to Bonnie, whistling jauntily.
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Stephanie found Klaus in the mansion that he occasionally shared with Kol when the other Original was home and not bothering Bonnie or at school. He was in his art room, which Stephanie knew from their past and present experiences was the place he went at any hour of the day. He was focused on a blank canvas, the paint arranged and at his fingertips, the paint brush held in his hand, but he was just . . . staring, which Stephanie supposed could be symbolic for something. He'd gotten rid of the suit he'd worn for the Winter Wonderland charity event, and was in casual trousers and a forest green sweater. Absently, she thought his curly hair could use a trim. She shook her head to get rid of the errant thought.
"I don't get you." She finally announced her presence, but she knew that he'd have sensed her a while ago, just waiting for her to say something. She stepped farther into the room and slowly walked to Klaus' side and looked at the blank canvas. "You say you love me, but you compel me. You despise the people in town, yet you make art to raise money their charity events. You let the Cure go, but you kill Carol Lockwood."
"You figured it out about Carol, did you?" Klaus voice was smooth as silk. He didn't turn his attention away from the canvas.
"Your reflection tactics could use some work," She said smoothly.
Klaus shrugged. "Your point?"
"You're so full of contradictions," Stephanie mused. "You're passionate about everything you do. And there's a reason for everything too, and even if they seem to be contradictory, they're not in your own mind because you've thought about it and rationalized it in some convoluted, Klaus-way."
"I repeat," Klaus asked wryly, "your point is?" Despite his nonchalant tone, his hands – slender, pale fingers – tightened around the paint brush.
"I'm admitting that I'm confused."
"About?"
"You, you dick." Stephanie rolled her eyes in exasperation, and then turned serious. "You know, everyone sees me and the Ripper as too separate people. But they're not." Klaus arched one brow, interested and he turned his body to face her. "The Ripper is a part of me; there is no Ripper without Stephanie Salvatore. And, as much as it pains me to admit, there is no Stephanie Salvatore without the Ripper someone inside. So, it goes to point that your different parts – murderer Klaus and compassionate, artist Klaus – are the same too. And I can't seem to reconcile that." She raised an arm hesitantly and trailed her fingers down the side of his face curiously, as if she could force her conceptions of him into something that made sense.
"I've been a little confused too, actually," Klaus told her and Stephanie tilted her head in surprise. Her fingers remained on his defined cheek bones, barely grazing the skin. "I seemed to have thought the Ripper and Stephanie Salvatore are two different people as well. But they're not and I . . . am getting used to that. And I like . . . it.
"I love you," Klaus told her. "And I am willing to wait for you to be able to reconcile my different parts, as long as it takes. Because I've just began to reconcile your different parts. Because I've realized that I love all of you, and not just the Ripper. Because one day you're going to get tired of playing the high school girl . . . you'll realize that playing human isn't the only thing you want out of this existence." He put a gentle hand on her cheek. "And you'll realize that I'm one of the things that you've wanted all along. That I've been here since that first meeting at the party in New York and that I've loved you since I laid eyes on you."
Stephanie surged upwards and kissed him on the mouth, and Klaus returned the affection greedily. His hands fell to her lower back and pulled her closer to his body, and she combed her fingers through his hair. They stumbled out of the art room and up the stairs with half vampire speed, fingers tearing and clawing off clothes. Klaus kicked open his broom door with his heel and they staggered over to his bed.
Stephanie broke the kiss and laid her head on his shoulder and Klaus continued to kiss her neck. "This is – this is just –"
"Temporary," Klaus supplied, "with no feelings on your part required until you figure out what you want."
"Just sex, basically," Stephanie agreed and gasped as Klaus' fangs slipped into her jugular. She felt the burn of his werewolf venom in her veins that tempered with the pleasure of having melted thoughts.
"Until you reconcile the mass murdering me with the one that draws pretty pictures," Klaus gasped out as Stephanie bit into Klaus' shoulder. Her nails scratched down his back as they fell onto his bed.
"Right," Steph nodded and then she dove back into kiss Klaus with her bloody lips.
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"I'm sorry to say, but we'll need to split up," Rebekah said with a small pout. "I'll retrieve the sword from Klaus –"
"And I'll grab the kid and the headstone from the Gilbert lake house," Faye finished. "We'll finish faster and then be on the road. I know of a few good vampire bars that we'll be able to use to further the mark when we've got everything." They were hiding out at the Lockwood cellar again, a map spread between them on its dirt floor.
"We'll meet up just on the outskirts of town, here," Rebekah pointed down at a small location on the map. "Try to be there as soon as possible, because as soon as everyone realizes what we're doing, hell will break loose. We'll be lucky if Caroline doesn't tell the entire town of our arrival." She folded up the map and gave it to Faye.
Faye grinned. "It'll all work out. You'll see."
Rebekah returned the smile a little shyly. "Then we'll have our happy ever after." She kissed Faye's cheek and disappeared, leaving Faye with directions to a lake house and a hijacked, hotwired car. The witch left the cellar and hopped into the vehicle sitting in the Lockwood's driveway, and started it up.
"This'll be fun," She remarked to herself. Faye followed the directions to letter, occasionally looking at the map and more than once did a locator spell on the article of clothing they had from one of the Gilberts. It wasn't a particularly long drive and Faye made very good time.
When she arrived at the lake house, she found no car in the driveway or garage and saw that Damon and the Hunter, Jeremy Gilbert, were in the front yard, doing some kind of exercises. "This is too easy," Faye muttered as she stepped out of the car. The noise of the car had alerted Damon of a visitor and he glanced up. Faye waved.
"The hell are you doing here?" He sounded genuinely befuddled. His face was scrunched up and lips puckered. "Weren't you with your sisterhood of witches or whatever?"
"It's called a coven," Faye drawled. "And I've taken a vacation." She lifted her hand and Damon's face lost its color as he dropped to the ground, unconscious.
"What did you do to him?" Jeremy demanded and he fingered the stake in his hands.
"That's not going to do me in," Faye remarked as he looked at the stake in his hands. "Damon will be just fine; he'll just wake up with a headache. Now, don't move." She murmured an incantation and Jeremy became a stiff as a board. There was fire in his eyes as they tracked Faye's movement into the house. She searched the place top to bottom, and spotted the object of her desires in a duffle bag full of Hunter related research. "Jackpot." Faye picked up the entire duffle and slung it over her back, carrying it with her as she went to retrieve the stray Hunter in the front yard. "Come along," She waved, and Jeremy's body moved without its consent. She put the bag in the passenger seat and shoved Jeremy into the back, slamming the door behind her. "Get comfy!" Faye called. "It's going to be a long ride for you."
She could feel the daggers he was glaring into the back of her head.
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Rebekah slipped out of her brother's large mansion, sword in hand, and she was grinning from ear to ear. She'd found the silly thing in Klaus' vault and managed to go completely unnoticed on account, she figured, of the loud noises coming from his bedroom. Her phone buzzed on her back pocket, and the blonde Original flashed far enough away so that she could relax a little.
GOT HUNTER, MEET AT BEACON BAR.
"Can do, sweetheart," Rebekah murmured to herself. The Beacon Bar was a supernatural hot spot just out of Virginia that would be full of werewolves, rogue witches, and most importantly, vampires.
It was the perfect place to start growing Jeremy Gilbert's mark, and the next step to finding the Cure.
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tbc