Author's Note: Hey everybody! So, I'm treating this as the last chapter, but if I get enough feedback, I might write a little epilogue. If you want one, let me know!
From his position leaning on the stonework of one of Paris's many bridges, Stefan watched the sun just begin to spill its soft, orange light over the Seine; he heaved a little sigh full of both worry and contentment.
"There are few things in the world more beautiful than a Parisian sunrise," came a soft voice from behind his left shoulder, and by this time Stefan had no need to turn around to know that it was Klaus.
He did not respond, but instead leaned slowly away from the bridge until he felt Klaus's solid build pressing against his back. In response, Klaus wrapped his arms around Stefan's waist and twisted his head around to give him a soft kiss on the lips.
"Mmm, you taste like blood," Stefan observed, adding after a few seconds, "and...chocolate. How'd you manage that one?"
Klaus repiled with a smile, "Although I cannot drink from humans, some of my other tricks have fortunately remained intact. There is a butcher shop conveniently located a couple blocks from here whose owner found me most...compelling."
Stefan laughed, more at the idea of Klaus taking the time to think up a pun than at the actual joke, and added, "And the chocolate?"
"Ah," Klaus continued with a twinkle in his eye, "As it turns out, his wife owned the bakery next door. She, too, was more than happy to help a poor, hungry boy in need of breakfast. Which brings me to these," he finished as he whipped out a small paper bag with a flourish and handed it to Stefan.
Stefan peeked in the bag and was delighted to find two chocolate croissants delicately wrapped in wax paper nestled inside. He reached up to give Klaus a quick peck on the lips and said, "You spoil me, Klaus - these look decadent."
"Well..." Klaus trailed off, and if he hadn't known better, Stefan would have sworn he looked a little embarrassed. They stood there like that for a little while, chatting and eating their croissants while the morning sun lit up the river.
The stillness of the scene was stirred by a sudden whooshing sound, and when both Klaus and Stefan turned to look, they were moderately astonished to see Jacqueline standing there, arms crossed and toe tapping impatiently, though her expression was one of barely concealed amusement.
"Just like men - slacking off while the women do all the work," she said dryly.
"Croissant?" Stefan asked, offering her the bag as a makeshift peace offering.
She took it, and her lips quirked up into a little smile as she asked, "And don't you two look cozy this morning? From the looks of it, you did not heed my advice about the sleeping."
Klaus ignored this and after a minute asked simply, "So it's time, then?"
"Mais oui," Jacqueline responded, her smile fading a bit.
Klaus sighed and slid out from behind Stefan, his hand sliding slowly along Stefan's back before he broke contact all together.
"Before we go, I need to know," Jacqueline began, her expression becoming completely serious. "Are you both sure you want to go through with this? I can't promise we'll all come out of it intact."
"Yes," Stefan said immediately, causing Klaus to glance at him in surprise. "Malachi is too powerful - he has to be stopped, no matter what the cost."
"I'm in, too," Klaus agreed. "If there's a chance these witches can change me back, I have to take it."
"All right, then," Jacqueline said with a little nod. "We should go, then. Come with me."
She beckoned them into a nearby alley and commanded, "Join hands and concentrate. I'm going to invoke them."
Klaus and Stefan exchanged uneasy glances, but did as she said.
Suddenly, Jacqueline's head whipped back, her hands clenched around each of theirs and she began chanting over and over, softly at first, then at increasing volume, "Vos voco, sorores noctis, audite mihi!"
"Latin," Klaus whispered, answering the unspoken question signaled by Stefan's confused expression, "She calls forth the sisters of the night and demands that they listen to her."
Jacqueline continued to chant until a cloud of green smoke engulfed them all; Stefan instinctively raised his hands to cough, and the instant he broke contact with Klaus and Jacqueline, his world began spinning uncontrollably, as everything became shrouded emerald green mist.
Suddenly, he was overcome with an uncontrollable sensation of flying through the air as the green of the mist changed into blue sky; but the elation of flying was swiftly replaced first by the panic of falling, and then by the pain of crashing into something at terminal velocity, which Stefan vaguely remembered thinking was some sort of tree before he blacked out all together.
The next thing Stefan registered was pain - a lot of it and everywhere. Every bone in his body seemed to be giving off a pulsating ache, and even opening his eyes required expending an above average amount of effort.
When he carefully did so, the first thing to come into focus was Klaus hovering above him, looking more concerned than Stefan had ever seen him.
"Stefan? Stefan? Jacqueline, I think he's waking up."
"What-?" Stefan began as he tried to sit up, but was stopped by both the stabbing sensation just behind his temples and Klaus's firm hand on his chest gently pushing him back down again.
"Take it slow, Stef," Klaus said, making sure to catch Stefan's eye, "You took a hell of a beating."
"What the hell was that?" Stefan mumbled. "I feel like I got hit by a semi."
"My deepest apologies, my friend," Jacqueline said sincerely, kneeling beside Klaus. "I had no idea that would happen; my source in Marseilles said it was a simple invocation and locator spell, I swear."
"What exactly did happen?" Stefan asked. As he gingerly attempted to raise himself up a few inches, he was surprised to find his shoulders being pressed against something solid, and, upon looking up, was even more surprised to see that it was Klaus.
"You got in a fight with a pine tree and lost," Klaus said with a little smile that didn't hide the worry beneath it.
"You must have let go while we were being transported," Jacqueline explained, "So, while Klaus and I landed relatively easily in this open clearing, you spun off and crashed into that pine tree over there - we saw you hit nearly every branch on your way down."
"Well, that explains a lot," Stefan said, managing to push himself so that he was sitting up all the way, Klaus's strong form still anchoring him in place. "Remind me to never do that again, will you?"
"I'm hoping it won't become a recurring problem," Klaus said dryly, arching an eyebrow. "Now, let's see, can you stand?"
"I think so," Stefan said, though this may have been mostly mindless optimism talking. In a flash, Klaus was on his feet and using both hands to gently lift Stefan into a standing position.
Stefan was dismayed to find out that his bruised and battered legs did not want to support him on their own, and he instinctively threw his arms around Klaus's neck to keep from falling over.
Klaus quickly clamped his own arms around Stefan's waist in response, tight enough to take the pressure off his legs, but loose enough not to press too painfully against the bruising on his torso.
"Where the hell are we, anyways?" Klaus asked Jacqueline, "Do we even know if it's still France?"
"It is irrelevant," Jacqueline said quietly. "The Sisters would not risk a meeting in a location that could be discovered by uninformed parties. Wherever we are, we can be sure it is magically protected, and it is quite possible that we are the only ones for miles around."
"Now that they've got us here, why don't they show themselves?" Stefan asked, partially to his companions, partially to anyone else who might be listening.
"I do not know," Jacqueline said hesitantly, her eyes sweeping around the clearing. "Perhaps they have some sort of...test in mind for us."
"Or they get their kicks watching us squirm," Klaus said dryly. "It certainly wouldn't be the first time, would it, ladies?" He raised his voice and whipped his head around, while still maintaining his hold on Stefan, as if hoping to bait any observers into showing themselves.
"Well, if there is a test, it may well be one of physical combat," Stefan reasoned. "We should find cover before they decide to sic some sort of magical beast on us."
"I agree," said Jacqueline with a curt nod. "I think I see a ridge in the distance by that giant oak tree; it looks like we can hide behind it and still have a pretty good view of the whole area."
"Okay, Stefan, time to try walking. Are you up for it?" Klaus asked, his voice intense, but encouraging.
Stefan gave him a brief nod and closed his eyes, trying to brace himself for the pain he knew would come. After making his grip on Klaus's neck even more vise-like, he attempted to take a step. To his relief, it was at least possible, and with his body leaning heavily against Klaus', and Klaus using his hold on Stefan's waist to make the pressure on his legs next to nothing, they managed to find a shaky rhythm as all three of them made their way slowly toward the oak tree.
As they neared their goal, Jacqueline's head suddenly snapped up, and she held up a hand signaling them to stop. Stefan's blood ran cold as he realized that, though all three of them had stopped walking, the sound of footsteps and the rustling of branches had not ceased. In fact, whoever was making the noises seemed to be picking up speed.
Jacqueline flicked her wrist a little and shot them both meaningful looks, and they all began to move forward very slowly, each scanning their surroundings for some sign of who was following them.
Finally, out of the growing darkness among the trees, several sets of glowing, yellow eyes became visible. Klaus instinctively manuevered so that Stefan was situated between himself and Jacqueline, but as more and more sets of eyes appeared all around them, it became very apparent that the gesture was meaningless.
"Wolves," Klaus said grimly. "What do we do?" He looked toward Jacqueline, who herself seemed very troubled at this disturbing turn of events.
"If we can take some of them out in one direction, we might be able to run long enough to find a place to hide," she whispered back.
Stefan began to speak, to tell them that they'd have a much better chance of making it without him dragging them down, but was interrupted in his train of thought by Klaus suddenly stating, "No."
"Klaus, what do you-"
"No, Stefan," Klaus whispered fiercely, and when Klaus turned his head to look at him, Stefan was a little shocked to see just how serious he was. "We are not leaving you behind, and I don't want to hear about it. No arguments."
Stefan could see that Klaus wasn't backing down, and since he figured that being surrounded by possibly enchanted wolves wasn't the best time to have an argument, he said no more about it.
"Jacqueline, can you run in front and fend some of them off with magic?" Klaus asked quickly.
"I think so," she said with a brusque nod, though her eyes never left the ever-approaching circle of predators.
"Good. On the count of three, we run for it. I'll do the best I can to maintain the back, and if we're very, very lucky, we can break their ranks."
"One..." Jacqueline began, raising her hands.
"Two..." Klaus continued, sending a look at Stefan that clearly stated, "Get ready to move."
"Three!" The second both had shouted the syllable, the world exploded in color and movement. Jacqueline was shouting something in a language Stefan did not understand, and balls of blue fire spun forth from her fingertips and sent wolves flying in all directions.
Klaus, meanwhile, was half-dragging, half-carrying him into the path cleared by Jacqueline, warding off any stray wolves with the hand that wasn't holding Stefan up.
Somehow, between Jacqueline's magic and Klaus's determined force, they managed to leave the wolves behind, and found themselves in another clearing, not too far from where they started and still in sight of the oak.
"Everyone all right?" Klaus asked hurriedly, and after receiving a nod from an out-of-breath Jacqueline, he turned his attention to Stefan.
Stefan felt like he had managed to smash every bruise on his body against something in the last twenty minutes, and though he knew that he was lucky to even be alive - sort of - that didn't make the omnipresent ache he felt any less agonizing.
"All good over here," Stefan mumbled, hoping that his voice wasn't shaky enough to make Klaus question his statement.
The look Klaus gave him was troubled to say the least, but finally he nodded and turned to Jacqueline, asking, "Should we still keep heading toward the oak tree?"
"It's as good a destination as any at this point," she reasoned. "Obviously they can get to us wherever we are, so we might as well go somewhere that's at least defensible.
"You're sure you're all right to travel, Stefan?" Klaus asked him doubtfully.
"Really, I'm fine, Klaus, let's just keep going," Stefan insisted. He refused to let his weakness put them in any more danger.
"All right," Klaus said, though he still seemed a bit uncertain as they stumbled their way through the last of the forest toward the wide open expanse stretching all the way to the oak tree.
They had made it halfway across the field - Klaus holding Stefan up, Jacqueline constantly searching the horizon for more incoming attacks - when out of nowhere, the sky grew dark with storm clouds. The three of them had only just begun to look for any sort of shelter when a huge crash of thunder echoed throughout the field and lightning began shooting down from the skies.
The second the bolts struck, the brush littering the ground behind them sparked and burned. The three of them watched, transfixed and horrified, as a sudden gust of wind whipped the fire into a frenzy; in a matter of seconds, it had spread down the field and was moving towards them.
"Run!" screamed Jacqueline, and she was off, her skirts flapping wildly behind her as she darted for the safety of the ridge.
"Come on," Klaus shouted urgently to Stefan, as he tried to drag Stefan away from the fire.
"Klaus, I - I can't," Stefan mumbled, dropping to the ground. All of his limbs were screaming from the injuries they'd already sustained, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he couldn't make it any farther, let alone at the speed necessary to outrun the fire.
"Yes, you can!" Klaus urged him, trying to no avail, to pull Stefan up from where he lay curled up on the ground.
"It's no use," Stefan said quietly. "I've been running on borrowed energy for a while now, and I can't do it anymore. But it's not too late for you, Klaus. You can make it - just leave me. It's all right, really, it is."
"It is not all right, damn it!" Klaus shouted, dropping to his knees beside Stefan. "I wouldn't be a free man right now if it weren't for you."
""Please, you have to let me go," Stefan pleaded, "There is nothing more you can do for me."
"Look at me, Stefan." Klaus took Stefan's face in his hands and Stefan could see he was completely in earnest as he said, "I am not, I repeat, not leaving you here."
"But you'll burn! You'll die!" Stefan was panicking at the thought of Klaus's death being his fault.
"Then we burn together," Klaus said, his voice rife with fierce determination. "Come here," he said, more quietly this time, and Stefan managed to prop himself up enough to lay his head on Klaus's shoulder.
"God damn it, this isn't his fight," Klaus shouted to the stormy sky as he wrapped his arms around Stefan. "He was just trying to do the right thing - it's me you want! Me! And you can have me, I won't fight, just leave him alone! Do you hear me? Leave...him...alone!"
Suddenly, a stream of white light shot out of the oak tree and encompassed the entire field. To Klaus's utter shock, he found himself once again standing on the small stone bridge across from Jacqueline's shop, the Seine flowing peacefully beneath him.
"You were right this morning - there are few things more beautiful than a Parisian sunrise. But, in my opinion, a Parisian sunset is one of them."
Klaus recognized the voice immediately, but shook his head and told himself it was impossible. It just couldn't be.
But when he got up the courage to slowly turn to his right, he saw that his first instinct had been correct. It was Jacqueline, just standing there on the bridge with a calm, little smile on her face.
His head was spinning with questions, but somehow the first one that came out was, "How do you know I said that? You weren't there."
"Haven't you learned by now, Klaus?" she asked, looking a little amused. "We are everywhere."
"We?" Klaus asked, his confusion undermined by a little voice in his head telling him he was asking questions to which he already knew the answers.
"My God," he said suddenly as the realization hit him all at once. "You're one of the Sisters. This whole thing was a setup from the beginning."
Her smile did not waver as she replied simply, "Yes. Although calling it a setup is perhaps a bit too simplistic."
"Wait a second," he said, the shock of this new information wearing off enough for him to demand, "Where's Stefan? What have you done with him?"
"Stefan is perfectly fine," she assured him. "In fact, he is a good deal better off than when you left him, albeit somewhat perplexed. You can fill him in on the finer points when you get back."
"Back? Wait, you're letting me go back?"
"You passed," Jacqueline said, with a little shrug. "The other Sisters told me that it was impossible, but you did it - you proved them wrong."
"You're telling me this was all some sort of test?" Klaus's mind spun trying to decipher all the potential implications of Jacqueline's revelation. "Exactly how long have you been...evaluating me in this manner?"
"Oh, quite a long time indeed, Klaus," Jacqueline replied, strolling over to lean beside him on the bridge. "From the day you were born, in fact. We put that binding spell on your werewolf side, but we knew it was only a temporary measure; one day you would feel compelled to break it, and then far too great a power would be unleashed upon the world."
"So you set up a test...of what exactly? And, come to think of it, why? What possible reason could you have for putting me through all this?"
"The others just wanted to kill you," Jacqueline said matter-of-factly, "when we convened our council, the day you broke the curse. They thought you were a monstrosity with no hope of redemption. But I thought I'd seen something in you, a spark of humanity still left beneath all the anger and violence. So I asked them to give me three months - three months to see if you could prove that you deserved to be saved."
She leaned closer and said severely, "So you'd better thank whatever gods you happen to believe in that I decided to "put you through all this" instead of just dumping your body in that storage unit with the rest of your 'family'."
Klaus was silent for a moment before he uttered quietly, "Thank you - it appears I owe you my life."
Before Jacqueline could reply, something occurred to Klaus which sent a chill through his body. "Wait, are you saying that Stefan-"
Jacqueline quickly waved her hand and finished for him, "Knew nothing of any of this. He was as unwitting a participant as you were."
Klaus let out a sigh of relief, and Jacqueline continued, "But I'll tell you this - he was the only reason I asked for the three months in the first place. I thought that maybe, just maybe, you picking him as your companion meant that your human side was reaching out."
"I'd hoped that just having Stefan around would be enough to make you change, but you wasted the first month trying to make him as miserable as you were instead of learning from him. So I was forced to intervene."
"Intervene?" Klaus asked, a little afraid of the answer.
"I knew that sooner or later Stefan would seek out some paranormal assistance for his growing feelings for you, so I made myself available to him. The rest was simple."
"Simple?" Klaus asked incredulously. "I think we have different definitions of the word. Wait, and Malachi...?" Klaus ventured.
"Just a means to an end," Jacqueline said with a little smile. "As much a convenient plot device as an underground chamber in a magic shop or a conveniently timed trip to Marseilles."
"You knew!" Klaus exclaimed, "That night we slept together, you knew that would happen!"
"Yes," Jacqueline said with an amused smile, "But certainly not because of any magical powers I happen to possess."
"So you didn't-, I mean it wasn't your-" Klaus trailed off.
"Klaus," Jacqueline said earnestly, "The test wouldn't have meant anything if I'd made either of you do anything. I simply created the scenarios - the choices you made and the feelings that prompted them were entirely your own."
"And I passed?"
"You cared enough about Stefan to refuse to abandon him. You even offerred us your life in exchange for his. The kind of man who would do that is the kind of man we consider worth saving."
Klaus thought about this for a long while, as he watched the sun dip below the horizon, filling the Seine with a warm, orange-pink glow.
"So what happens now?" he asked quietly.
"Now," Jacqueline said slowly, "You go and live a life. We'll give you some of your powers back, although we still can't allow you to maintain your full hybrid powers."
"That's all right," Klaus said with a laugh, "I can't say they ever did me much good. But you, where will you go?"
"Oh, I'll be around," Jacqueline said, her smile becoming a little mischeivous. "I have no doubt we'll cross paths again someday, Klaus. Just see to it that it's not under similar circumstances, all right?"
"I think I can manage that." Klaus reached forward and took Jacqueline's hand, gallantly lifting it to his lips. "Thank you. For believing in me."
Her smile became a full grin as she said, "You're welcome, Klaus. And now, I think it's time to take you back to someone else who believes in you." With a little wink, she vanished, and Klaus found himself standing once more in the same field, although the storm clouds had long since vanished and the ground showed no signs of being scorched.
"Klaus!" He whirled around to see Stefan running towards him and he felt his face break into a grin as he sprinted off toward him. They met halfway, and Klaus exuberantly picked Stefan up and whirled him around in a circle.
Stefan laughed and held tight to Klaus until he felt his feet on the ground again. Before Stefan could ask what had happened or where Klaus had been, Klaus pressed their lips together, kissing him exuberantly.
Stefan was too relieved to object in the least to this turn of events, but after a few minutes, he forced himself to break the kiss and ask, "What happened? One minute we're about to be burned alive by a raging inferno, the next you're gone, I'm magically healed, and there's no sign of Jacqueline or the fire anywhere."
Klaus laughed and kissed him briefly once more before saying, "It is a very long story, which I will tell you soon enough. But for now, trust me when I say that everything is fine. No, I'm amending that - not fine, wonderful! For the first time in a thousand years, everything is completely wonderful."
Stefan couldn't help but grin as he said, "Klaus, I don't think I've ever seen you like this. You seem almost...giddy."
"Oh, I am, dear boy, I am," Klaus assured him as he whirled around in a circle, arms outstretched. "I feel like Ebeneezer Scrooge on that fateful Christmas morning."
"Well, whatever it is, I like it," Stefan decided, laughing again and throwing his arms around Klaus's neck. "Umm...not to bring you down or anything, but we have no idea where we are."
"Where would you like to be, Stefan?" Klaus asked eagerly, "If you could be anywhere in the whole wide world right now, where you go?"
Stefan considered for a moment and then responded, "Well, I've always wanted to see Rome..."
"Jacqueline!" Klaus called out to the heavens, "Could we have a lift please? Last favor, I swear!"
"Klaus, what on earth-?" Stefan began, but abruptly stopped talking as the field disappeared right before his eyes, to be replaced by the lobby of a fancy hotel.
"Signori?" the desk clerk inquired pleasantly. "Your room is ready. Please enjoy your stay at the Hotel Cosmopolita."
"Mille grazie," Klaus said joyfully, taking the proffered key before grabbing Stefan by the hand and leading him to the stairs.
"I don't understand any of this!" Stefan shouted as Klaus pulled him up three flights of stairs and down a hallway until they reached the room, at which point Klaus quickly inserted the key into the lock and threw open the door.
"Stefan, we have a balcony!" Klaus shouted as he raced to open the French doors. "My God, look at that view!"
Stefan was about to ask him once again for some sort of explanation, but one look at Rome sprawling out beneath their balcony rendered him only able to say, "Wow."
"Is it how you dreamed it would be?" Klaus asked, somewhat more calmly, as he slipped an arm around Stefan's waist.
"It's amazing," Stefan answered truthfully. "Is it real?"
"Oh yes," Klaus assured him. "As real as it gets."
"But Klaus," Stefan said, exasperated, "How did we- I mean who-?"
"I'll explain it all in a minute," Klaus promised. "But first, kiss me."
"Kiss you?" Stefan asked a bit impishly as he pivoted to wind his arms around Klaus's neck.
"Yes," Klaus said simply, "Kiss me because we survived. Kiss me because one of the most fascinating cities in the world is ours for the taking. Kiss me because I love you, Stefan Salvatore."
"Those do seem as good of reasons as any," Stefan agreed, leaning in closer, "But that's not why I'm going to kiss you."
"Why, then?" Klaus asked curiously.
"Because, perhaps against my better judgement, I love you, too," Stefan said simply, and silenced whatever comeback Klaus would have come up with by lowering his lips to his. Yes, Stefan was a bit stunned to realize, as Klaus manuevered him back toward their luxurious double bed, Klaus was right: for the first time in a long time, everything really was wonderful.