Previously on Taste: "…This just became infinitely more complicated."

December 24, 1792

It truly was a magical night. The grand event put on by the great Tsarina, Catherine of Russia, was unlike any other. The musicians were flawless, the room decorated impeccably, and it was as if all of the nobles of Saint Petersburg had come to court for the Christmas masquerade. Katherine—or Elisaveta Radomira, as she had been going by—compelled herself into the courts of the Tsarina nearly four months previous, having fled the French court after King Louis XVI and his family were taken into custody by the rebels. No amount of vampirism could save her from the guillotine, after all.

Now, here she was, at the beck and call of one of the most influential women she had ever met, and Katherine was treating this as a learning experience. It was not often that she admired humans, but to not learn from the Empress of one of the greatest realms the world had ever seen would be very foolish, indeed. The only real downside was that it was damn cold all of the time; however, after a five-year stint traipsing around the southern reaches of the Ottoman Empire, Katherine was fine with the climate change. While Egypt and Arabia were lovely places, it was quite hot down there. Besides, headscarves were not particularly her thing.

Yes, Russia really was quite good for her, and the parties were lovely. She had been sent out to dance and mingle among the nobles present, the skirts of her gown swirling as she was passed from partner to partner, the mask over her eyes doing little to contain the hint of a smile she allowed herself. Katherine was just happy those horrendous panniers had gone out of style, for they had made dancing nearly impossible at large events, not to mention how ridiculous they appeared.

As the music melted into a waltz, Katherine found herself swept away by a new partner—one who had not asked her to dance. He looked familiar behind his mask, as if someone she had known once in her dreams. He was as handsome as she was beautiful, which she approved of. And…he was not of the Tsarina's courts. He was most certainly foreign, for she had kept track of the regular nobles within the courts. He was also an excellent dancer.

"Do you make a habit of stealing your partners?" She asked in Russian. Earlier, Katherine had enjoyed confusing some foreign nobles by speaking to them in Bulgarian, pretending they were just incompetent with their Russian, but she decided to play nice for once.

"I do not make a habit of it, no. However, you, my lady, were simply waiting to be stolen away." The moment she heard his voice, Katherine nearly gathered her skirts and ran. She had not been this close to him in three hundred years, and she was certain he knew who she was. But perhaps… There was a glint in his eyes—from what she could see beneath his mask, anyways—that seemed to urge her to play along. Perhaps they could simply dance in peace for one evening, hiding underneath their supposed anonymity.

"I will have you know that I am not a prize to be won." Then again, subtlety was never her strong suit.

"I never said you were." Elijah allowed his gaze to rake over her beautiful form, soaking her in. This was the closest they had been in far too long. He had seen her from across the floor, entirely surprised at her presence. Last he had heard of her, she was making her way to a sugar plantation in Brazil, though clearly that was a false trail. He personally was in Saint Petersburg for pleasure: a friend—a mortal one, at that—was marrying the daughter of a Russian noble in a week's time, and he had been invited to the wedding. Elijah had certainly not expected to see Katerina Petrova on the dance floor, but when he did, he simply had to dance with her, snatching Katerina away from her intended partner and smoothly segueing them back into the flow of the dance. And, judging by her last comment, she was fully aware of who he was, though it was far too risky for either to actually reveal themselves. That would mean they would have to deal with the consequences of this dance. No, it was better this way. "I do believe, however, that you are a woman who likes to be chased."

And chased she had been, Elijah thought. They only had been engaged in this…game of theirs for three centuries. All she gave him in response was the slight upturn of her mouth before they shifted into silence, following the motions of the dance.

They twirled through the crowd, her skirts fanning, the pair of them narrowly missing the other partners with every step. In time with the music he lifted her into the air, just as the other couples on the floor were doing, her laugh a more beautiful music to his ears than what the ensemble had been performing all evening. The world had fallen away for a brief time, and they were allowed to step away from the weight of being Katherine Pierce—or whatever alias she was going by—and Elijah Mikaelson. And so they went, drunk on each other, entranced with each other, until perhaps their fourth or fifth dance set came to an end, and she pulled away, her eyes connecting with the imposing woman on the dais.

"The Empress beckons me, and in this court, I am not my own." Katherine offered as an excuse, though she dearly wished to not be pulled away. She stepped in closer, and he was given a whiff of her perfume before she whispered a goodnight, and disappeared into the crowd, where he did not see her again for the rest of the night.

They were close, so close, and yet, so far.

-0-0-0-0-0-

November 27, 2010

Elijah checked the address against the one in his email, before giving the building an unimpressed expression. Of all places, Katerina had asked him to meet her here? Then again, judging by the sounds coming from the alley beside the booming establishment, it was possible she meant this as a joke.

"A salsa club, Katerina? Or did you forget our meeting?" He asked as she pulled away from her victim of the night before compelling them away, the blood on her mouth making her lipstick indiscernible. Elijah handed over his spare handkerchief, and she took it before pulling out a compact mirror and a tube of lipstick, fixing her makeup in the alley. She was a vision in black, her short dress and heels melding into the darkness of the night, making the woman herself stand out.

"You were late, and I got hungry. There are so many warm bodies around here, after all." Katherine shrugged, breezing past Elijah. "And yes, a salsa club. Try to lighten up, will you?"

"I do not believe an establishment such as this is conducive to a business meeting." He followed after her, catching up easily. A quick bit of compulsion later, he followed her into the club, music booming from nearly every orifice of the place.

She turned back, wild, loose, curls flipping over her shoulder, an amused expression on her pretty face. "Did I ask you here for a business meeting? My bad." Katherine laughed as she weaved through the crowd, tossing her hair and smirking at the sea of adoring people in the club she seemed to have accumulated. "We are here to salsa!"

Elijah rolled his eyes and compelled a table in a quiet corner from a couple which seemed to be wanting it for other things, watching as Katerina was dragged out onto the floor by partner after partner. It was easier to let her play her games rather than fight her on this; plus, it was not like he had had anything better to do. After her third or fourth dance—where he had been forced to watch her paint a pattern across the dance floor, swinging her hips and teasing her partners all in time to the fast-paced music, that sinful dress only adding to the visual—he waved down a waiter, needing a drink or three to deal with this evening. It was only a pity that he had a millennium's worth of tolerance, or everything would have been much easier. The worst part was, she was giving him a show, and they both knew it.

When they had been there for nearly an hour, Katherine was getting fed up with Elijah's stubbornness. She brought the man here to dance, and dance he would, damn it! It had been far too long since the last time they danced together, and if he could salsa as well as he could waltz, then she would be a very happy woman. At the moment, however, she was not. She had been showing off whenever she could feel his gaze upon her, which had been constantly. She wanted him out on the floor with her, and she was a woman who always got her way. Perhaps it was time to raise the stakes a bit…

After suffering through ten songs and as many sub-par drinks, Elijah had had enough. He shed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, thankful for the decision to forgo the tie that evening, before striding across the floor to where she was, finishing a nearly indecent dance with another man. "What are you doing, Katerina?" He asked, exasperated, as they quickly began to step in time to the music. Up close, she was even more ravishing; the aroma of her perfume—something dark and musky, with a touch of a light floral scent—wrapped around the pair, adding to the entrancing environment.

"I am simply enjoying the beauty of the dance." Her expression gave nothing away as she kept in time with the fast pace.

"I seem to remember you are quite fond of dancing." Elijah assented, which was true. She had been an avid dancer in her human days, and then of course there were the other times.

"I am, though I have always loved a good waltz." Katherine smirked when Elijah gave her one of those exasperated-and-amused expressions. "Especially when one has a good partner."

"So we're reminiscing now?"

She arched an eyebrow as the song ended, and stepped back. "Did I say anything about reminiscing?" With a small smile, Katherine grabbed the nearest man and whisked him off to the next song, a slow, sultry, piece of music.

Elijah stood on the dance floor as she sashayed away from him, semi-dumbfounded. That woman was a force of nature, and even in a bloody salsa club, of all places, she managed to keep him on his toes. Readjusting his collar and sleeves, Elijah set after her, carving a pathway through the dancing crowd. With a murderous look her dance partner was sent away, and Katerina was in his arms once more. They danced in silence for a time, the music really more suited for a tango than a salsa, eyes connected in an unbreakable gaze. It was just dancing, and yet, it was…daresay he think it emotional?

The silence was finally broken by Katherine. "Do you make a habit of stealing your dance partners, milord?" She whispered the last part, trailing her hands down his arms as she spun out before crashing back to him, flipping her hair in a practiced move. She relished the look in Elijah's eyes; this was playing with fire, she knew, but there… There was something about Elijah Mikaelson that drove her absolutely insane, and she could not resist the temptation.

Elijah twirled her around, her back to his chest, entrapping his Katerina. "Only when they wish to be caught." His fingers ghosted down to her hips and back to her waist as they continued moving with the music, a shiver going down her spine as his hands moved farther up her thinly-covered back. She was so unlike how he remembered her; then again, he was an intelligent enough man to realize that the Katerina Petrova he had once known was long dead. The woman she was now, though… She was entirely unknown, and yet so familiar. She was primal, powerful, carnal. He so wanted to indulge himself in her—and judging by her actions this evening, she wished for the same—but there was a delicate line here.

A line which must not be crossed.

AN: So how did you all like this chapter? The salsa scene was one of the first I envisioned for this piece, and though flashbacks do not always tie into the chapter so heavily like this one does, I really wanted to make a strong parallel with these two.

Personally, I think Katherine and Elijah have a ton of communication issues when it comes to each other, which is the main reason why everything went to hell in canon. Either way, they dance around topics and imply things, but never really talk about them, you know? Anyways, I may be making absolutely no sense, but I'm doped up on cold medication, so I think I get a free pass this time.

Anyways, I know I had more I planned to write in this AN but now I can't remember it so I'll just leave off here.

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I truly love reading all of your thoughts and messages. It makes all the writing time and headaches worth it! 333

-Abi