Chapter Four
Woooooosaaaaaaa. Ryan thinks as he attempts to maintain his temper. He looks at Enzo's bemused grin and tells himself that he'll be off the clock in a couple hours. Surely he could squeeze in killing Enzo, showering and changing before dinner with Tswizzle.
"Great answer," he compliments his crush. Then his glare hardens as he turns to Enzo. "Two strikes," he tells the first time player. "If you get this right, we stay here but if you get it wrong – the Michaelsons get a chance to steal."
Enzo nods.
"Name a place you might find a vampire."
Enzo takes a deep breath and his fists clench on the podium.
"Three," Ryan begins the countdown.
"Say something!" Damon commands.
"Two!" the audience joins the host.
"uhhhh," Enzo stutters, as he frantically tries to think of an answer.
"ONE!" the audience screams.
"Hotel!" Enzo manages to blurt as the BUZZZZZZZZZ! of strike number three sounds.
Ryan Seacrest looks to the judges. They determine that Enzo did get his answer out in time.
"Please let it be there," Elena mutters as she crosses her fingers.
"Show me hotel!" Ryan looks up the board.
BUZZZZZZZZZZZ!
A row of three red X's flash on the display.
"Looks like we're going over to the Michaelsons," Ryan saunters across the stage where he stands in front of Kol. "Name a place you might find a vampire."
"You can't be serious, mate," Kol snorts. "I've answered this bloody question twice already."
"I promise this is the last time. And stop calling me MATE!" Ryan's temper is getting shorter with each passing second.
Kol's fingers drum on the podium. "How about Twitter?" he replies.
"Yeah, how about that," Ryan remarks as he continues onto Finn.
"On a ship," Finn replies giving Elijah and Rebekah dirty looks.
"Moving on." Ryan is not exactly sure what that's about and doesn't care enough to find out. "Rebekah?"
"A place you might find a vampire…," she taps a finger to her lips.
"Three seconds," Ryan reminds her.
"A day spa?" she finally answers.
"Wouldn't that be nice," Ryan muses as he moves onto his ex-favorite vampire, Elijah. Before either of them can say a word, Ryan signals to the stage crew.
Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep
"Oh sorry," Ryan says to Elijah. "Time's up."
Elijah's brows furrow but he doesn't say a word.
"The lovely Esther," Ryan smiles at the Michaelson head of household. "Your family members made some suggestions but it's your answer that counts."
"My answer is," Esther pauses dramatically. "In the Gilbert journals."
From across the stage there is a gasp as Elena covers her mouth in shock.
"GOOD ANSWER!" Damon applauds loudly. Stefan, Tswizzle and Enzo all look at him like he's crazy. "There's NO WAY any human outside the founding families would even know about those," he explains. "Oh we got this," he sits back smugly.
"That's a pretty specific answer, there." Ryan taps his cue cards into his palm. "Show me the journals!"
DING!
The number three spot flips over: BOOKS
"And the Michaelsons get the steal!" Ryan announces with genuine astonishment. The Originals scream in delight and hug each other.
"What the hell!" Damon exclaims. "She said the GILBERT JOURNALS!" He advances downstage to where the judges are sitting.
Instantly Stefan is by his side. "Damon, calm down."
"What is wrong with you people!" Damon screams at Simon and Paula. "There's no BLEEPING way that should be a correct answer!"
"Damon!" Stefan yanks his brother's arm trying to move him back to the podium.
"Who else is curious about the remaining answers," Ryan looks up at the board. "Show me number four."
"AT NIGHT!" the audience reads.
"Number Five."
"HELL!" the audience shouts.
"That's where I am right now," Ryan grins at the camera. "But stay tuned, there's more Feud coming up next!"
Announcer: AND CUT.
"Thank you!" Ryan drops his cards on the ground and in an instant he's by Tswizzle's side.
Announcer: We're taking fifteen.
"Would you like to freshen up in my dressing room?" Ryan asks Tswizzle.
"Absolutely," she smiles as the sparkly host takes her hand and leads her off stage.
"This way please," an intern greets the Salvatore family and takes them to their own private green room.
On the opposite side of the stage another staff member is escorting the Michaelsons to their own green room.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
BACKSTAGE
Ryan stands in front of his dressing room. The door is closed and there is a bright gold star mounted with his name embroidered across the center. "For dinner tonight," Ryan smiles at his date as his hand closes on the door knob. "There is a wonderful little place…," the knob turns and the door opens. "Everything is whole foods from the vegetables to the …."
Ryan freezes as he takes in the sight before him.
"ohmygosh," Tswizzle immediately turns her back and run-walks down the hallway.
"YOU'RE ON MY SUITS!" he roars at the intruders as he rushes inside. "Get off my suits!" he yells at the naked vampire straddled over the just as naked Hybrid.
Caroline grabs her clothes, which are shredded because, well, Klaus doesn't like to waste time. She sorts through them trying to find pieces large enough to cover herself – but there are none. As a last resort, Caroline pulls a suit jacket from a hanger and puts it on, holding the lapels closed with both hands.
"Get off," Ryan screams as he tries to yank his precious formal wear collection out from under Klaus.
"I-I-I'm sorry," Caroline stumbles over an apology as she tiptoes toward the door. Ryan's lips curl back in a hiss and the blonde doesn't stick around. She runs out into the hallway looking for wardrobe.
"GET. OFF .MY. SUITS!" Ryan pauses between each word to tug at the fabric beneath Klaus. Eventually, the hybrid tires of Ryan's annoying infatuation with his line of clothes and he rolls over revealing several large wet spots of bodily fluids.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ryan wails, collapsing to his knees and clutching his heart as though he's been staked. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" he sobs, fingertips shaking as he reaches for the fruits of all his hard work.
Tears stream down his face as Klaus callously wipes himself dry with Ryan's favorite pair of trousers.
"You truly ARE a monster," Ryan manages as he looks Klaus in the eye.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
In the Mikaelson green room, Esther and Finn sit together on a plush couch. Plates full of cheese and crackers rest in their laps as they sip wine and discuss Ancient Greek Architecture. On the chair beside them, sits Rebekah who has just downed her third glass of wine, in hopes of combating her stage fright. It took an entire bottle of tequila to get her out there in the first place.
"Rebekah, a moment please," Elijah nods to his sister as he walks out of the green room and into the hallway.
She attempts to refill her glass once more but the bottle of wine is empty. Cursing under her breath, she looks under the table but there's only soft drinks – no wine or liquor in sight. She wonders if the Salvatores have any extra. After she speaks to her brother she decides that she will pay them a visit.
She walks out into the hallway, nearly tripping over Kol. Her brother's back is against the wall, his legs out straight in front of him. His phone is charging, plugged into an outlet near the bottom of the wall. Madly texting away, he doesn't even look up at her.
"What is it?" Rebekah steps over Kol's legs as she approaches Elijah. "A strategy to win? Because I don't know how much longer I can stay out there."
"Rebekah," Elijah turns her way his face deadly serious. "What I am about to tell you must be held in the strictest of confidence."
"Shall we pinky swear?" she offers her little finger, while holding in a wine-induced hiccup.
"Mother has done something," Elijah says giving his sister's extended pinky a tired look.
"Shocking," Rebekah replies, as she looks down the hallway, trying to determine the best way to the Salvatore green room.
"As you know she brought Finn and Kol back, putting them into the bodies of witches," Elijah tells her tapping his fingertips together nervously. "I believe she has also brought someone else back."
"Who?" Rebekah asks. Elijah cups his hand and whispers something in his sister's ear.
"What? That makes no sense," Rebekah is stunned at the secret. "Why would she do that?"
"That is what we need to find out."
Elijah walks back into the green room leaving Rebekah in the hallway. Checking to make sure the coast is clear, she slips away to the other green room.
Kol hits send and waits for Davina to reply to his latest message. He hears footsteps approaching and looks up briefly from his phone.
"Well, hello," he grins at the blonde, wearing only a suit jacket.
"I'm looking for wardrobe," Caroline scowls at Kol.
"Someone smells like sex and Thin Mints," he replies.
"Do you know where it is or not?" Caroline clutches the jacket tighter.
"That way."
As Caroline follows his directions Kol takes a quick photo. Hashtag: Walk of Shame.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
In the Salvatore green room, Stefan and Elena are munching on chocolate covered pretzels as Damon and Enzo gossip about Caroline "doing the deed" with Klaus – again. The latter pair hold whisky tumblers in hand as they recline in posh leather chairs. Damon assures Enzo that Caroline sleeps with everyone and he should be patient.
"It's like waiting in line at the DMV," Damon explains. "The waiting sucks – but eventually you get taken care of."
Across the room the door opens slowly, revealing Rebekah poking her head inside.
"Stefan," she whispers just loud enough for him and Elena to hear. Stefan and Elena exchange curious glances before Stefan approaches the door.
"What are you doing here?" Stefan mouths as he leaves the room closing the door behind him.
"We seem to have run out of wine," Rebekah explains. "I don't suppose you might have a bottle or two to spare."
"Let me check." He disappears behind the door.
As he re-enters, Elena's brow raises in silent inquiry.
Stefan removes the wine bottles from their spread.
Elena's eyebrow raises higher.
Stefan smirks at her assumption – his fling with Rebekah was so last century.
As he offers the merlot and pinot degrigio to Rebekah, the two vampires catch the sound of someone approaching down the corridor. Their heads both turn and see Tswizzle wandering around, looking a little lost. She attempts to open a few doors which are locked. Eventually she finds an open one and goes inside.
Stefan watches Tswizzle but can't help notice Rebekah's cold stare aimed directly at the very tall blonde. "Not a fan," he asks Rebekah.
"Hell no," Rebekah replies as she opens one of the bottles. "You would think after what she did to my family - she'd keep her distance," she pauses as she chugs the contents.
Stefan trades Rebekah the full bottle for the empty one asking the obvious, "Don't tell me – she wrote a song about you."
Rebekah shakes her head as she opens the second bottle. "Thank you for the wine."
"Which song?" Stefan calls after her as she walks back down the hall.
Her mouth is attached to the bottle but she waves her hand. Stefan quickly removes his phone – his curiosity getting the better of him. He needs to know which Taylor Swift song might actually be about the Mikaelson family.
It's taking the phone forever to load the webpage and it's killing his battery at the same time so Stefan decides maybe it would be easier to simply ask (aka compel) Taylor to give him the answer.
He approaches the room that he's seen her go into and respectfully knocks on the door, even though it isn't entirely closed.
"Almost ready," she replies dabbing a large make-up brush against her cheeks.
Stefan leans against the frame, waiting. He sees her look into the mirror and she smiles at him. "Well if it isn't Stefan Salvatore."
The voice is slightly different but familiarity of his name spoken aloud as well the uncanny resemblance of her mannerisms jars the vampire's memory. A single word slips from his pursed lips:
"Katherine."
You knew that was coming right? Now let the REAL feud begin...hahaha.
Also, if you get a moment drop a review with your favorite TVD ship that'd be great - Why? You'll find out in the final chapter. - Gemma