The End of the Affair

Chicago

They had just arrived in Chicago and were getting out the car. Thalia still wore the grey Jack Daniels top which now had a large rip on the stomach. Klaus had promised her that as soon as he could he would get a new top.

"Welcome back to Chicago, Stefan." Klaus said as they walked across the street.

"What are we doing here?" Stefan asked him. While Thalia ignored the stares people were giving about her shirt and that they could probably see the bandage on her stomach.

"I know how much you loved it here. Bringing back memories of the good old ripper days?"

"Blacked out most of them. A lot of blood, a lot of partying. The details are all a blur." Stefan said, Thalia stiffened up a bit at hearing this.

"Well, that is a crying shame. The details are what makes it legend." Klaus grinned as he remembered the 1920s, when he first met Stefan, the ripper. "Chicago was magical." He reminisced.

"Yeah, well, I'll take your word for it. Like I said, I don't remember most of it."

"Going to get down to business, then?"

"Why am I still with you? We had our fun, your hybrids failed. I mean, don't you want to move on?" Thalia had wondered that too but hadn't bothered to ask him.

"We're going to see my favourite witch. If anyone can help us with our hybrid problem, it's her."

Thalia wasn't too excited to meet this witch, all the other witches she had met (apart from Bonnie, but she didn't know much of the supernatural so she didn't count) were never so kind to her, as Elijah would say 'kind', but she went forth anyway wanting to see how this panned out.

Gloria's bar

The three of them entered the old styled bar.

"Looks familiar, doesn't it?"

"I can't believe this place is still here." The bar wasn't opened yet so they were the only people inside, apart from the dark-skinned, blond woman behind the bar.

"You got to be kidding me." The dark-skinned woman said.

When he saw her, Klaus started to smile a real genuine, non-angry smile that made butterflies swarm around Thalia's stomach that was it, the smile she was so fond of.

"So a hybrid walks into a bar, says to the bartender..." Klaus starts before he was interrupted by the woman.

"Stop. You may be invincible, but that doesn't make you funny." She then turned to Stefan with a smile on her face. "I remember you."

"Yeah. You're Gloria. Shouldn't you be..." Stefan wasn't sure how to put it, he certainly didn't want to be rude about.

"Old and dead? Now if I die, who's going to run this place, huh?" Thalia was already beginning to like this Gloria.

"Gloria's a very powerful witch."

"I can slow the aging down some. Herbs and spells. But don't worry, it'll catch up to me one day." She said then turned to Thalia, who still stood at Klaus' side. "And who might this beautiful young lady be?" she asked.

Thalia was about to answer when Klaus put an arm around her waist and brought her closer to his chest. "Oh sorry love, forgot my manners for a moment there. This is Thalia, Thalia this is Gloria." Gloria gave the petit girl a small wave of her while Thalia settled with a smile. She didn't mind one bit being this close to Klaus as she thought about it was almost like he had never left her.

"Stefan, why don't you go and fix us up a little something from behind the bar?" Klaus' voice brought her out of her thoughts and after blinking her eyes for a bit she leaned her head against him.

Klaus noticed her little movement and couldn't help the grin he had becoming even bigger, he had truly missed her during all those years, sure he knew she was holding back on a lot but he was willing to wait for when she was ready to tell just as he would tell her about his past, well maybe not all of it.

"Yeah, sure thing." Stefan replied. He moved behind the bar to get the drinks ready.

Klaus looked at Gloria, "You look ravishing, by the way."

"Don't. I know why you're here. A hybrid out to make more hybrids? That kind of news travels. Plus you want that girl of yours to get jealous." Thalia's cheeks redden slightly at the comment which also made her think if people really thought she and Klaus were a couple.

Klaus on the other paid no attention to the comment, not exactly minding that they were thought of as a couple, no he didn't mind it one bit. "So what am I doing wrong? I broke the curse."

"Obviously you did something wrong. Look, every spell has a loophole, but a curse that old... We'd have to contact the witch who created it."

"Well, that would be the original witch. She's very dead." Klaus separated himself slightly from Thalia, his arm was still around her but it still made Thalia miss the full contact dearly. She didn't know what was happening to her, was she; dare she say it, going soft?

"I know. And for me to contact her, I'll need help. Bring me Rebekah."

"Rebekah. Rebekah is a bit preoccupied."

"She has what I need. Bring her to me."

Thalia leaned up a bit so that she could reach Klaus' ear. "Who's Rebekah?" she whispered. Klaus couldn't help the shiver that fell down his spine as he felt her warm breath brushing his ear, he hoped that went unnoticed by both ladies, he didn't want anyone to know of his new found weakness.

He turned his head to the side so that he could face her when he answered her but did not expect her face to be so close to his, if he moved only slightly his lips would on hers. But before he could answer her or even act upon her being so close, Stefan interrupted them.

"What is this?" Holing up a picture, on the picture were both him and Klaus.

Klaus turned away from Thalia and she stepped down from her tip toes which she had stood on so that she could reach him, she really hated being so short. "Well, I told you, Stefan. Chicago's a magical place." Klaus said with a grin on his face.

"But this is me. With you."

He turned the picture so that every one could see it and was indeed a picture of him and Klaus back in 1920s.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why don't I remember you?" Stefan asked him.

"You said it yourself, that time had a lot of dark holes." Klaus said now stepping away from Thalia, regretting it from the moment he could no longer feel her body heat and Thalia herself was not too happy with him leaving her side.

"No, if you knew me, then why haven't you said anything?"

"I'm a little busy right now. Memory Lane will have to wait." Klaus said trying to get on with getting his sister.

"What the hell is going on? Answer me."

"Let's just say we didn't get off to a brilliant start. To be honest, I hated you."

Klaus had explained to them about Rebekah being his sister and how they had met. They had moved to where he kept all the coffins.

"Your sister. So I knew another original vampire." Stefan asked, slightly confused, he was sure he would remember meeting another original.

"If you can't handle it, then don't ask." Klaus walks towards one of the coffins and opens it up, inside was a blonde girl with grey skin and her grey veins popping out everywhere along her body. He reached out and touched her cheek.

"I don't recognize her." Stefan admitted, shaking his head.

"Well, don't tell her that. Rebekah's temper is worse than mine." He turned his head towards Thalia who stood next to him looking at the girl. "About as bad as Thalia's" said girl's head snapped towards him quickly, a frown on her face and he chuckled slightly while Stefan continued to look at the girl in the coffin, trying his hardest to remember her.

Klaus' hand travelled down and grabbed the dagger in her chest, ripping it out quickly.

"Time to wake up, little sister. Any day now, Rebekah." He steps back slightly. "She's being dramatic."

"Look, why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on? I mean, you obviously want me here for a reason, right?"

"Well, you have many useful talents."

"Do I?"

In fact, I learned some of my favourite tricks from you."

He then told them about the time Stefan got a man to drink his wife's blood, which made Thalia want to throw up.

"I was your number one fan." He said with the smile Thalia hated both his smiles were very alike but she was able to tell the two apart and this was sadistic one that made her doubt her feelings towards him.

"Why should I believe any of this?" Stefan asked him.

Klaus moved closer to the guy standing by in uniform and compelled him. "When she wakes up, tell her to meet us at Gloria's bar. Then volunteer your carotid artery and let her feed until you die."

"Where are you going?"

"You think I'm lying, Stefan. You and I knew each other. You trusted me with one of your secrets and now I'm going to prove it to you."

"How?" Stefan asked, while he and Thalia followed Klaus.

"We're going to your old apartment."

They walked through a shabby old place. The wallpaper was peeling off and there were mould patches almost everywhere. All the room doors needed a new coat of paint and the floors looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in a while.

They arrived at a door but upon further inspection found the lock broken, someone had broken in.

"What a charming little homestead. Do you feel that? Is anybody here?" Klaus asked as he walked inside.

"It's been vacant for decades. People must break in all the time." Stefan retaliated. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"Your friend, Liam Grant, the one who drank his wife's blood..." A crinkle of disgust from Thalia at this. "I never could figure out why you wanted his name. And then you told me your little secret. It was all part of your special little ritual."

"To write it down." Stefan started, his face showed a look of confusion,

"And relive the kill... Over and over again." Klaus reached towards the bookcase and pressed a hidden button to the side of it. The door opened and Klaus pushed the rest of the door open. "You believe me now?"

Stefan stepped inside the closet looking over the list. What Klaus and Thalia didn't know was that Elena was hiding in the closet.

"Look what I found." Stefan said from inside the closet. Elena was scared at first but then saw Stefan reach in for a bottle.

"1918. Single malt." Elena gave out a silent gasp of relief.

"My favorite. Let's go and find you someone to drink it with."

"What about you?" Stefan asked.

"I have Thalia to drink with."

Thalia who had stood next to Klaus looking at the bottle piped up. "I don't drink, Klaus." The statement didn't surprise Klaus at all, he had figured she probably didn't want to end up like her mother and chose not to drink.

"Well then, you can sit next to me while I drink."

A snort came out of her throat as she looked away from him and shook her head.

The trio removed themselves from the scene after Stefan closed the closet door.

They were back at the bar when Gloria came over and handed them some drinks (two beer for the boys and soda for Thalia).

"Where's Rebekah?" She asked.

"She'll be here. I can't just conjure her on demand." Klaus said, turning his head towards Stefan. "What's with you? I thought Chicago was your playground."

"So this is why you asked me to be your wingman? Because you liked the way that I tortured innocent people?" Stefan asked.

"Well, that's certainly half of it."

"What's the other half?"

"The other half, Stefan, is that you used to want to be my wingman."

Klaus then proceeded to tell them about how he and Stefan were such great friends in the 20's and how Stefan comforted him about his family.

After his little story Klaus raised his shot of tequila that Gloria handed to him while he told his story. "To friendship."

"So I'm confused. If we were such great friends, then why do I only know you as the hybrid dick who sacrificed my girlfriend on an altar of fire?" Stefan continued to fire questions at him.

"All good things must come to an end." Klaus said with a scowl on his face.

He then told them about the last night they spent together and how Klaus erased Stefan's memory after his dad showed up. The ending reminded Thalia of when Klaus left her and took away her own memory. She pushed the thoughts away when Stefan spoke up.

"You compelled me to forget?"

"It was time for Rebekah and I to move on. Better to have a clean slate."

"But why? You shouldn't have to cover your tracks... Unless you're running from someone."

Klaus's smirk immediately fell off his face. "Story time's over."

Stefan turned his head to look over both Thalia's and Klaus's shoulders and saw Damon. Stefan turned back to Klaus "I need another drink. A real one."

Klaus waves him off and Stefan walked away.

"You okay?" Klaus turned to his left to see Thalia watching him. He smiled a bit, lifting his hand to cup her cheek. She leaned into his hand and let out a sigh. His thumb was moving up and down her cheek when he spoke up, "I really missed you."

She smiled up at him placing her hand on top of his, they were incredibly close but neither of them moved backwards, their little moment however was interrupted by a voice in the background, a voice both knew very well.

"Sorry am I interrupting something?" Thalia and Klaus separated, Thalia supporting a crimson blush while Klaus only scowled.

"I see they've opened the doors to the riff raff now." Klaus said, scowl still on his face while he turned to the man behind them.

"Oh, honey, I've been called worse." Damon said, a smirk on his face.

"Hi Damon." Thalia greeted, a blush still staining her cheeks, hoping to light the mood, Damon's response however did not help.

"Hello, sweetheart. How you doing?"

Klaus stood and Thalia quickly stood with him and placed a hand on his arm to stop him from moving any closer to Damon. He didn't look at her when she did, only glared at Damon. "You don't give up, do you?" He asked.

"Give me my brother back... You'll never have to see me again." Damon suggested.

"Well, I am torn. You see, I promised Stefan I wouldn't let you die, but how many freebies did I really sign up for? And clearly you want to die, otherwise you wouldn't be here, so..."

"What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker." Thalia shook her head with a roll of her eyes at Damon's response.

Ignoring Thalia's complaints, Klaus surged forwards, wrapping his hands around Damon's neck, strangling him.

The events escalated quickly when Klaus started stabbing Damon with one of those tooth picks with the umbrellas on one end, asking him to excuse him if he missed his heart on the first few goes as apparently he had gotten himself drunk, while Thalia was yelling at him to stop over and over.

"Ohh. Almost." Klaus muttered with a fake apologetic face.

"You want a partner in crime? Forget Stefan. I'm so much more fun." Damon said, while was now trying to remove Klaus away with force, resulting in failure.

"You won't be any fun after you're dead." Klaus told him and then threw Damon to the floor, a piece of broken wood in his hand about to stab Damon through the heart. Thalia needed to do something and now, but she didn't want to hurt Klaus but eventually realised that she would have to, to get him to stop and so she moved closer towards them, right hand moving to her left boot and removing a celestial bronze dagger from inside, the dagger was relatively long it's size being hidden away in her boot by magic.

Thalia stood behind Klaus as she stabbed his side with the dagger. Klaus stopped his arm from moving towards Damon's chest as he felt a cool metal slicing his side. He looked down at his side to see a long dagger inside of him he also noticed the pale hand attached to it and followed the arm up until his eyes locked with the electric blue of Thalia's iris.

He knelt there, mouth agape as he watched as the girl slightly stepped back, removing the knife as she did so, a little blood trickled down his side before his wound healed itself, but for some reason this wound took longer to heal than other wounds and so his eyes fell down to her hand looking at the dagger, he saw the metal and recognized it immediately.

His eyes travelled back up to Thalia's and the look he gave her told her that he knew, he knew that she was a demigod.

"Nifty dagger you got there, Thalia." he said, his voice dripping with venom. He slowly stood and stalked towards Thalia. He was angry, very angry. How could she? He thought, how could she keep the fact that her father is a god away from me? He knew it was her father because 1. Her mother was too big of a mess to be a goddess and 2. Her father was intimidating as hell when he met him.

He kept walking towards her, his eyes turned yellow and she started taking steps back until her back hit the bar, he placed both hands on either side of her body on top of the bar, he was looking at her with his yellow, werewolf eyes.

"You're a demigod." He announced, he had long since dropped the dagger on the floor and grabbed Thalia's wrist, the one that had a hold on the dagger and then quickly tightened his hold. Thalia gave out a quick gasp of pain as she was forced to let go of the dagger.

Damon had gotten a hold of the stake Klaus had dropped and was now behind him about to strike him from behind when it suddenly caught on fire. Damon quickly dropped it, looking at the door way where Gloria now stood, watching them.

"Not in my bar. You take it outside." She ordered.

Klaus turned to see Damon standing behind him with the stake, now burned lying on the floor. "You don't have to negotiate your brother's freedom. When I'm done with him, he won't want to go back."

He then walked away, without sparing Thalia a glance, she watched him go as her heart slowed down to its normal pace.

After Damon made sure Thalia was okay he left to go take Elena back to Mystic Falls. Thalia sat at the bar waiting for Stefan to come back from his drink. When he did, he found Thalia sitting at the bar, face in her hands.

"What happened?" Thalia slowly turned towards him and told him the story from when Damon came in (not about how she and Klaus were holding each other though, that was still embarrassing) and to the point where Klaus had left.

He sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. After a while he began to speak, "Come on we better go or he'll get mad." She nodded and allowed him to lead her to the room where all Klaus's family's coffin were.

As they neared the room they could hear Klaus speaking to someone. "I understand that you're upset with me, Rebekah... So I'm going to let that go. Just this once. Brought you a little peace-offering. You can come in." Stefan moved, his arm still around Thalia's shoulder, bringing her out with him which really upset her, she didn't want to see the look Klaus would give her when he saw her, she didn't think she could bear it but went on anyway and across the room from her she saw a girl in a while frilly dress and blonde hair.

"Stefan..." The girl started but then she saw Thalia next to him. "Who is that?" Her voice got louder and you could hear the anger in her voice. Stefan then let go of Thalia and she stepped backwards, hoping to back into the bar and wait this out but then suddenly Klaus, using his vampire speed reached both of them and grabbed her wrist.

He wasn't looking at her but at Stefan. "Now you remember." He compelled him.

Suddenly he is hit with all those forgotten memories about how he got a picture with Klaus, calling him his brother and then he looked at the girl in front of them, "Rebekah."

"Stefan." Klaus said with a smile.

Stefan looks back and forth from the siblings. Klaus still held Thalia's wrist but no one except Thalia paid mind to it, though she didn't try to escape it.

"I remember you. We were friends." Stefan said, his mouth agape.

"We are friends." Klaus corrected. Klaus then turned to Rebekah. "And now the reason you're here. Gloria tells me you know how to contact the original witch."

"The original witch?" she asked.

Klaus nodded, "What do you have that Gloria needs?"

Rebekah's hand reached up to her neck but her face fell when she felt nothing there. "Where's my necklace? What did you do with it? I never take it off!"

"I don't know. I didn't touch it." Klaus told her.

"We need to find it, Nik. Now, I want it back!"

"Tell me that's not what she needs, Rebekah!"

She turns to the coffin and starts looking around for it, when she doesn't she through the coffin over in her fit of anger. Thalia looked at Stefan to him with a concerned look on his face.