Hey Readers,
I do really hope you enjoy this chapter.
Sometimes it's hard to get the words out right…
And Kalijah shippers; don't fret.
Thanks guys!
Katherine awoke in an unrecognizable bathroom. She was sitting back, rested upon the bathtub and her right wrist was chained to the sink above her. The whole bathroom was brightly white and it blinded her eyes when she became semi-conscious. It looked like an expensive bathroom… she must have been somewhere lavish… no doubt Elijah had brought her here. She weakly pulled against the chains that bound her to the sink and moaned groggily at her failure.
I tried to kill an original within a room of other originals. How else was that crazy stunt going to end? I'm lucky I'm still alive… Katherine scolded herself in her haze.
The door to the bathroom was open but she couldn't see anybody outside the room, she must have been alone. Katherine squinted back up to her wrist and desperately began to pull against it.
If Elijah comes back and I'm still here… who knows what could happen to me. Katherine began to panic.
With one final burst of power Katherine broke through the chain and she was free from the sink. Dumbfounded at how easy that was, Katherine snuck silently out of the bathroom and into the living room… empty. It was an expensive hotel that's for sure. The large windows onlooking the streets were bordered with heavy, blue velvet drapes and the room was filled with glass and crystal lamps and chandeliers hanging from the tall ceiling. In the corner there stood a life size Greek marble statue, and around it was various couches and chairs.
Katherine quietly walked to the window and looked out… she didn't recognize the view. She knew immediately it was New Orleans but she had no idea where her bearings were and she had never seen this area of the city before. Which was very strange… she had been in New Orleans enough times to know all of the hotels in the area… right?
She continued to look around; there were at least four bedrooms, three bathrooms and one huge living room.
This is one nice frickin hotel. Katherine laughed to herself; of course Elijah had completely indulged in the hotel. He must have booked a penthouse…
Katherine searched for the door out of the rooms, or at least an elevator to get out of there… but to no avail. She could only see more and more rooms, and she increasingly became more and more confused. After a few moments of sneaking around she stumbled across a staircase in the far end of the building's floor. Katherine slightly leant over the banister and could just see more areas down the grand stairs. That's when it finally occurred to Katherine… this is not a hotel.
This is a house…no…. this is a mansion.
Katherine started to softly patter down the stairs, constantly on look out for anybody, but there was absolutely nobody around. She reached the bottom of the first half of the curving stairs and she walked around the flat ground to peer at another living area of the house. It was ridiculous; themed as red velvet, the furniture sat unused in front of a grand fireplace which was burning a strong orange and red fire which warmed the whole room. Katherine instantly stopped moving. The fireplace… it was being used.
Almost instantaneously as Katherine's recognition, she was being flung forward down the rest of the staircase, the air knocked out of her lungs and landing with a loud crash onto the hard, marble floor.
"I knew that chain couldn't hold you down." Elijah muttered calmly as he sauntered down the staircase, fixing his cufflinks after throwing Katherine down the stairs. He had, of course, been upstairs the whole time with Katherine, silently watching her and entertaining himself with her confusion.
Katherine groaned into the floor and stumbled back up to a standing position, turning to Elijah with blood red eyes, her veins popping and snarling her fangs at him. Immediately Katherine lunged at him, running towards him at full pelt, but Elijah ran at her as well, grabbing her neck and pushing her up against the back wall. He easily pressed her up against the wall and slightly lifted her off the ground, so all of her weight was being forced upon her strangled neck. Katherine grabbed at Elijah's hands but to no benefit, she was stuck.
"You have a thing for walls don't you?" Katherine choked out, smirking under his hold.
Elijah roared his fangs at her in response. "You betrayed me!" He spoke in a low threatening voice, pushing her even harder into the wall – creating a response of Katherine gasping for air.
"I'm Katherine." Katherine managed to say. "What do you expect?"
"I expect some loyalty." Elijah yelled.
Katherine began to look scared, her smile dropped and she clawed more at Elijah's hands. She wasn't used to seeing him so angry.
"Why do you get loyalty?" Katherine said in a labored whisper.
Elijah didn't answer but threw her down to the ground behind him and stood over her body.
"Where did you get that stake?" Elijah asked, once again composing himself.
"Guess." Katherine spat at him.
Elijah picked her up and pulled her face up to his, so he could whisper in her ear.
"Enough of your games, Katerina. Tell me now."
"The same people who want you all dead." Katherine snarled.
"The werewolves." Elijah didn't ask. He knew.
"I asked if I could help them out." Katherine smirked.
Elijah yelled out an angry cry and threw Katherine over to the other side of the room onto a chair at the fireplace.
"You've become very violent." Katherine said, rubbing her arm that was temporarily broken.
"Let us not forget, Katherine, that even though I may be collected in conversation, I am one of the most powerful creatures in the history of the world." Elijah threatened, his eyes dark with peril.
"Where's the stake?" Katherine asked.
"I. Destroyed. It." Elijah spat at Katherine, a staccato on each word. "You just said you spoke with the werewolves. I suggest you tell me what they're up to so I decide not to kill you."
"I don't know what it is, but I do know that they've done something which will really piss Klaus off." Katherine smiled.
"That's all you can tell me?" Elijah snarled.
"Yep! Well then! I guess I'll be off." Katherine smiled with a sinister look, and strutted towards the grand double doors, opposite the staircase.
Elijah laughed and stood in front of her, blocking her way. He grabbed Katherine around the waist and pulled her into him so his lips were at her left ear.
"You said we were going to play the game your way." Elijah whispered into her ear with a low threatening voice. "But you failed miserably. I suggest you stop fighting your battles alone… it never seems to work out for you."
"What are you getting at, Elijah?" Katherine answered, her voice becoming shallow.
"I think it's time I taught you a little something about loyalty. You may know how to manipulate everybody you meet but you'll find that creating alliances is much better in the future than making competitors. Which is why I suggest you should start to want to be on my side of the fight, Katerina." Elijah's hand traveled up Katherine's back and around her neck, to hold her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "The originals always come out on top."
Elijah then strolled away from her and deeper into the house. "Welcome to my home."
Caroline and Klaus drove once more in the Aston Martin through the American countryside, getting closer and closer to Mystic Falls. As soon as they had woken up, still in each other's arms, they had decided to keep travelling. It was still daybreak when they set off and now Caroline and Klaus sat in complete silence in the car. They were both hungry, more so, starving. Klaus needed to feed and soon. Caroline on the other hand pretended as though she wasn't thirsty for blood at all… living on a diet of mostly animal blood and blood bags meant that she couldn't drink from the vein, at least, not yet… and with no hospital in site, nor the time to hunt an animal, Caroline knew she didn't have a choice but to drink from the vein if she chose to admit she was hungry. However, Caroline wasn't anywhere near as capable at coping with hunger than Klaus and her constant squirming in her seat and her heavy breathing gave her away.
"Caroline, you need to feed." Klaus spoke to her calmly.
"No I don't!" Caroline snapped at Klaus. She had become exceedingly agitated due to her hunger.
"Caroline, I understand why you're refusing to feed. But I'll be there with you and I'll make sure you don't hurt anybody." Klaus said. He, himself, was becoming agitated now and he wanted this to be a short argument.
"I can't do it, Klaus. I'll just wait until I get to Mystic Falls." Caroline said quietly.
"Well I need to feed. You can stay in the car." Klaus said, sighing. He pulled over to a small café that was isolated in a farming area.
He slowly strolled inside to see a young girl behind the counter; the rest of the café was empty. Perfect Klaus thought to himself.
"Excuse me, Miss." Klaus purred, walking to the counter.
"What can I get you?" She smiled up at Klaus, brushing her waved black hair from her eyes.
"Your blood." Klaus whispered, tilting his head and his fangs appearing in his open lips and his eyes becoming dark.
"What?" The smiled at first, but then went white and tried to back away from Klaus. She reached over to grab a kitchen knife and she put it in front of her body, pointing the sharp serrated edge to Klaus.
Clever. Klaus thought to himself.
"Don't fight. Don't scream." Klaus calmly spoke, compelling her weak mind.
Caroline sat alone in the car, tapping her foot on the floor.
Ugh. I'm starving. Caroline thought, trying to distract herself by listening to the radio. All I need is a little blood, just a little bit of blood. As she thought about it, her fangs grew out of her gums and the veins under here eyes went black.
"Shit." Caroline cried, trying to distract herself from her own mind and her hunger.
So she thought about Klaus. But even as she thought of him, her mind travelled back to how he was currently drinking blood, and how badly she wanted it, and what he would look like feeding from the vein, and how much she wanted to see.
Then curiosity got the better of her.
Caroline stepped out of the car, and walked noiselessly to the café but upon seeing Klaus, she was frozen.
Klaus had his arms wrapped around a young girls waist and her body was standing limply, facing away from him. He had his head nuzzled into the side of her neck and blood was trickling down it. After a few seconds, Klaus pulled back and his lips were glistening with bright red blood. He looked up and breathed out in appreciation, while using one of his hands, to carefully brush the remaining of the girls' long curls from the side of her neck.
Watching him, Caroline was overcome with jealousy. That girl didn't deserve to be even touched by Klaus. No way in hell was Caroline going to stand by and watch this, but she couldn't force her body to go the girl, what if she killed her?
During Caroline's inner-war, Klaus sensed somebody watching him and was surprised to see Caroline when he pulled back. She awkwardly stood with her fists clenched and her chest heavily rising and falling because of her tension.
Klaus didn't say anything to her, he only smirked and lifted a hand to his lips and wiped a drop of blood from them. Reacting, Caroline's breathing hitched and she tightened her firsts, straining her whole arms.
Klaus could tell he was driving her crazy, which was exactly the reaction he was after, but he wanted to see how far Caroline could be pushed. He needed to see how willing she actually was to drink form the vein, how willing she was to access that darker part of her. But then again, this was the second time he had to go through this process with her. Of course she doesn't remember, but she had fed from the vein before, not a lot, but a few times. Klaus had helped her do it; it took a long time, if only she would remember now again.
"Caroline, you need to feed." Klaus repeated himself from earlier, only this time Caroline didn't reply… she only stood still, her eyes transfixed on the young girls neck. Klaus didn't dare move, Caroline looked like she was ready to pounce at the girl and she might kill her. Klaus, of course, couldn't care less if she did, but Caroline would hate herself.
"I'm happy to share…" Klaus smirked, laughing at Caroline's intense concentration.
Caroline bit her lip and tried to get rid of the veins under her eyes, but she couldn't deny her needs.
"Yes, thanks." Caroline faked confidence and walked up to Klaus and the girl.
"Here." Klaus said, lifting the young girls arm to Caroline, so that Caroline could drink from her wrist.
Caroline burned her eyes seductively into Klaus's and a smirk hinted at her lips. She pulled the girls arm up to her lips and bit into the skin, closing her eyes. She drank for a few moments, and moaned into her arm.
Caroline then pulled back and slowly wiped a drop of blood from her lips with her forefinger, intensely staring at Klaus.
Without saying anything, Caroline pulled the girls body away from Klaus and into her, so she could drink from the side of her neck. Before she leaned in, she licked her lips and smiled at Klaus. She was teasing him like crazy, and she got the reaction of a clenched jaw and hitched breathing from Klaus that she wanted.
As soon as her fangs pierced into the girls skin again, a memory quickly flashed passed her.
She was standing in an abandoned alley at night, pushing a young man up against a wall and aggressively feeding from his neck; Klaus was standing next to her and smiling, folding his arms against his chest and watching Caroline. She tried to stop feeding from him, she did, but her vampire instincts were far too strong. Klaus didn't try to stop her, he thought that letting her kill would help her embrace being a vampire… he had no idea of the ramifications. The limp body of the young man fell limply to the floor and Caroline stepped back in shock. She turned her head to Klaus and frantically wiped her bloodstained mouth.
"I just killed a person." She spoke quietly in shock.
Caroline stopped replaying the memory and pulled back away from the girl.
She wasn't letting that happen again.
"I stopped myself." Caroline smiled to Klaus. She carefully sat the girl down at a table chair. The girl looked blankly at Caroline as Caroline ran to the counter of the café to get napkins.
"You'll be okay." Caroline smiled sweetly at the girl and cleaned the wounds on her neck and wrist. Klaus simply smirked at Caroline, watching her. She was so caring. After she was done helping the girl, Caroline stood her up and took her behind the counter. "We were never here."
Caroline turned to Klaus and caught him staring at her.
"What?!" She laughed at him. Klaus didn't reply and she mockingly pursed her lips at him and turned away, walking outdoors to the car.
But as she started walking a hand gripped her arm and pulled her back around and suddenly Klaus's lips were crushing into Caroline's.
She reacted by gripping to his shirt and pulling her closer to him, while he held her head in between her hands. They both felt the kiss so intensely and Klaus pushed Caroline into the back wall of the cafe, pressing all of his weight into her. He pulled his lips away from hers and travelled them down to her neck, planting soft kisses. Caroline closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side so her neck was fully bare, still pulling Klaus closer to her by his shirt. Suddenly, Klaus's fangs pierced into Caroline and she gasped in response. It didn't hurt, well it did hurt… but in a bizarre way. It felt amazing… no.. more than that… it was euphoric. Caroline had fed on Klaus on more than one occasion, but she had no idea what it was like on the other side of it… it was like Klaus was holding the life of her in his hands and he could so easily drop it, but she couldn't help but let him. He fed on her for a few moments and Caroline had dropped her head back, breathing heavily in response. Eventually he pulled back and Caroline drew his lips back on hers. Klaus pressed his fist onto the wall behind her and pushed himself back away from her. He laughed at how forward he was becoming with her and his dimples appeared on his cheeks.
"Sorry." Klaus laughed at the still shocked Caroline.
"Don't apologize for that." Caroline breathed, brushing her mussed hair down.
"I really have to get you home." Klaus said, taking Caroline's hand and dragging her back to the car.
Caroline couldn't stop staring at Klaus in the car, she was in absolute awe of him and she still couldn't get over what he had done before.
"I'm sorry if I shocked you." Klaus smirked, like he was reading Caroline's thoughts. "I forgot that you weren't used to that."
So he had obviously done that before. Caroline blushed.
"I'm surprised I forgot about that…" Caroline giggled, brushing her hair with her hands. "I thought you were going to teach me to fight today!" Caroline remembered and scowled at Klaus.
"We both got distracted, Caroline." Klaus chuckled, turning to look at Caroline, who was staring back, her eyes wide.
After a few more hours of conversation and laughing, they both arrived at Mystic Falls, late at night.
"Home." Caroline breathed out, smiling.
Klaus picked up her bag and opened her car door for her, which was parked outside Caroline's home. They walked together to the front door and Klaus put down her bag so he could pull her into another kiss.
"I'll come see you tomorrow." Klaus whispered and turned to walk back to his car.
Caroline smiled after him and then turned to the front door to go inside, no doubt her mother would have the whole of the Mystic Falls police force out looking for her. In fact, Caroline hadn't even thought about contacting her mother.
"Shit." Caroline swore under her breath.
She knocked on the door, but it wasn't closed properly and it slowly swung open from the force of Caroline's knock.
"Mum?" Caroline called out in the house. She dumped her bag by the front door inside and looked around the house. "Mum?!"
Caroline walked to her kitchen and immediately noticed that a glass was smashed on the bench and a knife was lying next it.
"Mum?" Caroline called again, panicked.
She ran to the living room and noticed that her mothers gun was lying on the floor in front of a chair lying on its side.
Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Caroline hyperventilated.
Caroline ran outside again as Klaus was just about to drive away.
"Klaus!" Caroline screamed at the car.
He jumped out of the car and ran to her.
"What's wrong?" Klaus asked, clenching his jaw and looking over her head to back inside the house.
"I can't find my mum. There's something wrong. The house wasn't locked and things are smashed and she doesn't have her gun with her." Caroline panicked, turning back to the house, as panicked tears run down her cheeks. "What happened to her?"