Katherine walked into Esther's loft. Despite being little more than a prisoner, she held her head high. Her heels clicking dramatically against the floor with each step. She might be a caged tiger, but that didn't mean she wasn't just as dangerous as ever. She wanted to make it perfectly clear that while she was a hostage, she was anything but a damsel in distress.
She stopped short when her eyes landed on Elijah. Her heart sped up, which she was sure he could hear, but he didn't even look in her direction. He stood with his back to her, adjusting his cufflink. To her surprise, he seemed at ease. At least as relaxed as Elijah ever looked.
Esther, on the other hand, oozed ease. She lounged on a sofa, looking as smug and satisfied as a cat that had just eaten the family canary. She didn't even look at Katherine, her gaze trained on her son.
"What the hell is going on?" Katherine asked, her gaze shifting from mother to son. She always felt ill at ease around the Original's mother, but Elijah's presence made her stomach turn. He didn't belong here in league with his mother, looking absolutely unconcerned with the unnatural situation.
"My mother and I have made an arrangement." Was all Elijah offered as explanation. His gaze flicked briefly to Katherine before returning his mother. "You no longer have any part in it. You are free, Katerina."
"What do you mean?" Katherine demanded.
"Your life is no longer bound to mine, my dear." Esther said.
"Why not?" Katherine couldn't help but feel suspicious and rather afraid of this change. Esther was not one to forfeit an advantage.
"She is no longer bound to you, because I have allowed her to bind her life to my own instead." Elijah explained, not looking at Katherine. She knew he would be well aware of her horror at this revelation.
Katherine felt as though she couldn't breathe properly, but she nodded and turned to leave.
Perhaps Katherine was good leverage against Elijah, but it was no wonder Esther had agreed to trade her for Elijah. Elijah was an original, why bind your life to a vampire when it could be bound to another far more indestructible.
Once she was outside, she leaned against the wall for support, trying to get a deep breath. She felt lightheaded and dizzy. Elijah had traded his life for hers, even knowing that made Esther an even greater threat to his family. Especially Caroline. Given the fact that he had killed her once already to save the annoying blonde, it just didn't make sense.
What on earth was he playing at?
Katherine knew she should get the hell out of town. Put as much space between herself and the whole damn Mikaelson family as possible. And if she was a bit wiser, she would have. But… She thought of Elijah and the way he'd barely acknowledged her presence, as though afraid that doing so would show something he couldn't afford to have seen, especially by Esther. Yes, he was up to something and for better or worse, she was going to find out what.
Caroline returned to her room after giving Stefan the vial. She stepped into her room to see Klaus sitting upright on her bed, his arms crossed and an annoyingly smug smirk on his face.
"I take it you've been spying?" Caroline gave him a look.
Klaus said nothing for a moment, just smirked. Well, smirking was better than homicidal.
"Alright… you were right about Stefan."
Klaus chuckled as she conceded.
"And you didn't believe me." He raised an eyebrow, his dimples showing as he smirked in a way she found both incredibly annoying and practically irresistible.
Caroline sat beside him on the bed. She didn't really want to be next to him, with rather annoying gloating that she didn't want to encourage, but she was tired of standing. Her ankles were so swollen she felt like her feet were about to explode.
Without asking, his hand went to her back, somehow knowing exactly where it ached the worse and gently kneading away the tension.
"Laugh it up," She snapped, half-heartedly. "Just remember now, before you annoy me too much. I have other options."
Klaus looked over at her, his smirk not faltering for a second.
"No you don't, love." He moved over her lightly pushing her to lie down as he pinned her under him, his dark eyes devouring her.
She rolled her eyes, even though he was making her heart do interesting things. "You're so annoying."
He shut her up with a kiss that almost made her heart stop.
"You don't have options, because nothing about our thing is optional." His eyes danced, his knee gently sliding her legs apart.
"We don't have a thing." She murmured as he kissed down her neck.
"You're right." His hand went to her stomach protectively. "Now we have two."
When Stefan got back to his room, Cami was dressed. She looked at him and flashed a sheepish smile.
"Were you planning to sneak out?" He asked, smirking slightly.
Cami picked up her purse. "Maybe not sneak… but I thought I should probably get out of here."
Stefan studied her for a long moment before speaking. "You knew what Caroline meant to me before we started this."
Cami pursed her lips, shifting her weight back and forth for a moment before looking up and meeting his gaze.
"I also knew what she meant to Klaus… I guess it's just a little different to go from hearing about a person to actually meeting them. To seeing how people look at them." Cami looked away, her cheeks darkening. "This is so stupid… I knew you were in love with her… I don't know why I'm letting it get to me."
Stefan frowned, because he knew what it felt like to love someone and see them in love with someone else. He'd experienced it with Elena and now again with Caroline.
He moved closer to Cami.
"Do you think this about the way I looked at her… or seeing her. Seeing her pregnant and knowing Klaus is the father. Knowing that you might have been able to get him to see you the way you see him if Caroline hadn't come back into his life, but seeing her… Seeing her just reminded you that all those hopes are lost."
Cami hugged her purse to her chest, her eyes watering. "Maybe."
Stefan nodded and offered her his hand. "Let me walk you home."
Elijah forced himself not to watch Katherine leave. He wanted more than anything to leave with her, to explain himself, but he knew better. It would not do either of them any good to give his mother further power. Esther was aware of Elijah's weakness for the Dopplegager, which he'd proven when he'd agreed to switch places with her. However, there was no need to tip his hand. No matter what his mother might suspect, there was no need to provide confirmation to her suspicions. She might suspect the feelings he harbored for Katerina Petrova were more than just a weakness, but he would not provide her with additional ammunition.
"And you have severed the link?" Elijah asked, glancing over at his mother as she busied herself with her spell book.
"I have. The Petrova girl is free to do as she pleases." Esther said.
Elijah could feel his mother's eyes on him, but he ignored her attention.
"Very well." He straightened the sleeve of his jacket and started in the direction of the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Esther called after him.
Elijah looked back at her. "We both know my invulnerability wasn't the only reason why you preferred me to Katherine. What use is a scared little vampire compared to your son, one of a few in existence for whom Niklaus harbors some degree of trust. You need me. Without me, you cannot get close enough to Caroline Forbes, not while she is under the protections of both Niklaus and the New Orleans witches. To get your hand on the cure, you need someone on the inside. That is why you wanted me."
He saw a small smirk creep onto Esther's lips.
"You always were my clever boy."
"And unless you wish to arouse Niklaus's suspicion, I must return." Elijah explained.
"And how do I know you will not run to your brother and tell him all about our arrangement."
"My life is literally in your hands, mother." Elijah met her gaze evenly. "What choice do I have?"
Sorry for the short chapter! I'm going to keep posting, but updates are going to be slow!
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