Hello, my lovely readers. This chapter is more than a little angsty because some secrets are revealed during an epic argument between two of the characters. On with the show…
Chapter 44: Of Broken Hearts and Drama Queens
"Is there an actual reason for these bloody things?" I questioned Damon as he moved closer tightening his bow tie.
"Yeah, to make us look like a bunch of idiots," Damon told me with a nod while I continued to struggle with my own tie. Grabbing me by the shoulders, Damon turned me around. "Man, you need to learn how to tie one of these things on your own."
I frowned as Damon tightened it, strangling me. "Don't kill him or his date will kill all of us because we didn't stop you," Enzo pointed out as he fixed his own tie without a problem. I found myself glaring at him as Marcel came in with a wide grin.
"I am going to have the cutest date," Marcel announced to all of us and I looked at him skeptically. He had been keeping his date to the formal ball that our school threw annually for the boys before we moved into their equivalent of a middle school, a top secret. "You can come in now," he called and a blonde girl of six years walked in wearing a light pink dress that dropped to her toes.
"Nik," the girl cried with glee as she came running toward me.
"Bekah," I replied, feeling astounded. "I've missed you, sister."
"Father sent me to the most awful school. They made us all dress alike and eat all the same food and then when we're bad the nuns hit us with rulers," Rebekah moaned, her lower lip stick out.
"That is awful," I said, wondering why Father would send her to a Catholic school.
"And I want to go home," Rebekah continued. "Can we please go home now, Nik?"
"Yes, you shall soon," Elijah called from the doorway, looking like a handsome devil as always while he adjusted a cufflink. Letting go of me, Rebekah went running to him.
"Elijah," Rebekah cried.
"Lijah," Kol yelled as he came into the room. He was suffering from another cold, this time from the winter air, and was dressed in pajamas as he wrapped his limbs around our brother's body.
"Rebekah. Kol," Elijah greeted them, pulling one of the siblings onto each of his thighs.
"Is this an exclusive party or can anyone join?" Sage called, popping her head around the door and grinning. I smiled back at her and then felt happiness fill me when Finn appeared. His head was almost fully shaven and he had lost far too much weight. Nearly all of my entire family was here so there was a reason to celebrate.
"Finn," Kol cried and then held out his arms. Elijah handed Kol over and adjusted Rebekah as the room was flooded with more new arrivals. Katherine came in with Mason who stumbled slightly over Katherine's skirt, earning him a glare from the teenage girl. Elena and Bonnie came in together being trailed by Caroline and Hayley. I quirked an eyebrow at Hayley as Elijah placed an arm around her waist and Elena glared at the couple while Katherine ignored them. Not that I was sure that they were a couple. Elijah's letters only said that they argued from time to time and then they were friends. So, who knew what they were.
Taking Caroline's hand, I led her out of the room. "You are beautiful," I told her and she grinned.
"I took like all day getting ready before we came over," Caroline informed me as we headed down the stairs with my roommates and their dates following us.
"Did you know that Enzo asked Bonnie to go with him?" Caroline whispered to me as we walked toward the dance floor that was already populated with my classmates.
"Really?" I replied.
"I think that he likes her," Caroline said with a giggle. "If he does then we can go on double dates next year." Unfortunately I knew that Enzo had asked Bonnie only because Maggie was at home with the flu. "Or we could make it triple dates with you, me, Bon, Enzo, Damon and Elena. If Elena and Damon are together next year because she likes someone else, too."
"Oh, and who is that?" I inquired when Damon tapped me on the shoulder.
"Want to switch?" Damon asked me as I looked at Caroline who nodded.
"Sure," I stepped back and took Elena's hand. Of course they had to put on a slow song and I was not in the mood to slow dance with Elena since she had many insulting things to say about Elijah in the last couple of months. Looking above her head, I watched Elijah who was slow dancing with Hayley who was trying to avoid the death glare that Katherine was giving her.
"This is a nice dance," Elena told me and I grunted my response. "Nik. What is wrong with you?"
Looking down at Elena, I pinned her with a glare. "Other than the fact that you have been saying horrid things about my brother every chance you get? Other than that there is nothing wrong with me, Elena," I told her quietly.
Elena scoffed. "Whatever, Klaus," she snapped and then looked around. "Marcel, switch with me and Klaus," she asked and Marcel nodded, looking at me questioningly. I rolled my eyes and I took my sister's hand and began to dance.
"I wanted to dance with Marcel," Rebekah whined, pouting and glaring at Elena. Stamping her foot, she found mine with her tiny foot that applied much more pressure than one might think and I groaned.
"Bekah, please watch what you're doing?" I snarled and Bekah glared at me.
"You're being mean," Rebekah cried. "I want to dance with Elijah." I opened my mouth to protest when she ran away from me and began to pull on Hayley's skirt and pointed at me. I groaned as Elijah took our sister's hand and his companion made her way toward me.
"Klaus," Hayley greeted me.
"Hayley," I replied, dutifully taking her hand and was leading her around the room when Katherine ran into us.
"Oh," Katherine giggled. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."
Hayley rolled her eyes and moved away from Katherine and across the room to dance with Marcel who had lost his dance partner to Diego. I looked around and found that Katherine was staring at me intently before shaking her head and walking away muttering something about if she wanted to be groped again by a kid she'd give me a call. I rolled my eyes as Caroline came over and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Are you having fun, Nik?"
"No," I replied.
Before I could speak further on the subject, there was a loud yell of "Get off of me," and my and Caroline's heads snapped in the direction of the noise.
Katherine had a hold of Hayley's wrist and looked like she was about to punch the other girl. "Stop it," Elijah thundered, taking Katherine by the shoulders and pulling her away from Hayley.
"She started it," Katherine yelled, pointing at Hayley.
"Damn straight I did," Hayley shot back. "You kicked me and shoved me, you crazy bitch."
"Oh, I'll show you what a crazy bitch looks like," Katherine snarled, making her hands into claws and trying to get past Elijah who picked her up by the waist and set her down out the reach of her nemesis. Mason was watching the scene unfold from the sidelines with a silver flask in his hand while Finn and Sage held Hayley back from trying to attack Katherine.
"Katherine, what is wrong with you?" Elijah demanded.
"She broke us up," Katherine shouted, waving at Hayley.
"You're drunk," Elijah said, looking disgusted. "Go upstairs and straighten yourself up."
"No," Katherine yelled, folding her arms over her chest. "I am not going to go. She should go. Home wrecker," she yelled at Hayley who glared back.
"Get over yourself, Gilbert," Hayley shouted. "That was ages ago and you're not being honest with yourself or anyone else. You and Elijah were over a long time before we got involved."
"That's not true," Katherine snarled. "If you had just kept your slutty little mitts to yourself, we'd still be together."
Elijah groaned, running a hand through his hair. "That is not true, Katherine."
"What?" Katherine gaped at Elijah who was shaking his head. "That's not true. Elijah, that is not true. You loved me."
"You cheated on me, Katherine. You lied to me and you cheated on me on Valentine's Day during our last year of middle school with Mason," Elijah told her coldly.
Katherine shook her head while tears ran down her cheeks. "You're wrong," she moaned.
"And what about the letters?" Elijah asked Katherine and she looked pale. "And the gifts that I found. The things that you hide from me for years. You cheated on me over and over again, Katherine."
"Elijah," Katherine cried, her voice coming out with a gulping sob. Wiping away the tears, angrily she stared back at him defiantly. "And what about the little French exchange student that you were kissing that one summer. Her name was Celeste, right?"
Elijah shook his head, "We've both done things, Katherine. We've both hurt each other. That is not all Hayley's fault."
"Yes, it is," Katherine yelled, stomping her foot. "If she hadn't come here you would have come back to me, like you always do." Glaring at Hayley, Katherine sneered. "Like he always will," she added.
"Not this time," Elijah told Katherine as he backed away and off the dance floor.
"Elijah," Katherine cried out, following him. "This isn't over. Come back here."
"Leave me alone, Katherine," Elijah yelled over his shoulder and he continued to walk away. Katherine chose not to adhere to his wishes and neither did anyone else in our group. We followed them out into the night to see how the situation would be resolved. "Get away from me," Elijah yelled when Katherine grabbed his arm, sobbing hysterically. "Just let me go."
"No, Elijah, no. You love me. It's always been me. It will always be me. Can't you see that? It doesn't matter that you slept with that trailer trash," Katherine waved at Hayley who once again had to be held back by Finn and Sage. "She's never going to be the one you want like you want me."
"Shut the hell up," Hayley shouted, her body trembling as she broke free from Sage and Finn and ran toward Katherine. Katherine turned and her fist connected with Hayley's jaw. The other teenager hit the ground and stayed there as blood began to pour out from the back over her head.
"Hayley," Caroline shouted, coming to stand over the teenager whose head had hit a rock. "Hayley," Caroline shrieked hysterically.
"Hayley," Elijah gasped, dropping down by her side. "Hayley. Dear God, Katherine, what have you done!" he yelled, looking down at Hayley whose face was becoming pale and then up at Katherine's eyes were wide with horror.
"I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to do that. Elijah, I'm… 'm sorry. Oh, my God," Katherine was gasping, backing into Mason who wrapped his arms around her trembling body.
"You killed her," Caroline shrieked. Getting to her feet, she moved very quickly toward Katherine. She began to punch and kick her until Finn and Sage pulled her off. "You're a monster," Caroline screamed, half-crazed with grief for her new family member that was no longer.
I could not seem to move. I had no idea what to do when something came flying toward Hayley and then Lexi who had been with Kol was crouched over the seemingly deceased teen girl. 'Hey, kid, come on, drink. Damn it, Hayley, drink the damn blood," Lexi was saying as she shoved her wrist into Hayley's mouth.
"Save her," Katherine moaned. "Please. I didn't mean to do that. I don't want her to die. Please, I didn't mean it. Please, Lexi, please," she begged sinking to her knees. "I didn't mean it. Please," she now had her hands on the ground and was slapping it in frustration as Hayley did not move.
"It was an accident, Katherine," Mason said as the others stood in a circle mutely. "There's nothing that you can do. You didn't know that rock was there." As he spoke, Katherine kept shaking her head.
"She's not dead. She can't be dead because then I killed somebody. I'm a murderer," Katherine moaned. "Elijah," she pleaded as Elijah turned to look at her with no emotion whatsoever.
Then there was the sound of a gasp and Hayley's chest filled with air as her eyes opened and she looked around confused. "What happened?" she asked, looking around. "Why are you all looking at me?"
"Nothing, honey," Lexi reassured her. "You fell and bumped your head. But I fixed you and you're going to be fine," she said and Hayley nodded.
"Elijah," Katherine called, pushing herself to her feet. She made her way toward him when he turned toward her and came to a stop when there was only an inch between them.
Taking Katherine's chin between his fingers, Elijah searched Katherine's eyes. "Katherine," he began and she attempted to smile at him as he smiled back. "I do not wish for you to ever call me or to address me when we see each other at school. If you need to see someone in my family do not come to my home. I do not ever wish for your shadow to so much as graze my own ever again. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" he questioned the girl who looked like he had reached inside her chest and ripped her heart out.
"Elijah, please, don't do this," Katherine begged as he began to walk away from her. She tried to follow him when he stopped and turned to her.
"Katherine, I dare you to start your life anew with someone else. To stop with your dangerous fantasy that we are meant to be one that nearly cost someone else her life. I dare you to leave me to my own life." Elijah ordered as he glared at Katherine who trembled but then the defiant gleam came back to her eye.
"Fine, Elijah. If that's what you want, then I accept your dare. Just don't come crying back to me when you realize that you made the biggest mistake of your life," Katherine told Elijah who nodded before walking away.
When Elijah was out of sight, Caroline came to stand with me. "I can't believe what Kat did. I can't believe it, Nik," she kept saying into my chest. "I would never hurt someone like that just because they liked someone that I liked. It is just wrong," she muttered into my shirt. I looked at Hayley who was trying to figure out why there was blood in her hair.
"I would not either," I swore to Caroline. Although I knew that this was not true. I was not sure what I would do to someone who came between myself and Caroline but I was sure that it would not end well for the other person.
"Do you want to go back to the dance?" I asked Caroline who looked at the others.
"Go ahead," Lexi called to us. "I'll make sure that there are no more near tragedies tonight."
"Okay," Caroline said, taking my hand, we walked back to the dance.
"Caroline," Elena called as we stepped back into the building. "I can't believe that you hit my sister over that thing you brought into your house," she cried and Bonnie came to stand close by to watch what was happening with a frown.
"Kat nearly killed Hayley over a boy," Caroline yelled at Elena. "They're just boys, Lena."
"So? Elijah was Kat's," Elena said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"No one belongs to anyone else, Elena," Caroline cried, waving her arms to empathize her point.
"So, you wouldn't care if some other girl liked Nik?" Elena protested.
"Nik likes me. That's what counts," Caroline shouted.
"And Elijah loves Kat," Elena yelled.
"No, he does not," Caroline shouted.
"Yeah, he does," Elena shouted back.
"I don't want to be friends with you anymore," Caroline shouted so loudly that Rebekah began to shout at them to stop it.
"Just stop it," Rebekah wailed causing Marcel to pick her up and carry her out of the area.
"I don't want to be your friend either," Elena yelled, folding her arms over her chest.
"Fine," Caroline said, folding her arms over her own chest.
"Fine," Elena retorted. Turning, she looked at Bonnie. "Bonnie, come with me," she ordered Bonnie who looked from Elena to Bonnie.
"No," Bonnie said, looking from Caroline to Elena. "I am not choosing. I'm just not." With that the witch strode out of the room and away from our group. Elena was the next to storm off. Enzo walked away, leaving me alone with Caroline and Damon.
"Did you still want to dance with me?" I asked quietly and Caroline shook her head with tears in her eyes.
"No, I just want to go home," Caroline said.
"Do you want me to walk you to your room?" I asked. It was awfully late for her to be walking across the campus by herself.
"No," Caroline replied with a slow shake of her head.
"Caroline, you can't go by yourself," I protested as she looked to Damon and I felt my stomach drop as I put the pieces together and realized that it was because of Elijah. Somehow she had found me guilty by association for Elijah's behavior that nearly cost someone she cared for their life, the same way she was blaming Elena. My world began to spin as Caroline asked Damon to walk with her. Was this how it would be now? Would she turn away from me and to the comfort of my best friend because I was Elijah's brother the same way that Father had sent me away because of Elijah's indiscretions? Sitting down at the bottom of the stairs, I could only stare numbly around me as I pulled the tie off and dropped it to the floor feeling utterly numb. It felt like I was losing everything.
Thank you to everyone who has faved, followed, read and/or reviewed this fic. And thank you to everyone who has faved or followed me as an author.
Guest: Thank you so much.
Ferrylis: Caroline knows just how to keep reminding Klaus to get over himself and I would say he needs that even in this story. She's kind of his anchor of sorts.
Scarletrose: I have no idea what happened last week but I suspect that I've lost reviews because sometimes this site is screwed up. Oh, and I sent you a PM answer to your review which you should have received as an e-mail from the FF site informing you of the PM but just in case you didn't see it or didn't receive it let me know and I can try again.
Rose: I know you are. Hmmm… Yes, and I'm looking forward to the third story because there is no way I'm having a middle school kid turned. For one thing it would be a little weird if Klaus spent his eternity in his twenties while Caroline was like thirteen. And it would risk they're be exposed and all kinds of other things I don't even want to get into.
Kol is kind of stuck out on his own and even though he could have tried to bond with the boys at the boarding school who were his age, he doesn't want to. He's kind of stubborn like that. That's part of the reason that he's really happy when he is reunited with Jer and Bekah. But I refuse to say when otherwise it would be a major spoiler.
Tippy093: Yes, they try to keep it together but they're nearing adolescence and everything is going to get messy for a time. That's kind of all I can say about that so far. Maybe I'll say more when the sequel is posted because there are some radical changes that shake the group up quite a bit.
Caroline might be the first to be turned. Even I'm not a hundred percent sure about that. We will have to see where the story takes us since the story writes itself and I am but the vessel that the words come out of. No, no kiddy vamps. Except for that one time with Stefan. It just would make it really hard for Klaus and Caroline to live their lives without risking be caught because people would be like "That's your wife? What kind of creep are you?" So, she will be a teenager, probably late teens, like the show. Maybe a little older, but no more than a year younger.
Peace,
Jessica