Chapter Nineteen
'Come on, keep up!' Elena teased, running ahead of me; she was trying to make me chase after her but in all honesty I was perfectly fine with her being in front. I had woken up at ten this morning when Klaus had gotten up, and deciding that I needed to see my sister I had showered after Klaus and gotten dressed in the clothes Bekah had lent me yesterday before we'd changed into pyjamas for the movie day. Once I was finished I had met Klaus down stairs and kissed him, a brief peck in goodbye, but that hadn't been enough and he had pulled me back; he kissed me in a way that left us both breathless and wanting more. Thankfully, Rebekah started shouting him for upstairs; otherwise we knew exactly what that would have led to. As soon as I had hugged Bekah goodbye I made my way home, and the first thing my dear sister did was force me out on a run with her. Joy.
'Listen, I'm going as fast as I can, Lena!' I groaned, glaring at her when she laughed.
'I thought you'd be in a better mood this morning with the hybrid sex you had last night,' Elena teased, running backwards as she winked at me.
'What- how did you-' I cut off when she started laughing, a reluctant smile pulling up the corners of my lips as I realised I had fallen for the oldest trick in the book.
'Well, I figured you and Klaus couldn't resist each other under the same roof, and it looks like I was right,' she winked again and I ran a little faster to gently shove her shoulder, making us both laugh.
'You were definitely right,' I muttered.
'So I'll take it he's good?' Elena asked, her brows rising suggestively.
'Incredible,' I admitted, looking around to make sure no one could hear us, Elena found my paranoia hilarious.
'Well, I suppose he does have a thousand years of experience,' Elena replied.
'Don't I know it' I mumbled, too low for her to hear, as I did, I couldn't help but flash back to this morning; we hadn't immediately gotten out of bed.
'Morning, love,' Klaus said, his voice husky from having just awoken.
I leaned up, placing a kiss on the pulse point on his neck before I pulled away, 'good morning.' I mumbled, knowing he would be able to hear me. I rested my head in the crook of his neck, inhaling, he smelled as incredible as he always did. One of his hands rested around my waist while the other absentmindedly traced patterns on my bare shoulder. I had never felt more relaxed than I did in that moment, but I realised with a sigh that I had to go home at some point.
'We should probably-' I was cut off when Klaus suddenly flipped us, so that I was lying underneath him, his whole body pressed against the top of mine, 'or not,' I chuckled.
He smiled softly before he leaned down, his lips about to connect with mine when he moved at the last second and kissed my cheek. I slapped his shoulder, which made him chuckle playfully. He went to kiss my lips again only to move at the last second again and kiss my other cheek. I huffed in annoyance; my lips were tingling in anticipation, desperate to feel his mouth on mine. I looked up to him and saw the playfulness glittering in his eyes, and despite my exasperation I couldn't help but smile softly; I had never seen this side of him before and I liked that he was comfortable enough to act this way around me.
I pouted playfully, 'it's not nice to tease, you know.'
'Is that so, love?' He said, smiling and leaning forward so that his lips were a hairs width away from mine.
'Mmm hmm.' I hummed, too distracted by his proximity. I lifted my head slightly and connected our lips. Klaus released a pleasurable groan as one of his hands went to the back of my head, as if he was worried I'd move away, while the other went to my waist, pulling my hips flush against his. I moaned when I felt how much he wanted me. I bit his lip, silently asking him to deepen the kiss; with a growl of approval he did, lining himself up against my entrance as he did so. When he dominated the kiss, he entered me in the same moment, making a deep moan erupt in my throat. He moved in and out of me slowly, his pace the most pleasurable torture I was sure I would ever endure. I dug my heels into his ass, silently asking him to go faster, but he didn't. His lips moved away from mine, going to my neck where he sunk his human teeth into the same spot he had bitten me last night, making me moan. I realised that all of the other times we had been intimate in this way it had consisted of uncontrollable hunger, but this time was different. The gentleness was making my whole body tingle as if he was touching nerve ending in my body… and I knew he was showing me how he felt about me through his actions. It was as if… he was making love to me; the thought of that made my heart beat pick up even more. We both reached our climax at the same time, gazing into each other's eyes as the pleasure consumed us. He rested his forehead against mine and placed a tender kiss on my lips, which I returned, before he pulled back and gazed at me with a soft expression on his face. I caressed the side of his face, liking the way he leaned into my touch, before I placed a soft kiss on his lips. Eventually he pulled out of me and offered me the shower first but I declined and told him he could go first. As soon as he closed the door I lay there with a huge smile on my face as I stared at the ceiling, feeling happier than I ever had.
'Kim? Hello?' Elena's shouting voice snapped me out of my thoughts, just in time too as I moved to the side to avoid running into a man walking his dog.
'Yeah?' I asked, looking over to her when I felt her concern.
'Where were you just then?' She continued with a knowing look on her face when she saw the grin I was still wearing, 'ahh daydreaming, were we?'
I just shrugged, not giving anything away, telling others about this morning, even my sister, felt wrong. That was a moment just for us, no one else.
'Yeah, yeah,' she laughed, but her expression softened when she noticed that the grin didn't fall from my face, 'it's good to see you so happy, Kimmie.'
'Thank you.' I said, squeezing her arm affectionately as we made our way back to the house.
I immediately went up stairs to shower while Elena went to get some water. When she realised what I had done she wouldn't be happy; which was confirmed when she shouted up the stairs to me and called me a cheat. I just laughed before stepping under the warm spray. I wasn't too long in the shower, even though I washed my hair; I heard the doorbell ring and I had the sudden urge to get out of the shower as fast as I could. Once I was finished I dressed, pulling on a black vest top and black high waisted shorts before I rushed downstairs. I found Elena and Ric in the kitchen; I could feel that they were both concerned and I noticed that Ric had some weapons laid out on the table.
'What's going on?' I asked.
'Your baby sis is the number one suspect in a murder.' Damon's voice said, confusing me until I saw the phone on the table.
'What murder?' I murmured.
'Brian Walters,' Elena said, giving me a look; she had told me about the man who had been staked like a vampire on the night of the founders party, 'the Sheriff found my finger prints on the weapon used to kill him; the stake is from the set that Mom and Dad kept at the lake house.'
'Well… did you do it?' I teased, trying to lighten the mood a little. Damon laughed and Ric smiled softly but Elena just rolled her eyes.
'She doesn't think that I did it. She just wants to find out why someone used our family's weapons to kill a council member.' Elena said, sounding concerned; I sent her a wave of reassurance, happy when she calmed a little.
'Well, why don't you ask Ric if his dirty little doctor had access to the weapons?' Damon said, his tone mocking.
'You're on speakerphone, dick.' Ric muttered as if Damon didn't already know that. I felt bad for Ric; he was actually moving on from Jenna and the first girl he showed an interest in was looking more psychotic by the second.
'I'm just saying the first suspect is usually the right one. Don't get so defensive.' Damon replied.
'Brian Walters was killed days ago, right? I didn't show Meredith this stuff until last night!' Ric said, getting more and more agitated, I took his anxiety and sent him a wave of calm as a replacement.
'It wasn't Meredith.' I said, my voice sounding sure.
'But he was her ex boyfriend and Ric saw them fighting that night.' Damon argued.
'Well I'm telling you it wasn't her,' I responded, completely sure; if it was her I would know.
'Who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?' Damon said, changing the subject.
'Who doesn't? I have weapons stashed everywhere, the loft, here, the school and your car.' Ric answered.
'It's Klaus. It has to be, he's screwing with us.' Damon muttered.
'It's not Klaus. He was saving me from Stefan's psychotic break that night, remember?' I defended, rolling my eyes at his suggestion.
'What if it was Stefan? He was crazy that night, he would have done anything.' Elena proposed.
'He was crazy trying to get Klaus to break. He wouldn't have attacked a human because Klaus wouldn't have cared, and if he did I'm sure it wouldn't have been with a steak in his heart.' I said, shaking my head as I considered Stefan briefly before I dismissed the idea.
'She's right. Anyway I gotta go, you'll know more later.' Damon replied, sounding distracted.
'Hey, where are you?' Elena asked.
'Tea with an old friend,' his tone told me that he was smirking at his own joke.
I frowned at the phone right before it went dead, wondering what the hell he was up to, whatever it was I didn't like it. Meaning that it probably had something to do with Klaus; did that mean he was with Bonnie trying to get the coffin open? I didn't have much time left to ponder it as Ric snapped me out of my thoughts.
'Hey, are you okay?' He asked, sounding genuinely worried.
'Yep, never better,' I said, walking to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. I looked over to him when I felt his disbelief and raised my brow in question. I noticed Elena was gone and figured she'd gone to take a shower now that the bathroom was once again free.
'You've been M.I.A since the founders party.' He said, answering my raised eyebrow look, but I knew there was more, more that he wasn't saying.
'And you think I've been held at Klaus' mansion against my will?' I guessed continuing when he looked a little guilty, 'after what Stefan did, I didn't want to be alone, so I asked Klaus if I could stay with him for the night. The next day Bekah said we were having a girls day and honestly I couldn't remember the last time I did something so normal so I accepted. I was there of my own free will, Ric. I get that you might not understand my relationship with the family, and I'm not asking you to, all I ask is that you respect it.'
Ric stared at me for a long moment and I felt the admiration coming off him as he considered my words, 'of course.' He eventually answered. I smiled at him in thanks and started to prepare something for lunch, figuring we all needed it. I decided to make each of us an omelette; Elena had broccoli and cheese, while Ric and I had cheese and ham. I had just laid Elena's down on a plate when she walked back into the room, fresh from her shower.
'Is that an omelette?' She said, her voice bright as she eyed the plate.
I laughed at her eagerness, passing her the plate along with her cutlery, 'you bet your ass it is,' I replied with a wink.
She practically skipped to the table, eating her lunch before I could even sit down with my own.
'Hungry?' My voice was amused as I cut into my food.
'That and I'm meeting Care at the hospital; she's picking up her dad.'
'Oh that's good; if he's being discharged that means he's okay, right?' I asked, already knowing the answer.
'Yup. Meredith healed him with vampire blood; you can only imagine how pleased he probably is about that.' Elena said as she put her now empty plate into the dishwasher before she made her way to the front door.
I snorted but otherwise didn't respond. She left soon after and Ric followed her, saying something about going to his loft to grade papers. I decided to give Bekah a call and see if she was free to do anything, despite the fact that I had spent the whole day yesterday with her- she couldn't be sick of me yet, right? She picked up on the third ring and I could hear the excitement in her voice.
'Kim! I was just going to call you! Guess what!' She squealed, and I found myself grinning, her happiness contagious.
'They're having a sale at the mall?' I guessed.
She laughed, 'good guess, but no. Matt asked me out on a date.'
'Really? Bekah, I'm so happy for you! When are you going out?' I asked.
'In ten minutes. We're going for a hike and taking a picnic with us, it's going to be an all day date and I am so excited.' I could tell she was grinning.
'Have fun, and I expect all details after,' I said.
'You'll get them all, don't worry. Oh and don't tell my brothers.' She whispered, making me laugh seeing as she had basically shouted the rest of the conversation.
'I won't,' I promised.
'Bye, Kimmie. Love you.'
'Love you too, Bekah. Bye.' I hung up the phone and looked around the suddenly huge, empty house. I hated how alone I felt, so I decided to clean to provide myself with a distraction, which took a lot longer than I was expecting; it looked like no one had cleaned up after themselves in the few days I had been gone. I was just finishing putting fresh sheets on to Jeremy's bed, having already done mine and Elena's when my phone rang from my back pocket. I answered it without checking the caller I.D.; I balanced it between my ear and shoulder as I continued to make up Jeremy's bed.
'Hello, princess. Drop whatever you're doing, you're coming to dinner with me and Stefan.' Damon's voice infiltrated my ear.
'No thanks, I'm good.' I replied, not missing a beat, I huffed when I couldn't get Jeremy's pillow to stay straight.
'What are you doing?' Damon asked curiously.
'Making Jeremy's bed.'
'Well, you deserve a break. You agree? Great! We'll pick you up in thirty minutes, dress nicely we're going to a good restaurant.' Damon said, hanging up before I could reply.
I sighed in annoyance when I heard the phone click off. I knew that if I didn't get dressed he would just drag me out of here against my will. I didn't know why he wanted me to come, but I was curious to find out. I finished straightening Jeremy's sheets before I went to Elena's room and rooted through her closet. Nice meant a dress and I didn't own any; I decided on a dark blue lacy skater dress that cut off half way down my thighs. I brushed my hair, leaving it down like I always did; I added my black flats and Elena's leather jacket before I made my way down stairs. I heard Damon's car pull up and I put my phone in my jacket pocket and grabbed my keys, locking the door before he had the chance to even leave his car. I climbed in the back seat and slammed the door before I looked between the both of them suspiciously.
'What are you up to?' I asked bluntly.
'Ah, ah, ah, it's a surprise,' Damon said, but I knew that it wasn't going to be a good one.
'You have got to be kidding me.' I shouted, completely pissed when he pulled up to the Mikaelson mansion.
'Nope,' Damon smirked, opening his own door before he opened mine, which could have been interpreted as courteous, but I knew he did it to make sure I actually left the vehicle.
'I am not getting in the middle of your pissing contest.' I said, crossing my arms defiantly once I had climbed out of the car.
'You won't, princess.' Damon promised, but I didn't believe him; he wanted me here to keep Klaus distracted, probably to buy more time so that they could open the coffin.
I was about to tell him where he could shove his promises when the door opened, Elijah greeting us with an amused look on his face. I gave him a bright smile and a friendly hug before I pulled away.
'Elijah! How are you?' I asked, ignoring the surprise from Stefan and Damon at how friendly I was with the older Mikaelson.
'Very well thank you, Kimberly. And yourself?' He asked, his tone polite but I could tell he was amused at Damon and Stefan's reactions as well.
'I was until I got tricked into being here.' I said honestly.
'Ah, well I'm sure you'll still have a lovely evening.'
'As long as I'm not put in between the idiotic vampires and the unkillable hybrid I'm sure it'll be a fabulous evening,' I said, stepping around Elijah as he gestured for me to enter.
He moved back in front of the Salvatore brothers, blocking their exit as I made my way into the house, figuring he was going to offer some kind of warning I continued to enter without waiting. As I made my way into the dining room I eyed the clearly compelled servants with a roll of my eyes, not surprised in the slightest. I heard a throat clearing and looked in the direction it came from to see Klaus standing behind the head chair to my right. He smiled softly at me when he met my eyes and I knew that without a doubt I was giving him the same look. I went to step over to him but before I could he was suddenly in front of me. His lips were on mine, giving me a short but passionate kiss, that left us both breathless when he pulled away, he kissed my forehead gently before he flashed back to where he had been standing. I frowned in confusion until I heard footsteps approaching behind me; he didn't want the Salvatore's to see how he acted towards me, and after what Stefan did the other night I understood. I made my way to the opposite end of the table and sat down on the chair to Klaus' far left, I avoided the other main seat, figuring Elijah would probably sit there. I looked over to Klaus and noticed that the shutters came down and his expression became unreadable, though I could feel his anger as Damon and Stefan as they stepped into the room.
'Niklaus our guests have arrived,' Elijah announced his arm outstretched as he gestured to the two brothers behind him.
'Damon. Stefan. Elijah tells me, you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?' Klaus said, smiling dangerously as he gestured for them to sit at the table.
'Ahem,' I cleared my throat waiting to be acknowledged, Klaus gave me an amused look before he amended himself.
'Like civilized men and woman' he smiled at me before he looked back to the Salvatore's expectantly, his expression becoming cold.
'It's better to indulge him,' Elijah warned as he made his way into the room and took the other head seat to my left.
Damon moved forward and took the seat to my right, while Stefan didn't move an inch, I could feel his hatred for Klaus and I raised my brow at him, silently telling him to bite the bullet and take a seat. He didn't.
'I didn't come here to eat, Klaus.' Stefan said.
'Speak for yourself, I was promised food.' I muttered, sharing an entertained smile with Elijah when I felt his amusement.
'You'll get your food princess, don't worry,' Damon rolled his eyes.
'I better, you do not want to see me when I'm hungry.' I warned.
'You forget I already have, I nearly lost a hand,' Damon said seriously.
'That'll teach you to not try and take food from a hungry woman.' I stuck my tongue out at him, it was childish, but I didn't care. Damon just laughed at me, but I knew he had taken my threat seriously. I felt jealously coming from the other end of the table and I looked over to meet Klaus' eyes giving him a 'don't do this again' look. He glared at me for a moment but calmed down when I sent a wave of reassurance his way. We all looked to Stefan when he started speaking again.
'I didn't want to come here at all, but I was told I had to, cause you could hear us out,' Stefan mumbled grumpily.
'Stefan just sit down for god sake. Or stomp your feet and your imitation of a five year old throwing a tantrum will be complete.' I snapped, irritated with his stubborn behaviour, he glared at me for a moment, before he complied. I could feel everyone's surprise that he had listened to me, but I wasn't stunned in the slightest; I could feel Stefan's guilt when he looked at me. I took it and sent him a wave of reassurance to replace it. He gave me a grateful smile and I returned it, silently letting him know while what he had done was stupid and reckless, I did forgive him.
The waitresses' laid the food down on the table and I tucked in without hesitation. I went to reach for the wine that had been laid in front of me, but hesitated; looking up to Klaus only to see his eyes were already on mine.
'Is this one of the waitresses?' I asked, holding up the glass in his direction.
He only smirked in answer; I huffed in annoyance and offered it to Elijah instead. I reached for my glass of water, grateful that attendant wasn't the only form of beverage available. I cringed away from the waitress that was bending over next to me as she filled Damon's empty glass.
'Thank you, love' Damon said, eyeing her behind as she walked away. I snorted and rolled my eyes at how obvious he was being; he gave me a look but I didn't elaborate. Instead I continued to eat my food, enjoying the different flavors in my mouth. Delicious.
'You lost your appetite,' Klaus commented, looking over to Stefan who wasn't touching his food.
'Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave grumpy Stefan at home,' Damon said, his voice a little sarcastic but I could hear the annoyance in his tone over his brother's behaviour.
Stefan and Damon shared a look before Stefan reluctantly started to eat his food, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
'That's the spirit! Isn't it nice? The five of us dining together? Such a treat,' Klaus smirked, his eyes twinkling darkly.
'I don't know why you're being sarcastic, I'm delightful,' I said, frowning at Stefan and Damon when they started laughing, 'why are you laughing?'
'Delightful, that's a good one,' Damon winked, laughing even more when he saw my disbelieving expression.
'No manners,' I said elbowing Elijah and gesturing to the two brothers.
'Indeed,' Elijah agreed, also amused.
'Anyway… I think I cut you off in the middle of a monologue, do continue.' I gestured to Klaus, ignoring his smirk.
'Ah yes, where was I?' He thought for a moment, 'is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?'
'Wait, you didn't undagger him?' I said, looking over to Stefan and Damon when Nik shook his head to my question, 'what are you up to?' I asked them, a ball of worry growing in my gut.
'That is exactly what I'd like to know,' Nik muttered, also glaring at the Salvatore brothers.
'Nothing, I figured I knew how he felt about you, so the more the merrier,' Damon winked at Elijah before he continued to eat. I wasn't convinced; I could feel the deceit coming from Damon and Elijah but there was nothing I could do with just a feeling, I could only try and figure it out.
'Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries, but we always make it through,' Nik assured them, but I could feel that he wasn't quite so sure over Elijah's feelings towards him at the moment.
'Kind of like you and Rebekah, right? When she helped us lure Mikael here to help him kill you.' Stefan said, his tone snarky.
'If you're referring to the fact that I killed our Mother, I've already come clean to Elijah,' Nik said, his eyes briefly flashing to mine as he lied; I had been the one to fill Elijah in last night, apparently he didn't want them to know that.
'Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad? You might want to dial down the judgment until dessert.' Damon said to Stefan, his tone sarcastic with a hint of warning.
'We came here to make a deal, Damon. Not kiss his ass for seven courses.' Stefan said, his comeback making me snort in amusement, but when I had fully processed his words I was confused.
'A deal?' I looked between Klaus and the Salvatore brothers, 'what deal?'
'Odd that you didn't tell her, gentleman,' Klaus said, looking suspicious.
'We knew she wouldn't come if we did.' Damon lied; I could feel the dishonesty coming from him.
'I'm only going to ask one more time. What deal?' My tone booked no room for argument as I glared between the two younger vampires to my right.
'We'll get to it later in more detail, but basically they are using the final coffin as a bargaining chip. They want to make a deal in order for me to get it back.' Klaus explained, as he said the words I knew that though Klaus believed this to be the reason for the meeting, it wasn't at all; they were stalling for time.
'Well if you wanted to be deceptive you probably shouldn't have invited the empath. Not the smartest idea you've ever had.' I ground out as I glared at Damon, who was meeting my glare with one of his own.
'Stefan. Where is the lovely Elena tonight?' Elijah asked, breaking into the conversation before Nik could ask me what I meant, and I wondered if he knew what they were planning to do with the coffin as well. But a twitch in the back of my mind told me there was something I was missing.
'I don't know. Ask Damon,' Stefan answered, sounding like a teenager with attitude, making me roll my eyes.
Klaus laughed and clapped his hands together in amusement, I shook my head at his reaction before I turned to Elijah to explain, 'they're in a bit of a love triangle at the moment.'
'Ah, I see,' Elijah said, and I felt a wave of understanding come from him as he glanced between the two brothers somewhat sympathetically.
'One more word about Elena and this dinner is over,' Stefan warned.
'Well… seeing as this whole dinner is to make a deal that will most likely involve her, she's gonna come up at some point Stefano,' I muttered, winking at him when he glared at me. Damon and Klaus laughed while Elijah's lips twitched to convey his amusement.
'Let's just put Elena on the do not discuss pile until we make the deal,' Damon suggested.
'That's probably a good idea,' Klaus agreed, but he had a mischievous glint in his eye and I knew he was up to something, 'it's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?'
I felt Elijah tense beside me, hinting to his reluctance to discuss the subject and if I was honest I don't think I wanted to hear it either; Elijah's sympathetic glance earlier and Klaus now bringing up a past doppelgänger gave me the feeling this was their love triangle.
'Why would we discuss matters that have long since been resolved?' Elijah said, his tone calm as he lifted his napkin and repositioned it on his lap, but I could feel the unwillingness coming off him.
'Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katarina, and with Kim being Elena's sister, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line.' Klaus said, his eyes landing on me for a moment before he forced himself to look away.
'We aren't going anywhere, Elijah. Do tell,' Damon winked playfully, before he took a sip of his wine.
'When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia. She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus.' Elijah started; I kept my eyes on him, refusing to look at Klaus when I felt an unexpected twinge of jealousy.
'I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much.' Klaus disagreed, his voice a little bitter.
'So you were both in love with the same girl?' Stefan clarified.
Elijah nodded before he continued, 'our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed the spell, which turned us into vampires. Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us, so for a time Niklaus and I...grew estranged. Harsh words were traded; we even came to blows, didn't we, brother?'
'Until we realized the sacred bond of family,' Nik murmured, holding up his glass.
'Family above all,' Elijah said holding up his own glass, they toasted and drank.
'Well from the sounds of it you're better off without her anyway,' I muttered before taking a sip of my drink.
'Why would you say that, love?' Klaus asked, I could feel his amusement but when I looked up to meet his eyes I noticed that he had schooled his expression to look blank.
'She wouldn't chose, she was obviously just stringing you both along,' I said, meeting Klaus' eyes unflinchingly, I felt his amusement grow, but he was doing a very good job of hiding it; he was enjoying the fact that I was jealous.
'Much like Elena is with the Salvatore's?' Nik countered.
'That is a completely different and very complicated situation. She will choose, I know she will and in all fairness she isn't with either of them right now.' I argued.
'So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?' Elijah broke into the conversation, likely because he didn't want the argument to get more heated.
'Yes, let's do that I'm very interested in where you're going to go with this,' I said glancing between Stefan and Damon as I sipped my drink.
'That's very simple. Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange; he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, Kim and Elena live happily ever after. No grudges.' Damon's voice was casual as he drank the rest of the wine in his glass after his pitch.
'The deal sounds fair, brother.' Elijah commented.
Klaus and I shared a 'no way in hell' look before he turned back to Damon to respond to his offer, 'I don't think you understand; Elena's blood assures that I will always be able to create more hybrids to defend myself against those who oppose me. Kim's visions and senses assure that I will always be a step ahead of my enemies; I would never leave them behind.' Klaus said his tone final.
'Why don't we just cut to the real reason for this dinner?' I started, standing so abruptly that my chair fell to the floor, 'you're stalling for time so that Bonnie can get that coffin open, but I'm telling you now it is a bad idea.' My tone was laced with warning and panic as I thought about the coffin actually being opened, I didn't know what or who was in it; I just knew that whatever it was created a solid ball of dread in my gut.
'I am going to get some air,' Damon said, giving Stefan a weak smile before he stood and made his way out of the room.
'Let me deal with this,' Elijah murmured, standing from the table and exiting the room following after Damon, leaving me frowning after them both.
'Am I really that bad at intimidation that people just walk out of the room when I flat out accuse them of something?' I wondered aloud, looking over to Klaus when I heard him chuckle.
'It seems so, love. But thank you for the heads up,' he smirked.
'Did you two want me to leave as well or…?' Stefan said, snapping my gaze from Klaus' as I rolled my eyes at him.
'No need.' Klaus said, before he motioned to one of the waitresses, she walked over him and I ignored the stab of jealousy that flared within me as he brushed the hair from her neck, 'all that talk has made me thirsty, care to join me for a drink?' He leaned down, his hybrid face coming forward before he bit into her neck. I took the woman's pain and confusion and sent her calmness as a replacement. Stefan and I shared a look, rolling our eyes as Klaus drained the woman of her blood; for a moment it was as if we were travelling on the road again, like we had over the summer. I saw a brief flicker of the Stefan I knew before it was gone just as fast as it had appeared. We both looked over when we heard a thump to see the woman lying on the floor, dead.
'Delicious, aged to perfection,' Klaus smiled as he wiped the blood from around his mouth. I hate to admit it but that made my jealousy flare up again; I was offended by the idea of him enjoying her blood more than mine and I refused to meet his eyes, knowing he would be able to see it.
'Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother.' Stefan murmured, drawing my attention to him.
'Oh no, you're doing that well enough on your own. Because of Elena, you're gonna lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame.' Klaus smiled devilishly.
I walked over to Stefan and placed my hand on his shoulder, squeezing comfortingly and amplifying the reassurance I was sending his way, 'you're not going to lose your brother,' I promised.
Stefan smiled softly at me and was about to respond when Damon and Elijah rejoined the party.
Damon wasted no time injecting himself into the conversation, 'what do you say, Klaus? It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter.'
'Okay. I offer Elena and Kim's future happiness. You see, what Elena needs right now is to be rid of you lot. And to fall in love with a human, maybe that nice football player, you know the blond one?'
'Matt Donovan, really?' Damon scoffed.
'Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family.' Klaus smiled.
'Well for one she's not in love with Matt Donovan.' I muttered.
'That doesn't matter to him; all that he wants is to continue the Petrova bloodline. Every few hundred years, he'll have a new doppelgänger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right Klaus?' Stefan said, his tone annoyed.
'Consider it a small return on my investment in her well being. See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life. As well as her sisters.' His eyes flickered to mine before he looked back to Stefan and Damon, 'you know it's what's best for them.'
'I swear I've told you about this being the twenty first century and women having their own voices before, Nik.' I muttered, shaking my head at all of them; I knew this deal was bogus and just being used as a distraction but I didn't like the idea of my future being decided for me.
'Nik? Since when do you call him Nik?' Damon asked, surprised.
I opened my mouth to reply but stopped short when I realized that I couldn't remember when I had started calling him that, so I just shrugged in answer instead. I looked over to Klaus and noticed his eyes were soft as he met my gaze and that's when it clicked; yesterday when I had called him Nik when Elijah had been un-daggered, when I had said it to him the morning that Rebekah had came into his room and woke us both up, the surprise his siblings felt, as well as himself paired with him being pleased. He liked me calling him Nik, he softened every time I did, I just hadn't made the connection until then. I don't know how long we were staring at each other for, but my gaze was broken when Stefan made his way over to Klaus.
'What are you doing?' Damon hissed, but I was more concerned for Stefan at that moment.
He took Klaus' hand and they shook, 'nice try, Klaus. No deal.' As soon as the words left his mouth, I felt Klaus' anger for a split second before he was suddenly holding Stefan's arm in the burning fire. Stefan cried out for a brief moment before I focused and took the pain as if it were my own. He looked over at me, his eyes grateful before he brought back up the mask of pain. Damon went to help his brother but Elijah intercepted him, pinning him against the wall. I realized I was just left standing there as if I wasn't a threat and I frowned.
'Excuse me but I reckon I could control this situation pretty easily.' I crossed my arms over my chest in annoyance, which only grew when Klaus chuckled at me, before he looked back to Damon when he started yelling.
'Stop!'
'Bring me my coffin before I burn him alive.' Klaus said, grinning in victory, but I frowned when Damon and Elijah left the room; I could feel the deceit coming off them and I knew that they were definitely up to something.
'They're up to something,' I looked over to Klaus, frowning in concern.
'What's that, love?' Klaus asked.
'Something's going on…' I trailed off as I thought back over the evening and one comment stood out to me, a comment that made my blood run cold as I realized what was happening.
'The more the merrier.' I whispered, looking over to Klaus, 'they've woken Kol and Finn.'
'No, Elijah wouldn't-' he was cut off by Elijah and Damon strolling back into the room, his eyes flickered to mine as he slowly made his way over to me, throwing Stefan to the floor. He positioned himself so that he was slightly in front of me before he spoke to his brother, 'Elijah, why haven't you left yet?' His tone suggested that he wasn't really asking.
A waitress strode in with a silver platter, holding it by Elijah. He reached over, grasping the cloth, 'where are your manners, brother? We forgot dessert.' He ripped the cloth away to reveal two silver daggers.
Klaus pulled me closer to his back in a protective gesture before he answered his brother, 'what have you done?'
'No, what have you done. See, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Niklaus. We're doing this on my terms now.' Elijah stated, once he had finished speaking a man strode into the room, making a beeline for Klaus; he was wearing a suit and was a striking resemblance to Elijah as he too had dark brown hair and dark eyes, yet he was obviously much younger.
'Kol,' Klaus whispered, shocked.
'Long time, brother,' Kol smirked and I could feel the hatred for his brother coming off him in waves.
'See, this is why you shouldn't piss people off.' I muttered, albeit unhelpfully from behind Klaus; I felt Kol's amusement but before any more could be said Klaus made a dash away from me, towards the daggers on the tray.
I shook my head at him, giving Kol a, 'what an idiot' look, which made him smirk, before we turned back to Klaus only to see an older man wearing severely outdated clothes appear in front of him. He struck a dagger through Klaus' outstretched hand, making both him and me cry out in pain. I could feel everyone else's surprise as I clutched my right hand with my left, trying not to focus on the fact that I now had a hole in my hand.
'You all right there, darling?' Kol asked, his hand gently gripping my elbow, I was surprised by the concern I felt coming from him.
'Yeah, just have a hole in my hand. No big deal.' I muttered sarcastically, he chuckled, making me roll my eyes before we both looked over to see Finn about to stab Klaus again.
'For god's sake,' I muttered, holding out my hand and channeling pain towards him; he cried out in surprise, dropping to his knees. I walked forward and grabbed both of the daggers from the tray, turning away from prying eyes before I tucked them into my underwear so they rested on the right side of my leg, before I turned back to their surprised expressions.
'Now no-one get's the daggers.' I muttered, dropping the pain I was channeling towards Finn.
'Who the hell are you?' Finn asked, his voice still ringing with pain but I could hear as well as feel his curiosity.
'That's what I would like to know,' Kol said, eyeing me suggestively, I raised my hand to him in warning, and he held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.
'I'm Kim, family mediator for the evening.' I joked, giving a little wave to the rest of the room, and that was when I noticed that Damon and Stefan were gone, 'where they hell did they go?'
'I told them to leave when I revealed the daggers,' Elijah said.
'And they just left me in the middle of an Original fight? Bastards,' I shook my head in annoyance, before I looked up to see all of the men laughing at me, 'what?'
'They probably knew you could handle your own, darling.' Kol laughed, taking an unfinished glass of wine off the table before he swallowed it in one.
'I suppose,' I agreed before I continued, 'anyway, are you lot going to talk like civil human beings or are you going to resort to violence again?' I asked bluntly, taking the chair that Elijah had been seated in at dinner.
'Well that depends if our pompous brother continues to act like a deranged child,' Finn said, glaring at Klaus.
I could feel Klaus' unease from where I was sitting and I took it, sending him reassurance to replace it.
'Maybe start with an apology,' I suggested.
'What do I have to-,' Finn started but I cut him off by raising my hand.
'Not you, Klaus is the one who has had you daggered for nine hundred years and Kol for a century.' I said, gesturing for Klaus to speak, wincing as my hand started to throb; I was still losing blood and I was starting to feel a little light headed, hence why I had sat down.
'I am truly sorry, brothers, I just wanted to build a home for us all, a home where we could live without fear of father hunting us down.' Klaus tried to explain. I could feel Kol and Finn's anger simmer slightly as they most likely remembered the years they had spent running from Mikael.
'Mikael is dead.' Klaus said, looking between his brothers as he did, 'I killed him with his own weapon, he is gone forever.'
I could feel their shared relief, but still neither of them spoke, too stubborn to easily forgive Klaus, which in all fairness I could understand; if I had been daggered for any time at all really, I would be pissed over the time I had been robbed of.
'We can be a family, none of us will ever have to be alone again,' Klaus said, his voice soft, vulnerable. I wanted to go over and take his hand, but I was starting to feel weak now from the blood loss, so I sent him a wave of reassurance instead, smiling softly when he looked at me gratefully.
'I'll stay under one condition. Those daggers go to someone who would never dream of using them,' Kol said, crossing his arms over his chest.
'I stand by that,' Finn said.
'As do I.' Elijah agreed.
'Me too.' I piped up from the corner, giving Finn, Elijah and Kol an 'I got your back' thumbs up. Kol grinned, while Finn and Elijah's lips twitched in amusement.
Klaus was quiet for a long moment before he nodded, agreeing to the conditions. I could feel his anxiety at giving up the only weapon he had that would assure his siblings would stay with him forever, willingly or not, so I sent him a wave of comfort to ease his worrying's a little.
'The Salvatore's still have one if they undaggered Elijah, and you should still have one from when you undaggered Rebekah.' I said.
'I have the one that the Salvatore's used on me.' Elijah said.
Nik flashed away for a moment before he returned with the final dagger.
'Who get's to keep them?' I wondered, looking between each of the brothers.
'You could, darling?' Kol suggested.
'Oh no, I can only imagine the arguments when he has a tantrum and wants to use one of the daggers.' I muttered, holding my hands up defensively, wincing in pain.
Kol snickered and came to sit beside me, 'I like you.'
'Of course you do; I'm delightful.' I muttered, staring at the hole in my hand; the blood coming out of it was a black color… was that a good thing or no? I'm gonna go with no.
Kol chuckled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, 'you're my new bestie,' he declared.
I laughed and nodded in agreement; giving him a high five only to have to teach him what one was.
'Anyway…' Klaus drew our attention back to his; I noticed his amusement and amazement before he continued, 'who should have them then?'
'I vote for Elijah, he's a pretty chill guy.' I said.
Kol laughed at my description before he nodded in agreement, 'my bestie is right, Nik. Elijah should have them.'
Finn simply nodded rather than voicing his opinion.
'It's settled then,' I said, pulling up the skirt of my dress, and removing the daggers from the side of my leg where they were stored. I went to stand up to hand them over to Elijah but I stumbled and had to hold onto Kol for support. I could see black spots in my vision and when I saw a wrist with a bite mark in place I didn't hesitate and took it without complaint. As soon as I took the first gulp I knew it was Klaus' blood; only he tasted that delicious. I drank until the dizziness faded and the spots in my vision cleared.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before I passed the daggers to Elijah, noticing that I didn't have to move; he must have came over when I had stumbled as well; Kol was standing to my left, Elijah to my right, Finn right in front of me and Nik behind me. Once I had surrendered the daggers I leaned back into Nik, my head resting against his shoulder.
'You all right, darling?' Kol asked, and I could feel his concern; I took it and sent him a calming wave.
'I'm all good, bestie.' I held my hand up for a high five and he returned it with a chuckle. I felt Nik rest his chin on my shoulder while he placed his hands on my waist.
'What the bloody hell is going on in here?' Bekah said; I couldn't see her seeing as I was literally surrounded by Mikaelson men, but I called out to her anyway.
'Bekah, it's about time you joined the party,' I shouted a huge grin on my face.
'Kim, where the hell are you?' Bekah asked.
Elijah and Nik were shoved a little so that she could join the circle; she met my eyes and gave me a warm smile. I leant over and gave her a hug and a knowing wink; I would ask her about her day in more detail when we weren't surrounded by her overprotective brothers. I settled back against Nik at the same time Bekah noticed Kol and Finn; her eyes lit up and her jaw dropped open in surprise before she jolted forward and pulled them into a group hug. I smiled at the genuine happiness I could feel coming from her, until she demanded that me, Elijah and Nik joined in on the hug, which meant that five Originals were basically crushing me.
'Okay, if you could all bear in mind that I'm fragile that would be wonderful' I said, trying to breathe as I was stuck in between Bekah's back and Nik's chest.
They all laughed but loosened their grip a little, allowing me to get some air into my lungs. Once I could breathe again I wrapped my arms around Bekah's waist, participating in the hug; I was being treated as a part of the family and it made my heart expand with warmth. We were pulled out of our moment when the door suddenly crashed open; we all reluctantly parted, though I remained against Nik's chest as we faced the intruder. I could feel everyone's shock, as well as my own, when we saw the woman standing at the entrance of the room.
'Mother,' Bekah whispered, her tone one of disbelief.
That's chapter nineteen! I really enjoyed writing this one, sorry if you thought it was a bit long but there were just so many things I needed to fit in! Let me know what you think!
A huge thank you to HockeyWriter19 for following my story- it means a lot :)
Lloryn: Great chapter! I love watching how their denial at being mates is slowly fading. Can't wait for the next update. Thank you so much; and me too, I'm really enjoying writing their relationship and I can't wait to see where it goes. I hope you enjoy chapter nineteen as well :)
XxSunnaxX: ELIJAH IS BACK! Juhhuuu! I missed him soo much :D And great Kim/Klaus chapter *thumbs up* have a nice day :) Thank you :) And haha, I'm glad to have him back too and I can't wait to explore the different relationships Kim will have with the rest of the Mikaelson's now that they're all in it.
Final-Year (Guest): This fanfiction is so good! Please update soon! Thank you, I'm glad you like it and I hope you enjoy the update :)