Katherine opened the door.

"Katerina," Lucien Castle's surprise was extremely amusing, "what a lovely surprise."

"Use that name again and I'll do more than steal your finest wine."

"I seem to recall the vampire I'm looking for sent you to bed with a very sore posterior when you did that," Lucien said.

As a rule, Katherine tended to kill anyone who had known her when she was human. She'd been watching Elijah tear our hearts for months now, and was eager to try it out for herself. She'd never killed anyone like that before. It looked like fun.

"You have my permission to kill him, Katerina," Elijah said. He really was the man of her dreams.

Katherine perked up. He hadn't let her kill anyone since she joined him. Before she could take a step outside their lovely home, Lucien held up his hands. Katherine detested his feigned supplication, but what he said next sadly kept him alive, for the moment. "If you do that, then the information I have on Nik will die with me."

"Let him in," Elijah said. As he strode across the parlor, his footsteps were a hair louder than usual. He was extremely annoyed.

As soon as Lucien took a step into their home, Elijah had a hand around his neck and was pinning him to the wall. "Don't pout, my lovely Katerina. If I decide he needs to die, I'll still let you do the honors." Katherine decided to keep pouting anyway. It tended to make Elijah smile. "As for you," Elijah was looking at Lucien like he was a nasty stain he wanted to bleach, "I expect you to show my second with sufficient deference."

Lucien was too busy suffocating to answer. Elijah kept strangling him for a few minutes before loosening his grip just enough so he could speak. "My most sincere apology, Elijah. I had no idea the two of you were on good terms. Last I checked, you were hunting her down on Nik's behalf."

"He doesn't know anything of use," Katherine said.

"Obviously." Elijah let Lucien go. "Have fun."

"I'm twice her age," Lucien said. He was glaring daggers at Katherine, but he wasn't stupid enough to move an inch from where he'd been dropped.

Elijah began to walk back to the kitchen, where he had piles upon piles of research on his Mystic Falls targets. "If you so much as lay a hand on her, I'll will tear every memory from your head before I take my time ending your ill begotten life."

"Wait," Elijah turned around. Katherine's pout became genuine. If he managed to catch Elijah's interest, she might not get to kill him. "I knew the two of you made up. I was just - "

"Attempting to shame her for the mischief she got into with my youngest brother when she was a child?"

"Point taken," Lucien said. He stood up, slowly. Elijah let him. "My bad." Katherine was officially bored and was about to go relax in their hot tube, but what he said next stopped her, "Aurora needs your help, Elijah."

Katherine had never gotten the pleasure to meet the first woman to break Klaus' heart. She was keen to satisfy her curiosity. Klaus was something of an obsession of hers and Aurora remained one of the few areas of his life that she wasn't an expert on.

"What possible reason would I have to help her?" Elijah asked.

"Despite his vast resources and the advancement in medical science, Tristan continues to use her illness as a way to justify terrorizing her as their father once did," Lucien's previous fear seemed to melt away as he continued to speak, "word is that you are looking to kill Niklaus. There a million theories on what your motive could possibly be. But I know it's because Nik dropped Rebekah into the ocean."

"Even if you had something to offer me," Elijah said, "I see no reason to make a deal with you. Tristan no longer holds power over you. If you truly wished to save her, she would be saved."

"I've tried, Elijah," Lucien said, "for a thousand years, I have freed her from her prisons, slaughtered everyone who was complicate in her torture, and funded countless researchers across the planet to find a way to cure her psychosis, but she keeps going straight back to her bastard brother."

"It seems she has made her choice," Elijah said, "perhaps you should try respecting that."

"Rebekah knew she was worth saving," Lucien said, "honor your sister by helping her. Maybe you can even atone for the torture you put her through."

The Elijah that Katherine had fallen in love with would be moved into action. But Elijah had changed in the five hundred years since they were last close. Katherine could not deny that she found the harder and angrier version of him intoxicating. She would happily spend her days watching him tear out hearts and chop off heads. However.

"If you have the good sense to leave," Elijah said, "I will honor her by letting you live."

Katherine let her humanity in. "You should help him, Elijah."

She'd never seen Elijah look so shocked. From the look on Lucien's face, he hadn't either. No matter what happened next, Katherine would never regret this moment.

Or maybe not. Elijah quickly schooled his face. "Drop it, Katherine."

He called her Katherine when he was considering using that horrid hairbrush on her. Still, she knew his heart. "Once Klaus is dead, I know you plan to use the Strix to rescue your siblings from the ocean." Katherine tilted her head to Lucien. "This cockroach might actually be useful with that."

"I'll even help with killing Nik," Lucien said.

"Your loyalty is most becoming," Elijah said.

"You don't need my loyalty," Lucien said, "but I have lived for over a thousand years. Surely your Bennett witch would find me a delectable battery."

Katherine could see Elijah weighing his options. "We could use a lackey," she pointed out as she walked over to him. She trailed her finger up his chest. "Make him earn your help. Teach him to behave." She stood on her toes and pressed her lip against his ear, "How long have you wanted to put him over your knee?" Klaus had been oddly possessive and refused to let Elijah touch him back when Lucien and Tristan had joined the Originals to keep Katherine safe until Klaus could sacrifice her.

"I can hear you," Lucien snarled.

Katherine shrugged.

"You drive a hard bargain, my Katerina," Elijah said. He captured one of her hands and pressed his lips against the side of her wrist. He looked over her shoulder at Lucien. "I'll give you five years to prove yourself to me. If you survive, I'll be happy to kill Tristan."

Lucien must really love Aurora because he nodded despite the fact that the glint in Elijah's eye's promised anything but mercy.

"Weekly maintenance spankings, starting today," Elijah said, "I trust you can manage to escort him to my study and help him find a corner."

Katherine pecked his lips. "It would be my pleasure."

Elijah returned to his stalking of Mystic Falls while Katherine lead Lucien down the hall to his study.

"You work fast," Lucien said, "not ten minutes passed before you were able to obtain revenge for a joke at your expense."

One of the things that Katherine learned from Elijah is how useful it was to have a reputation. People would assume she'd planned everything out when things went her way, even if she'd done nothing of the sort. Well, she had an inkling that this could happen, but that was because Lucien gave her an opening. She was going to her true revenge on Lucien for his slight, but at a later date. Katherine opened the door to Elijah's office and shoved Lucien into it.

She kind of wanted to sit on Elijah's desk, but he had a habit of smacking her when she used furniture improperly. Instead, she was a good girl and sat down in the desk chair.

"Might as well strip," Katherine said as she examined her nails. She needed a manicure soon.

But not too good of a girl.

Several hours later, Elijah joined them in the study. He frowned. "I don't recall giving you permission to go through my desk."

"You didn't," Katherine said, "but I'm not hiding it from you and I didn't even pick these locks," she pointed at the locked drawers before giving him an innocent smile. "You have to admit, that's massive improvement in my behavior."

Elijah's face remained firm, but Katherine caught an amused glint in his eyes.

"I happen to have been very bored," Katherine said, "so much so that I actually bothered to read these tedious files." It was a good thing Matt Donovan was so pretty and could play football, because he had rocks for brains, if his grades were anything to go by. Elijah had even managed to snag an essay he'd written the year before that saved him from failing English.

Elena had obviously helped, if not written it herself.

"Consider this your first strike," Elijah said.

That was a hell of a thing to do her. Elijah had obviously wanted her to join him in his stalking. Sorry, 'information gathering', of Elena Gilbert and Friends. Also, this was the first time Katherine had heard anything about a point system. Elijah was obviously playing at Lucien's expense, but Katherine wasn't sure if it was at hers too.

She wanted to find out, but she had no desire to end up over his lap. She'd have to play that carefully. Or maybe she could just ask him. It was something to ponder at a later date. Elijah was walking over to the couch at the back of the room.

"I see that you didn't take Katerina's advice," Elijah said.

He didn't. Lucien was still fully dressed. "I was not aware," good thing he was a vampire because otherwise he'd mess up his teeth with how hard he was gritting them, "that I was to obey Katerina too."

"I find it hard to believe you've forgotten how I run my household," Elijah said. "I suppose that's something we can go over while you're on my knee."

"That sounds delightful," Lucien said.

"Come over here," Elijah said. Lucien obeyed. "I assure you," he made quick work of removing everything he was wearing below the waist, "you will not find that to be true. Fold your clothes, put them on the desk, and get into position."

"I assume you're going to let her watch," Lucien spit out as he folded his clothes. He was smart enough not to be lazy about it.

"Do the math yourself, my darling Lucien," Elijah said.

Katherine got a peak of Lucien as walked over with the neatly folded clothes in his hands. She wasn't all that impressed. She did enjoy watching him walk back over to Elijah. Nice behind.

"Surely you're not going to have me bend over like a toddler," Lucien said.

Elijah grabbed his wrist and yanked him smoothly over his lap. Katherine definitely enjoyed that view.

"Keep your hands flat on the floor," Elijah said as he moved Lucien's legs so they were being supported by the couch. As Lucien did as he was told, Elijah continued, "Today, we'll work on your manners. I believe that Katerina made it clear you were to call her Katherine."

"You don't," Lucien pointed out.

Elijah smacked him hard enough to leave a bright red handprint on the middle of his behind.

"I like how it sounds in his mouth," Katherine said.

"If she should change her mind," Elijah hit the top of his left thigh. Lucien grunted as Elijah's handprint bloomed over his pale skin. "I would honor that."

"Fine," Lucien's face twisted as Elijah gave his right thigh an equally hard spank.

"That's 'yes, sir,' to you, young man," Katherine said.

"Quite right," Elijah said. He spanked the red hand print on the center of Lucien's behind for a few minutes. Lucien was digging his fingers into the carpet and his toes were curling. "I told you she was my second. You are to obey her, unless she's foolish enough to tell you to do something against the rules."

"Yes," he bit his bottom lip as Elijah moved the spanking lower, "sir."

"What are you learning?" Elijah asked.

In response to that question, Lucien began to squirm around. But Elijah's hand still hit its mark. Katherine leaned back in the chair and took great pleasure in watching Elijah tan him red with one steady smack at a time. When Lucien started to bang his calves against the couch in response to Elijah's relentless falling palm, Elijah paused.

It took Lucien several minutes to realize he wasn't being smacked any longer. When he did, he took in a deep breath and answered, "I'm learning to address people with their chosen name, sir."

"It's a start," Elijah allowed. He lifted his knee. Katherine zoned in on Lucien's heart. It was positively pounding against his chest. "Do we need to go over my rules or has your memory returned to you?"

"I remember your rules very clearly, sir," Lucien said. Katherine snickered at the look on Lucien's face when Elijah helped him get off his lap. His behind was as red a tomato. "Are you done, truly?"

"If you'd like more, I'd be happy to accommodate you," Elijah said.

"No think you," Lucien bit, "sir."

Elijah stood up and patted Lucien's shoulder. "A week from now, we'll work on your tone."

Lucien was still as a statue. "How long are we going to have these... maintenance sessions?"

"That will depend on you," Elijah said. "Katerina, I trust you won't need my assistance in obtaining Aurora de Martel's location."

Infiltrating the Strix was one of Katherine's favorite past times. As a rule, Aya didn't care about Aurora, so it would be pretty easy to get the information from Tristan. "It would be my pleasure."

Lucien said, "What."

Elijah gestured to Katherine, who was more than happy to explain. "You have to earn Tristan's death, he didn't mention anything about Aurora. Did you bump your head and lose a few IQ points?"

Lucien was the type to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Most of the Strix are twice her age, Elijah. This might be a game to you two - "

"Ouch," Katherine said after Elijah had knocked him to the ground with the back of his hand.

"Pop quiz," Elijah said, "list the names of every person who is still alive after Klaus marked them for death."

"Katerina Petrova," Lucien said, "and, recently, you."

"I could kill you without breaking a sweat, stable boy," Katherine said. She stood up and began to walk out of the study, eager to prepare for some subterfuge.

"My family was in ruin, but we were never peasants," Lucien said.

Katherine twisted around. Her hair bounced, because her curls were immaculate. "That chip on you shoulder will probably get you killed one day."

Lucien managed to look slightly threatening, despite the fact he was half naked and his heart was still racing because Elijah was just inches away from him. "That almost sounds like you care," he paused, "Katherine."

"I don't," Katherine said, "but I will kill you if you become even more of a liability."

"I'll let her," Elijah said.

"The love pouring off the two of you makes me feel so welcome in your household," Lucien said, "can I put my pants back on, sir?"