Pairing: Klaus/Ava

Ava prompt for Jazmine F.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Mikaelson Mansion

Elijah's Study

"If Finn's stable turns out well, I was thinking of asking him to build me a studio. I would need southern light, of course," Klaus rambled, plopping down in the guest chair across from Elijah at his polished desk. "I know funds are getting tight. I will find a way to sell those antiques stored up in the garage."

Elijah stared at his younger brother.

"Spit it out already, Niklaus! What did you do to cause the New Orleans witches to declare a war on you?" Elijah demanded. "And on our entire family!"

Klaus bridged his fingers together anxiously, his blue-green eyes clouded.

"Ah...Full imunity?" Klaus grinned.

Elijah signed, "You had me in daggered in a coffin during this time...I am sure you were overwhelmed with guilt and missing my counsel?" Elijah fished.

Klaus nodded, putting his hands on his knees, leaning forward.

"Yes! I was, Elijah. I was trying to do right for us. I thought by creating a hybrid army, I could insulate us against our enemies," Klaus started. "But I shalln't go further until you agree to immunity."

Elijah leaned back and rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Only so I don't have to thrash it out of you. Meeting Katerina has left me taxed. That and the prospect of dealing with Tristan and...," Elijah stumbled.

"Aya?" Klaus grinned.

"Yes, Aya. She's far too clever to be fooled by Tristan. I am not sure what she is up to here, but I dislike it. Now, tell me. What grievous thing did you do?" Elijah prodded.

Klaus sat up straighter.

"I knew I needed doppelgänger blood to make the hybrids. This was before we knew about the Gilbert girl. I was coming up empty finding one on my own. I recalled that Kol had the bracelet of obedience and the cursed shackles in his old 'playhouse' in Lafayette Cemetery," Klaus reported. "I figured I could kidnap a witch and or two and have them do a spell to locate a double. Any double. But..."

Elijah's mouth turned downward, he finished, "...you could not get in the tomb. Correct?"

"I couldn't get in the bloody cemetery. The French Quarter coven had it sealed off. I knew I needed the blood of a Claire witch to enter the tomb, but I was warned by my contacts to not even enter the city," Klaus said bitterly. "Aye, ironic that the city we helped built was closed to us."

"Curious. The witches have grown more clever since our day," Elijah agreed.

"Yes, since Father built part of it to the ground, I suppose they did not wish to welcome us back. I can't say I blame them, but I wasn't giving up that easily," Klaus confessed.

"What did you do?" Elijah pressed, looking intently at his blonde brother.

"I hired some rogue witches to try to get into the Dowager Fauline cottage," Klaus revealed. "I believe my witches were captured and tortured. I was staying outside the city limits and I received a package with their hands saying that I wasn't welcome any longer. They warned me to stay away or they would entomb me in the damnable cottage!"

"You did all this for the bracelets and the shackles? That seems like overkill. Why not just find someone who could make more dark objects?" Elijah wondered.

"Well, you know Kol had rather sticky fingers in those days before I daggered him in 1914. I thought maybe I could bargain with the witches and make a deal with them. They are hiding something there. I left and came back here and found Elena and you know the rest," Klaus said heavily.

"So you couldn't even gain entry into the city? That is rather strange," Elijah said. "I'll see what I can find out when I am at the Strix ball next week. We need to figure out what they are hiding. If the Strix are that close to the city, they must have an alliance with the Nine Covens."

Klaus licked his lower lip nervously.

"I have stores below the Compound in the crypts there. If I could get to our house, money would not be an issue. It's a damned lucky thing that I had Kol's and Mother's coffins at the safe house or...I don't even want to think about it."

Elijah toyed with his gold watch.

"Ah, the safe house in Arkansas? I always wondered where you hid them. I looked around there once in the 1930s, but found nothing. I'll assume you had them-."

Klaus cut him off. "Never you mind. I won't need that location again. The point is that they are keeping us out of New Orleans for a reason bigger than me meddling with witch business. No one was talking about who was leading the factions. The humans have grown so rich and corrupt that they couldn't even have been bought. What does that tell you?"

Elijah narrowed his sharp eyes, "They have power allies. Someone strong is leading. I'm sure Tristan has those enemies in the pocket along with his silk handkerchief, among others."

"I feel like our enemies are united against us. These Travelers, Augustines, Strix, and the covens of New Orleans united is not something we can overlook," Klaus groaned. "And if Lucien has figured out a way to make white oak..."

Klaus froze and pointed to the closed door.

"I think we have a visitor," Klaus growled. He carefully tiptoed to the door and threw it open. Elijah got up and walked behind him.

"Ava! What are you doing?" Elijah asked in shock.

Ava stumbled back on her bottom.

"Ah, I was just...j-just," Ava stammered.

"Listening?" Klaus suggested, looking down at the small girl who was twisting her braids.

"Yeah, sorry," Ava mumbled.

"Ava, we've spoken about this before. Where is your necklace?" Elijah demanded.

Ava held the silver charm open in her hand.

"I t-took it off so I could listen better," Ava admitted.

Klaus gave Elijah a look and then turned his attention back to the half-wolf, half-witch child.

"What is the rule? Lucy was very clear about you taking off your necklace," Klaus scolded.

"I'm not allowed to take it off, but there was a spell on the door and I couldn't hear!" Ava revealed.

"And what did you hear, young lady?" Elijah asked, helping to lift her up to her feet.

"Something about enemies and covens and...," Ava trembled. "Are we in danger?"

Klaus stoked the top of Ava's head.

"Nay, we don't want you to worry about that. Elijah has to go on a little trip, but he's so stubborn no one can hurt him. But you are in trouble for disobeying. Let's put your necklace back on. Hmm?" Klaus said in a calm tone.

Ava whimpered as Klaus turned her and re-clasped her necklace.

"Elijah, I'm going to speak to Ava up in her bedroom. Can you keep the others occupied a bit?" Klaus asked pointedly.

"Indeed. Ava, we are not angry with you, but you have to obey the rules here. This isn't the first time you have taken off your necklace to siphon spells, is it?" Elijah prodded.

Ava looked down at her feet. "No, it's not. I didn't think you would catch me. I was very quiet!"

Klaus frowned, "Ava, with my senses, I can hear very well and smell people. You were rolling around with Andrei and Ioana, weren't you?"

Ava looked shocked, "Yes, we were playing and the dogs were kinda wet. You can smell them on me?"

"Yes," Klaus smiled slightly. "And it's not a very pleasant scent. Now, let's go upstairs."
Ava's astonishment turned to panic.

"Noooo, you're going to spank me!" Ava fretted.

"Yes, I warned you last night that I would put you over my knee if you disobeyed again, didn't I?" Klaus asked, crouching down to look her in the eye.

Ava whined and covered her bottom.

"I don't wanna go up with you!" Ava wailed. "We were supposed to get ice cream..."

Klaus picked her up and told Elijah they would speak later.

"We'll see about that. Maybe after your bath," Elijah quipped, wrinkling up his nose. "Take her up, Niklaus. I'll see to the others, but I need to check in with Dorian first."

Klaus carried a squirming Ava upstairs, intent on having this be the last time she took off the siphoning necklace.

Mayor's Office

Katherine brought up one of the bags up to show Mason.

"Hey," Mason said, rising from his brother's leather chair. "I didn't think I'd beat you back here. How was shopping?"

Katherine smirked, "Ugh, Mark told you. Your assistant is such a snitch. And it's the weekend, don't these people have a life? You aren't going to dock my pay, are you?"
Mason pulled Katherine into his arms and kissed her.

"No, you get a lunch break, but I think you went over by an hour or so. Maybe you can make it up to me in other ways?" Mason teased, running his hands over her sculpted backside slowly.

"Ah, stop. I know about sexual harassment, boss," Katherine retorted. "Now, take off that hideous plaid and try on this shirt. You need to start looking like a mayor!"

Mason grunted as he started to unbutton his shirt, but Katherine grew impatient and yanked it off him popping all the buttons.

"Hey, that was my favorite," Mason complained with a laugh.

"Not anymore. I took your measurements when you were sleeping the other day," Katherine informed him. "I bought you a suit coat, too."
Mason tried on the white dress shirt and went to the mirror in his small office bathroom to see how it fit.

"It's perfect," Mason admitted, turning to the side.

"Now, the jacket," Katherine coaxed.

Mason put the jacket on and couldn't help but admire himself.

"Yeah, it fits real good," Mason said. He kissed Katherine again, saying, "Thank you. You're taking real good care of me."

Katherine let a slight blush rise to her cheeks.

"I saw Elijah Mikaelson at the tailor's," Katherine muttered, in between heated kisses. "Take that off. I don't want to get lipstick on it."

Mason obeyed and let Katherine work off his jacket and shirt, as he stood in his jeans.

"So? You and Elijah go way back?" Mason asked, closing the toilet lid and pulling Katherine on his lap as he sat.

"Back when Klaus was trying to sacrifice me for my blood," Katherine moaned. "But he's up to something. He's going to New Orleans for something. I wonder what."

Mason pulled her back as she started to nuzzle on his neck.

"Kathy, I don't want you getting more involved in all this," Mason begged. "You promised you were done with the scheming and all that crap. You want to be a good mom to Nadia and a good friend to Pearl, right?"
Katherine caressed Mason's chest lightly.

"Yes, that's true," Katherine said quietly.

"Then, stop," Mason said firmly. "Let it go. Stay out of their business. You need to concentrate on running an office and keeping your nose clean. No more meddling."
Katherine crouched down and kissed Mason's nipple.

"But I don't like not knowing things," Katherine whined.

Mason pulled her up to his eye level.

"Kathy, stay out of it. You promised. You got plenty here to keep you busy. You had bad blood with the Mikaelsons and now you are at a truce. Keep trying to interfere and you're gonna mess things up bad," Mason warned.

"I guess you're right," Katherine conceded, flicking her hair back. "But...what if we can use this to our advantage?"

"We can't. Now, I just put my nephew and Matt over my knee for their bad behavior this morning. I ain't afraid to paddle your tight little rear if you keep at it. You got me?" Mason threatened with a glint in his eye.

Katherine stared at him a moment, feeling a shock of excitement. Mason really did care about her.

"You are really worried about me?" Katherine asked.

Mason pulled her to sit on his lap.

"I am. Kathy, I know we didn't meet under ideal circumstances, but we're good now. We have a good thing going here. Don't mess it up," Mason implored.

"Or you'll...?" Katherine teased, stroking his thigh.

"I upend you and lit up your fanny!" Mason said, tickling her and kissing her deeper.

"You would never!" Katherine shrieked with a laugh, squirming to avoid his hands.

"I would," Mason replied huskily, kicking the door shut with his long leg. When Mark, Mason's aide, came in a few minutes later, he heard the moans of his new boss and the office manager and decided he'd come back later.

Lake House

After lunch, Ric, Enzo, Lucy, and Bonnie gathered on the pier to watch the lake and relax. Jeremy and April were playing in the water.

Ric turned and watched Jenna, Damon, and Elena clear away the dishes and start taking them into the house for a moment. Then, he grabbed a beer from the cooler for himself and Lucy and sodas for the others.

"The boundary spells are good?" Ric asked, speaking to Lucy and Bonnie.

"I hope," Lucy responded. "It's a big place so we only did the immediate house, not the outbuildings. If someone not in the house approaches, we'll be alerted. It won't give us much time, but we'll know. To maintain a real boundary spell, someone would have to channel non-stop."

Enzo smiled at Lucy, "So you don't want to use Damon or me as a battery? I volunteer Damon, if you do, he has more juice."
Lucy answered, "Not unless we have to. I am not sure how those Strix witches got through our other spells, unless they just weren't strong enough."

"I am sure they aren't strong enough to prevent the Tribrid from roasting them alive if they trespass here," Enzo said. "He does seem keen on those fire spells."

Ric laughed, "Yeah, he does. But can he control it?"

"I've seen Damon withstand a lot more than a coven of children," Enzo recalled. "He is made of strong stuff."
Bonnie sipped on her cola and patted Enzo's hand.

"You care about him a lot, huh? I mean, all you guys went through with the Augustines," Bonnie said.

Enzo leaned back in the weathered adirondack chair.

"Aye, he's like a little brother to me. I have to look out for him," Enzo said. They heard Elena let out a peal of laughter. "Damon would give up his life for her, you know. Any of you, really."
Bonnie looked back at her best friend.

"She's been through a lot. You know the last time I was here, Dr. G. and Miranda were alive," Bonnie remembered, her eyes filling up with tears. "It's just hard to believe they are gone. Excuse me, I'm going to go help them."
Bonnie got up and rushed off, trying to contain her emotions. Lucy started to get up.

"Wait, Lucy. Um, how's Bonnie doing?" Ric asked. "I thought her dad was visiting this weekend."

Lucy crossed her slender legs and then tucked them under her, gazing at the calm, blue lake.

"Yeah, he was supposed to, but something came up," Lucy replied. "Rudy is a great guy, a hard worker, but..."

Ric took a sip of his beer.

"You wanna switch to something harder?" Ric asked, offering Lucy a beer.

"Yeah, I think so," Lucy said, cracking open the can. "Enzo?"

"I am good, thanks," Enzo said. It was still early and Klaus' warnings to behave were still fresh in his mind.

"You were saying? About Bonnie's dad?" Ric prompted.

"Oh yeah, um, I don't think he can deal with seeing Bonnie. She looks so much like Abby, her mom," Lucy reported. "When she took off, it broke Rudy. He j-just seemed to shut himself off. Sheila, Bonnie's gram, stepped in and helped raise Bonnie. Rudy, just kind of left, before he started traveling so much."

Ric twirled the Gilbert ring on his finger and thought about what he went through when Isobel disappeared. The fact that she was alive and a vampire should not have shocked him. But the fact that she was also Elena's biological mom did.

"Something wrong, Ric?" Enzo asked with concern.

"Nah, just thinking," Ric answered, clearing his throat. Damon shouted at them to come in for game night. "Well, ready to get ready for some boardgames? I'm gonna beat all your asses at Trivia Pursuit!"

Lucy guffawed, "Oh yeah, don't be so confident, Mr. History Teacher...I took a couple of college classes. Want to team up, Enzo?"
"Aye," Enzo agreed. "I am better at checkers, but I'm up for a challenge. Bring it on."

Ric stared back at the placid water, willing himself to have fun. They could deal with the rest when they got back to Mystic Falls.

Mikaelson Mansion

Klaus pushed open the children's room and placed Ava on her feet. She tried to rush past him and go out the door.

"No, none of that, Miss Ava," Klaus reprimanded lightly. "I know you are vexed, but you must learn we mean what we say here."

Klaus wasn't planning on giving Ava more than a few swats, but as he went to turn the desk chair, she ran out of the room.

"What the devil?" Klaus snapped to the empty room.

Stefan came in with his hands on Ava's shoulders.

"Lose something, Klaus?" Stefan asked. Caroline was behind him.

"Ah yes, we were about to have a little discussion," Klaus said, thanking him. "Caroline, how are you faring?"
"I feel good," Caroline said. "Stefan is going to show me the lake and the gazebo. This is a really nice house, Mr. Mikaelson."
"My friends call me Klaus," Klaus grinned. "But I'm afraid I must speak to Ava here. Will you be joining us for supper, Caroline?"

Caroline looked at Stefan, who was gently guiding Ava over to Klaus.

"Yes, I think that would be fine. I've never seen anyone be so with it, so soon," Stefan added, pointing at Caroline.

"Wonderful," Klaus said. "Elijah is making a roast."
"I have a good teacher here," Caroline said. "Ava, you can show me your fish tank later, okay?"

Ava sniffed and looked down. "Okay, I guess."

Klaus looked at them. "She'll be just fine."
Stefan put an arm around Caroline and shut the door.

"Please, don't," Ava pleaded. "I won't take off the necklace again!"
"I know you won't," Klaus agreed, "after you get a spanking. I remember once when my son, Marcellus, ran from a spanking. He had thrown a ball and almost caught the whole parlor on fire. Uncle Elijah was so frazzled, he was able to give Marcel a terrific telling off, but the boy just ran..."

"You have another k-kid?" Ava asked, as Klaus pulled her closer and sat down.

"Yes, this was a long time ago, in probably 1811," Klaus reminisced fondly, though the pain of remembering squeezed his heart.

"So what happened?" Ava pressed. "Did he get in trouble?"

"Oh yes," Klaus said. "Kol tried to help Marcel escape and they both ended up getting a sound hiding from Elijah. But Marcel got extra smacks for being so naughty. Running away is never a good idea."

"Sorry," Ava said, starting to sob.

"Oh child," Klaus said, wiping away her tears with his thumb. Ava flinched when he touched her. "I am going to spank you for taking off the necklace. But for running, you are getting a few more. Do you understand?"

"Yes, granny used to spank me when I ran off at the camp to try to see the dogs. I don't like it," Ava wailed.

"I imagine that's the point," Klaus said, turning her to lean her over his knee as he held her. "Now, try to stay still."
Smack!

Klaus popped her covered behind firmly. He pulled up her long shirt that said "Princess" on it, and swatted again, slightly firmer.

Smack!

"No!" Ava yelled, thought the smacks didn't hurt much.

Smack!

"I know *smack* you are a good *smack* girl," Klaus lectured. "But when *smack* you misbehave here *spank*, you will be *smack* punished," Klaus said.

Ava threw her hands back to protect her bottom, which was now smarting. Klaus gently plied off her hands and held them.

"Ugh, it burns," Ava complained.

"I know," Klaus said, raising his open palm to swat her behind again.

Smack! Smack!

Ava squirmed and tried to wiggle away.

"Now, your spanking would have been done had you stayed, luv," Klaus reported.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

Klaus slapped her backside a bit harder four more times and then scooped her up in his arms.

"There, luv. All done," Klaus cooed. "Shhh, all forgiven."

Ava rubbed her warmed up seat and cried into his chest.

"S-Sorry," Ava whimpered.

Klaus patted her back.

"I don't like doing that," Klaus confided. "But you must know we have your best interest at heart."

"O-Okay," Ava sniffled. Klaus snuggled her a few more minutes until the tears dried up.

"Ready to rejoin the others or do you want to rest a bit?" Klaus asked, wiping away her tears with a tissue.

"I thought I had to take a bath," Ava said in a hush.

Klaus laughed, "Oh, the dog smell? It's all over the house now. Sage will tend to your baths after you are done playing and..."
Klaus let his last words hang.

"Until we get ice cream?" Ava exclaimed, forgetting about her sore bottom.

"Aye, Sage went to the market for our ice cream party. She even found peanut butter ice cream for the dogs. Now, no more taking off the necklace and listening at doors, right?" Klaus prompted.

"No, and no more running away," Ava answered.

"No, luv. Never that," Klaus said, kissing her on the head. "I love you, Ava. You are a fierce young wolf and witch, I never wish to see your spirit broken."
"You love me?" Ava asked, her voice quivering.

"Of course, we all do," Klaus said.

"But you'll protect me?" Ava asked, her hazel eyes meeting Klaus'.

"Always and forever," Klaus said.

"Where's your son? The one who almost started the fire," Ava ventured, tugging at her braid with one hair and her smarting rear with the other.

"Lost, long ago," Klaus said, his voice cracking. "But I have all of you now. I miss him, though. Every day, my beauty."
Ava smiled, "I love you, too. If we can't find my ma..."
"We shall search the whole earth for her, child," Klaus promised.

"But if we can't find her?" Ava inquired.

"Then, you shall stay with us," Klaus said, taking her small hand in his and kissing it.

"And I could be your daughter?" Ava asked.

"You already are, Princess Ava," Klaus replied, meeting her gave.

He realized it was true.