Oh my god, I did it. It's here. I don't know how many times I've apologized about the time it takes to update but I'll keep apologizing because it keeps taking forever! I don't mean for it to take so long but with work and everything, it's hard. I actually finished this chapter over the weekend but wasn't able to proof it until today and even then I had to rush so I'm sorry for any mistakes I've made.
Anywho,
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.
Thank you to all who reviewed and followed this story last chapter. It means a lot to me that you guys are sticking with me even if I'm being horrible at updating. I make no promises about updating faster but I can promise to at the very least try. I'm working on the next chapter now and I'll get it up to you guys as soon as I possibly can. Just remember, reviews are motivation.
Chapter 14: Dangerous Liaisons
She finishes pushing the last of the drawers back into place when the bedroom door cracks open and she glances over at Damon's pale hand holding onto a glass full of a thick red liquid. Blood. She presses her lips together as he pokes his head.
"A peace offering." He says to which she pushes up from bending down to the drawer.
"You wouldn't need a peace offering if you weren't such a dick." She says snatching the glass from his hand. He sucks in a breath through his teeth and places a hand to his chest.
"That hurts, Kitten." Her only response is to raise an eyebrow at him to which he sighs. "I'm sorry, okay? I over-reacted, I know that."
Not ready to let go of her anger, she downs the blood in the glass before handing it back to him. "I'm staying at my house tonight." She informs as she moves towards the closet. "Possibly the next few nights actually." She says as she zips the small duffle she had packed closed.
Damon stares at her, head tilted with that slightly dazed expression he seems to get whenever he can't comprehend what someone has just said. "What?" He finally asks. "Why? You don't have to do that. I said I was sorry…"
"It's not…" Adele cuts him off. "About you." Her words make him look even more confused and she swings the duffle up onto her shoulder. "The originals are free, Rebekah is free, whatever was in that coffin is free and there is a seral killer running about Mystic Falls, I just think it would be best if I stay with Elena for the next few days or until we can figure out what the hell is going on." Damon nods slowly, and she moves past him towards the open door. She stops just long enough to look up towards the still smashed TV screen. "We should get that fixed." She says before walking off leaving Damon to stare at the empty door way.
*VD*
Elena waves the doctor off before turning and nearly jumping out of her skin. "Adele…" She breathes as Adele tilts her head, a small smirk playing at her lips. "You scared me."
"Mm." Adele hums in amusement before turning serious once more. "How is he?"
"Resigned to spending the night in observation so long as I promise to change the locks on the house." She answers watching as Adele nods.
"I can have Damon do that tomorrow." She says almost absentmindedly and Elena resists the urge to ask her what is going on between them. When she had called her earlier to let her know the doctor was checking Alaric's injuries, Adele didn't sound the least bit happy and at one point she heard Damon saying something in the background and Adele didn't hesitate to snap at him.
"Okay." She says instead. "I talked to Bonnie." She mentions in a way to change the subject. "Her and her mom are fine. Have you talked to Caroline?" She begins walking towards the exit of the hospital, Adele turning to walk beside her.
"Yeah, she's holding it together well enough considering how close her and her dad use to be. Is there any word on who is behind these attacks?" She asks knowing that at some point in the time she's been at the hospital, she's talked to the Sherriff.
"No." She answers her and Adele's shoulders drop slightly. "Sherriff Forbes said there are no real suspects at all." They move into the parking lot, it's mostly dead besides a couple cars towards the back and of course Elena's SUV and Adele's mustang. "You know you don't have to stay with me right?" Elena mentions for the second time causing Adele's blue gaze to cut to her sharply.
"And leave you completely at the mercy of the original that has the means to kill you along with this psycho killer on the loose? Yes, I do Elena." She digs her phone out of her back pocket as they reach Elena's SUV. "I'll meet you at the house, I have to call Damon, let him know what's going on with Ric." And Elena watches her sister walk off with eyes glued to her phone.
Once inside the SUV with the heat up high, Elena does a quick check of her phone making sure no one has texted or called before shifting into reverse. She checks her mirrors before beginning to back out, a little faster then she probably should have. When something thuds against the back, she slams on the brakes, heart in her throat as she sits frozen for half a second before throwing the SUV back into park and stumbling out into the frigid night air. She rounds the SUV only to stop short when she finds nothing there.
"Wha–" She's mumbling as she turns back towards the driver door and stumbles back a step with a gasps.
"Drive much?" Rebekah snaps with a tilt of the head.
"Rebekah…" Elena breaths, ready to try and defuse the situation but Rebekah is quick, she grabs her by the neck and slams her back into the side of her SUV causing Elena to grunt at the impact.
"Surprised? You drove a dagger through my back Elena, it hurt." Rebekah sneers pressing Elena harder against the SUV and Elena whimpers as she struggling to suck in air with Rebekah's hand against her throat. The original's fangs slide out and Elena barely has time to scream as she's coming down on her neck before the blonde original is thrown off and she lands a few parking spaces away as Elena slides down to the ground resisting the urge to hug her knees to her chest as her wide eyes find Adele standing above her, turned towards Rebekah who is making her way back to her feet.
"And I almost didn't believe my brothers when they mentioned your change. Should have known you would be close by." Rebekah calls over the short distance put between them.
"Just go home Rebekah." Adele calls back, back straightening as the original takes a step forward.
"Not until I have that back stabbers beating heart in my hand." She sneers eyes flashing as Adele sends Elena a glance that tells her to run and Elena staggers to her feet making it back into the driver seat of the SUV and locking the door as Rebekah slams Adele into the backdoor, her head hits the window and Elena gasps at the sound of glass cracking.
"Well, looks like you're going to die first." Rebekah's fangs snap out once again as she lowers her head towards Adele's throat but Adele struggles, weaving her fingers into the back of Rebekah's hair, gripping the top of her ponytail. She yanks and Rebekah's head snaps back as the girl snarls. Adele brings her knee up ramming it into her gut. Rebekah stumbles back hunching over with a grunt. Adele's arm pulls back; her hand clenched into a fist and before Rebekah can even stand upright, Adele swings.
The force of the punch knocks Rebekah onto her back and for a brief moment, Rebekah's vision fades out and when her eyes focus Adele is already on her, grabbing her by the sides of her jacket and yanking her up before landing another punch causing her to stagger back. Through the searing pain of what she suspects is her broken nose by the sound of the crack still echoing in her ears, she feels a twinge of surprise. Not only is Adele strong for a newbie but she's relentless. She's demonic, her features twisted into a snarl as her black eyes gleam wickedly at her, the veins beneath them crawling and pulsing as she bares her sharp fangs in a hiss.
Rebekah pushes past the daze, dodging her next punch. Adele side steps her and Rebekah quickly reaches up cracking her nose back into place before it has a chance to heal. Rebekah hisses at the other blonde. "You're going to pay for that."
"Bring it, princess." Adele sneers and Rebekah rushes at her. Adele braces herself, she knows this is a fight she'll ultimately lose, she wasn't as strong as the original by far and her only true strength here is the element of surprise which she's already used.
The impact never comes and Adele opens her eyes to find Rebekah pinned against the side of the SUV by Elijah and she lets out a breath of relief out of reflex.
"Elijah." Rebekah dwells as the older original presses her harder against the SUV.
"Leave." Elijah demands letting her go and Rebekah's blue eyes narrow up at her brother as she steps towards him. "Are you challenging me?" Elijah's tone is full of amusement causing his sister to scowl.
"You're pathetic." Her eyes shift towards Adele. "All of you." And she's gone leaving Elijah and Adele in the empty parking lot. Elijah meets Adele's eyes as the blonde relaxes and Adele gives him a soft grin of thanks to which he returns as the SUV's door opens and Elena peaks her head out slowly.
Elijah turns his attention to her. "Well," He begins. "I believe we have some catching up to do."
*VD*
"It was their mother Esther that was sealed in that coffin." She can hear Elena informing the brothers in the kitchen as she's coming down the stairs towel drying her hair.
"As in the original witch?" Stefan's question is full of disbelief as Damon scoffs from his perch on the kitchen table, twirling in apple around in his hands.
"What? How is she even alive? Thought her hybrid freak show of a son ripped her heart out a thousand years ago?" He questions leaving Elena shrugging.
"I don't know." She answers. "I'm guessing she has a couple connections in the witching community. Elijah said that she wants to live in peace with her family, including Klaus."
"She was supposed to be the weapon to help us kill Klaus." Stefan reminds them.
"Well," The two brothers turn towards Adele as she enters the kitchen throwing her wet towel across the back of one of the chairs as she rounds the table. "Not anymore." She places herself in between Damon's legs, her arm moving across his shoulders and she takes the apple from his hands. "At least not according to Elijah." She finished before taking a bite out of the apple feeling Damon's hand run along the small of her back.
"That coffin was the only thing keeping Klaus from tearing us all to shreds." Stefan stresses and Damon's lips purge in annoyance.
"Anybody else feeling a little used right now?" He asks, gaze unfocused.
"Look, Elijah promised us that his family wouldn't harm any of us." Elena mentions as the doorbell rings. She rounds the counter of the kitchen moving to answer the door. "I believe him." Adele can feel Damon tensing at her side and she runs a hand across the back of his neck.
"I believe him too, it's the rest of that family I don't trust. I mean sure Elijah's word is good but there is no telling with the rest of them. We just, we have to be careful." Adele mentions and nobody has an argument to her statement. Adele leaves Damon's side when she doesn't hear anything after Elena opens the front door.
The brothers follow her, to find Elena shutting the door holding an envelope with a baffled expression. "What is it?" Damon asks eyeing the envelope.
Elena cracks the seal on the back. "An invitation." She says pulling the card out slowly. "Please join the Mikaelson Family, this evening at seven o'clock, for dancing, cocktails and celebration." Elena reads aloud.
"Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?" Stefan questions.
Adele snatches the invitation from Elena quickly looking it over. "The original family." She answers almost absentmindedly as she flips the card over to the back.
"It's not bad enough they're moving into town, now they want a housewarming gift?" Damon snips and Adele elbows him in the ribs to gain his attention.
"Elena," She begins. "I think it's time we finally meet, Esther." She reads before handing the card back to Elena who reads the small note written on the back to herself.
Elena reads the note over for the third time as she moves into the living room. "If Esther wants to talk to me, maybe I should find out why." She says after a minute of silence.
"Well that's a dumb idea; she already tried to kill you once." Damon shoots the thought down immediately like she knew he would.
"No, Elena is right." It's Stefan who says it, surprising them all. "Bonnie was led to open that coffin for a reason. I think there is more to this than just some family reunion."
"Can we go back in time where the old Stefan cared if Elena lived or died?" Damon snaps causing Stefan's eyes to roll.
"What for? It's your job now."
Adele's sharp blue eyes bore into him making him shift his eyes down to look at her. "I really hope you're kidding because now is not the time for you to be pulling your hurt self-esteem shit right now."
Damon fights to hide his smirk and Elena quickly tries to keep the conversion on track. "Stefan has a point though. I should find out what she wants."
"You can't protect yourself." Damon counters.
"Okay fine, then I'll go." Stefan says to which Damon rolls his eyes throwing his head back in a clear show of annoyance.
"You've pissed off enough original's to last a life time." He finally says. "I'll go." He snatches the card from Elena as she exclaims a loud 'Hey' to which he points a direct finger at her. "End of story." With that he leaves the three standing in the dining room watching after him as he leaves the house with a slam of the front door.
*VD*
Adele walks out of her bathroom; folding the T-shirt she had worn to bed last night, one of Damon's she had taken from his drawer while packing her bag. She sets it at the end of her bed before picking up her phone on the bedside table and unlocking it. She finds a few random text from a few random people and two missed calls, one from Heather and one from Justin.
She taps on the one from Heather first. "Adele!" The girl's excited voice breaks through the speaker. "Guess what? I'm getting married!" Adele's eyebrows shoot up at the news. "And you're coming; I don't want to hear any kind of excuse. You're coming and that's finale and you're bringing that delicious boyfriends of yours too. Yeah, I heard all about that, no thanks to you, you whore." She finds herself grinning, a small laugh bubbling in her chest. "Anyways, call me! I need to give you all the info!" With that she hangs up leaving Adele shaking her head as she moves on to Justin's message.
"Adele. Hey. So James has moved on. He's somewhere in Missouri. I'm working on exactly where at the moment. Anyways, I'll be leaving in a few days and I want to talk to you. Call me."
With a small sigh she hangs up setting the phone back down in its place on the bedside table. "Elena," She calls without turning around. "I can hear you."
Her sister clears her throat moving into the room from around the corner. "This was at the door for you."
She turns, blue eyes training on the rather large box in her hands. "What is that?"
"It came with one of these." She holds an envelope; one identical to the one Elena had gotten earlier.
"Oh god." Adele groans as Elena moves further into the room to place the box down on her bed and hand the envelope over.
Elena watches as she carefully opens it removing the hard paper card. She doesn't bother reading the invitation out instead she flips it over. "Save me a dance, Fondly, Klaus." She reads aloud eyes alight with annoyance as she throws it aside and lifts the top of the box off. Elena peers over her shoulder, eyes widening at the beautiful blue dress inside. "Seriously?" Adele exclaims before replacing the top with an eye roll.
*VD*
"It's called weird." Elena is saying to Caroline across from her at their small table at the Mystic Grill. "The originals are throwing a ball. Like an actual ball."
"It's some twisted Cinderella fetish is what it is." Caroline snips with crossed arms "And why does the evil witch want an audience with you?"
"We have no idea." Adele answers for her as she sips at her coffee, resisting the urge to cringe.
"But there is only one way to find out." Elena says causing Caroline's eyebrows to rise as she glances towards Adele.
"I thought you told Damon and Stefan you weren't going?" Caroline questions.
"I did." Elena confirms. "Which is all the more reason why I need a drama free bodyguard." Caroline's eyes shift towards Adele once more.
"She isn't talking about me." Adele says. "Though I will of course be there."
"Well," Caroline sighs out. "I think a Salvatore would look better in a suit."
"Ugh." Elena is the first to groan. "No thank you. Whatever Stefan is feeling he is channeling it all against Klaus." Caroline turns her blue eyes to Adele who is adding what looks to be five if –Caroline counted right, sugar packets to her coffee.
"I hate coffee," She tells them, though they already knew that since ears of listening to her aroline counted rightthe day she first tried it back when she was 14. "Seriously nasty." She takes a sip of the liquid after stirring in the sugar and manages a grimace .
"Adele," Caroline grabs her attention quickly before it can be focused on something else completely random. "What about Damon?"
Adele's sour face tells her all she needs to know. "Ugh, no, next." She mutters into her mug.
Caroline makes to respond but is cut off by the arrival of the youngest original. "Careful Caroline," Rebekah dwells. "It's all well and good until they stab you in the back."
"Hmm," Adele hums out slowly finally giving up on the coffee as she pushes it away, towards Elena. "How's the nose?" She taunts as she leans back, grinning up at the blonde original.
Rebekah doesn't respond, only glares at the new vampire, eyes full of hatred and barely controlled fury.
"What are you doing here Rebekah?" Elena questions as she's pulling Adele's abandoned coffee towards herself. "I know your mom's rule. No hurting the locals."
"Get over yourself Elena." She scowls. "It's not all about you." With that she walks by them and they watch as she approaches Matt, handing him an invitation to their ball.
"Oh my god!" Caroline exclaims. "She's inviting him to the ball? Why is she inviting him?"
"Probably to get that exact reaction." Adele says mentioning towards their gaping expressions.
Caroline closes her mouth, scoffing. "What time is this stupid dance?"
The twins laugh before Elena takes a sip from the coffee. Her face twists into an unpleasant grimace as she sips the coffee back into the mug before coughing. "What did you do to that?" She croaks pushing it away.
Caroline picks it up taking a sniff from it. "Bourbon?" She mutters placing it back down. Both girls turn towards the new vampire, a question clear in their eyes.
"Would you rather I kill everyone here?" She asks simply, taking a silver flask out from under the table. She takes a large sip from it; giving them full view of the Salvatore name engraved into it meaning it came from the boarding house, probably Damon's.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Elena says standing from the table and retreating towards the back of the somewhat crowded restaurant.
"So," Caroline leans forward resting her elbows against the table. "What's going on with Damon?"
"Nothing." Adele mutters messing with the cap of the flask.
"Adele." Caroline scolds, leaving the other girl to roll her eyes.
"We just got into a fight last night. He's being a possessive jerk." Adele shrugs.
"And why would he be being a possessive jerk?" Caroline questions. "I mean he has to have a reason, no matter how small."
"Klaus may have given me a necklace the night he saved your life, one I didn't tell him about and he found it." Adele explains.
"Wait, what?" Caroline exclaims eyes wide. "No way? Klaus gave you a necklace?"
"Yeah." She nods. "A gold one with a little feather, it came with a message, something about freedom."
Caroline stares at Adele for a few seconds deciding not to comment. "You know I have nothing to wear." She finally says.
"I have something you can wear." Adele answers with a shrug.
"I can borrow a dress?" Caroline's voice is so full of hope.
"You can have it." Adele mutters as Elena returns from the bathroom.
*VD*
"It's on the bed." Adele mentions as Caroline follows her into her bedroom. Caroline glances towards the bed, finding only a box.
"There?" She points and Adele nods. "Did you just buy it?" Caroline wonders as she pulls the box towards her. Caroline glances towards the bed, finding only a box.
"No." Adele sighs, a hand moving up to push hair from her face. "It was a gift, from Klaus."
"Are you serious?" Caroline laughs as she peeks into the box. The dress inside is obviously expensive make up of sheer and silk. "He must have it bad. God! How do you do it?"
"What are you talking about?" Adele asks with furrowed brows, obviously confused as she leans back against her dresser.
"How do you do it?" Caroline asks again. "How do you make so many guys fall for you?"
"Klaus did not fall for me." Adele scoffs. "He's just trying to get into my head, into Damon's head. He's crazy."
"Yeah, about you." Caroline grins. "It's funny." She shrugs.
"It's really not." Adele says as she's moving into her closet to pull out her dress. "Damon is going out of his mind thinking the same thing and it's putting a strain on things."
"Okay, sweetheart you're in denial. That's okay though because I'd be in denial too if I had an evil bastard taking an interest in me," Adele steps out of the closet to glare at Caroline. "But Damon has to realize that he has nothing to worry about. I mean there is no way you're going to fall for Klaus even if he is totally your type."
"That's exactly what I tried…Wait what?" Adele exclaims. "My type?"
"Good looking, blonde and damaged." Caroline list, counting each trait on her fingers.
"Okay, first off, I do not go after damaged guys." Adele counters quickly.
"Really?" Caroline laughs. "Name one guy you've dated that didn't have some sort of issues."
"Bruce." Adele gives but Caroline rolls her eyes.
"He does not count. You barely dated him. You dated him so you could sleep with him."
Adele narrows her eyes but doesn't make a move to correct her. She dated Bruce when the wall was up. The only thing she could feel besides anger was lust, desire and at that time she had needed someone that wasn't Damon. Bruce was there so she took complete advantage. So she thinks of Tony but gets rid of the thought right away. "Michael." She blurts closing her eyes when Caroline out right laughs.
"I really hope you're kidding. His mother abandoned him and his father abused him." She stops laughing, her grin falling into a frown at the memory of Michael's father. She'd only met him once and had wished she hadn't. "And don't even mention Damon. He's a walking disaster case."
"Fine, I'll give you the damaged one but blonde, come on. Jasmine said the same thing. I don't have a thing for only blondes. Damon is a clear example of that." Adele says.
"Oh god." Caroline groans. "Where do I even start? Okay, Damon doesn't count. Everyone finds Damon attractive, men find Damon attractive. Damon could very well be the definition of attractive."
"What about Bruce? I was obviously attracted to him." Adele sighs.
"I mean yeah but come on. He was pretty close to blonde don't you think?" Adele stares at Caroline for a long minute before throwing her hands into the air in defeat as she stomps into her bathroom Caroline's laughing echoing through the room.
*VD*
There is the most awful music coming from the house as they come up to the steps and Adele lets a small groan escape her as they begin up the stairs. "Behave." Elena whispers to her and Adele's blue eyes roll.
"I always behave, Elena." Adele smirks over at her twin who gives off a loud sigh before placing a smile in place as they reach the top of the steps and the doors to the front entrance to the house open. Elena nods to the two men holding the doors in thanks but Adele ignores them, her blue eye finding Damon across the room talking to Carol.
He notices them as well and his look of adoration is mixed with annoyance as he seems to excuse himself from the mayor to make his way over. Stefan makes it to them first. "What are you doing here?" Elena asks.
"I should ask you the same thing." The younger Salvatore comments as Damon reaches them.
"Surprise, surprise. Nice tux." Damon's frosted eyes move over the both of them lingering longer on Adele. "You two are not supposed to be here."
"Well, we are and were not leaving until I find out what Esther wants. So," Elena turns her brown eyes up to Stefan as she holds out her arm. "Shall we?" With a reluctant sigh Stefan loops his arm through Elena's and the two disappear into the crowd leaving Damon and Adele behind.
"Oh come on Damon." Damon drags his eyes from the direction in which the two disappeared to look at his girlfriend. "Don't pout." She laughs the sound wrapping around him and making it hard to stay so annoyed with her. She closes the short distance between them, reaching up to fiddle with his bowtie.
"If I'm pouting it's only because you look beautiful. Certainly went all out for this thing." Adele's eyes roll but she doesn't lose her easy going smile, one he's not even sure is a real smile.
"What am I supposed to do? Show up in sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt?" She raises an eyebrow at him as he huffs.
"Yes."
"Damon for the love of god, stop it." She snaps, patience running thin. "I'm here and I'm with you, shouldn't that be enough for you to stop this ridicules act of jealously?"
"Not when we have people like Klaus running around taking…" She cuts him off with a hard kiss and he responds out of relax, his fingers moving up to tangle into her hair and his body molding into hers. She pulls away with a smirk. "That was not fair."
"I just needed you to stop talking; you obviously have no idea what you're talking about." She leans forward, pressing her lips to his cheek quickly. "Get me a drink?" She mummers and he eyes her before nodding.
Once he's gone, she turns to her right, lips pressed tight together and eyes narrowed as Klaus sends her a dazzling smile. "Good evening."
She shakes her head before moving in the direction that Damon had went leaving Klaus watching after her. She wouldn't admit to Damon or anyone that she had seen Klaus watching her almost as soon as she had walked in, she also wouldn't admit that while she kissed Damon partly to shut him up, she also kissed him knowing Klaus would see it. She needed to do something to warn him off. She doesn't need him crawling around, putting a strain on her relationship with Damon. She would be damned if she let him come between them.
Adele meets Damon in the middle, taking her drink from him. He's about to say something when Elijah's voice carries over the room from above them and they turn towards the massive staircase where he's standing. One by one the five original siblings line the staircase. "Welcome, thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance." A woman appears leaving the three vampires as Stefan has joined them almost gaping, there's no mistaking who she is.
"Do you see who I see?" Damon mummers.
"Oh yeah." Stefan whispers in an answer as Elijah continues on.
"Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom." Adele turns to trap Damon into dancing with her only to find him gone, already on his way to stop Elena who is making her way towards the stairs. She watches him in annoyance before a hand against her elbow practically makes her jump. She turns, finding Klaus grinning at her.
"Dance with me?" She eyes the hand he holds out before letting out a sigh placing her drink on a waitresses tray as she's walking past before she places her own hand into it and she knows this isn't going to help her case any but she could take this time to talk to him.
Klaus's hand against the middle of her back is a weight she can't ignore and she's too aware of the warmth of his hand wrapped around her own. "I'm glad you came." Klaus says startling her out of her thoughts.
"It's not like I really had a choice in the matter, I would have very much liked not to have come." Klaus laughs and she resist the urge to grin and cringes when she realizes. She hated the way Klaus's laugh always made her want to laugh with him. It was so damn boyish and charming.
"Very well, on to a different subject then, like how absolutely," His eyes rank over her from head to toe. "Ravishing you look tonight."
"Yeah, sorry I gave your dress to Caroline." She shrugs a shoulder in a carefree notion. "Thought it would fit her better."
"Well it certainly does look good on her though it would look better on you." His blue eyes meet hers and she holds back a scoff.
"You can't keep giving me things Klaus." She begins but his grin cuts her off.
"You know, you're quite the dancer." He declares.
"Well, I've had training. I was supposed to be in the Miss Mystic Falls pageant but…something came up not to mention I am a part of a founding family, it's essential to know how to dance." She explains noting the way he seems to hang on to every word she says and it annoys her greatly. She's about to tell him to stop being a charming evil bastard when he suddenly spins her away and despite having known this part of the dance was coming the movement catches her off guard and if it weren't for the strong arms that catch her, she would have fallen.
Damon's frosted eyes are hard when she glances up and she pushes out of breath of air that blows a stray piece of hair away from her face. "I obviously don't know what I'm talking about huh?" He's practically vibrating in some kind of barely controlled anger. "I'm guessing he personally sent you an invention along with whatever dress he bought you?" He moves his cold eyes towards her dress in what seems to be distaste. "Is that it?"
She pushes him away, causing a small mishap in the dancers around them but otherwise the dance moves forward and if it wasn't already making a big enough scene that they had stopped, she would have slapped him. "Screw you Damon." And she pushes through the dancers, leaving the room in a hurry.
*VD*
"You want to what?" Adele demands, turning back to look at her sister after pacing the length of the small library they are standing in, after she had walked away from Damon, she'd downed two glasses of champagne before Elena found her, asking to talk to her and leading her into the small library they are in now. "Kill him? You want to kill Damon?"
"Just temporally." Elena clarifies quickly. "We need him out of the way. I need to get up those stairs to talk to Esther but Damon has turned into a guard dog at the end of them and he won't let me get within 10 feet."
"So you want to kill him? What happened to a distraction?" She asks.
"Got your text." Adele's eyes snap up to the doorway as Damon enters, eyes brushing right past her. His foul mood is detectable from across the room but still Adele feels like she should warn him. Sure she believes that Elena needs to talk to Esther but killing Damon she feels isn't an option. "What are we doing in here?"
She's about to speak up, about to warn him against their attack but she's too late and Stefan is already behind him, already breaking his neck. Adele makes a noise, something between a cry of horror and a squeak of surprise. As Stefan lets him fall, Adele edges up to his body, bending down to him. "Are you both crazy?" She snaps. "You realize how pissed he's going to be right? I mean you couldn't have actually thought this was a good idea?"
"It was our only option right now Adele." Elena defends.
"You could have at least left me out of it! Damon and I have enough problems, you didn't need to drag me down your path of 'let's see if we can warrant Damon's wrath today!'" She's yelling, she realizes that but she can't stop, her emotions are raging, the blood in her ears is pounding and her heart is hammering against her ribcage.
"Adele, calm down." Elena is holding out a hand and Adele is resisting the urge to smack it down until she notices the pulsing vein in her wrist and suddenly her own heartbeat isn't the only one she can hear, there are two, three, hundreds of heartbeats from the party goers but only one that stands out because it's the closet one and Adele's mouth waters as the hunger surges within her, eyes locked on her own sister. She can feel what little control she's gained over the past few weeks slipping through her fingers as she clings desperately to it.
She can feel the poking of her fangs against the inside of her bottom lip. She can feel the veins beneath her eyes crawling; she can practically taste the blood in her mouth as she watches her sister back away from her, eyes wide and terrified. Her hunger was making it hard to remind herself that Elena is her sister and not food but she could feel her hunger quickly taking over.
"Adele…" Her eyes which she's sure are a deathly black snap up to Stefan who is coming closer, step by step his hands braced in front of him. "You need too clam down, just breath, you need too clam your heart rate." His voice is clear and she tries to focus on it but she can barely hear it over the thumping of Elena's racing heart. "Elena Is your sister, you'd never hurt her. Just breathe."
"I can't!" She snaps. "I have to get out of here." She flees, leaving her sister and Stefan behind, leaving Damon behind as she rushes past people, breathing only out of her mouth, trying to focus on her own rapid heartbeat instead of those hundreds around her.
Making it out into the front lawn, she finds the first thing to take her mind off the multiple warm bodies inside the house.
A horse and carriage of all things.
"You like horses?" As if she didn't have enough problems already, Klaus makes his presences known probably having followed her out of the house and she's only glad she's gotten her facial features under control.
"I'm not talking to you." She determines, with the urge to rip out the next available throat she doesn't need anything pushing her emotions into overdrive any further then they already are but with her emotions so out of sorts nothing stops her from turning to face him and demanding he tell her exactly why he personally invited her to this freaking ball in the first place.
"I fancy you." Is his automatic answer and it only serves to make her blood boil even more. "Is that so hard to believe?"
"Yes!" She snaps without actually meaning too. She swallows and takes a deep breath. "Yes." She repeats much calmer than before.
"Why?" Klaus's head tilts in confusion. "You're beautiful, you're strong, and you have a fiery attitude that is just…intriguing. I…enjoy you."
"Well I'm…how do you say it? Spoken for," She mentions. "By…"
"Damon Salvatore, yes I know." Klaus cuts her off. "I couldn't help but notice the tension between the two of you."
"Because of you." She snaps, this time intentionally before turning back to watch the horse with the feeling of Klaus's eyes burning into her back.
"You know, horses are the opposite of people." Klaus finds himself saying a moment later. "They're loyal. My father hunted me for a thousand years and the closest he ever came was the day he killed my favorite horse. He severed its neck with a sword as a warning."
"Well, your father was a piece of work." She replies and Klaus hums his agreement, eyes never straying from her.
"I am truly sorry for what he's costed you. My father's terror knew no bounds." Adele lets out a shaky breath at his unexpected apology, finally wrangling in her raging emotion and crippling hunger. "I can't help but feel a bit responsible. It was his failed plan to kill me that was your ultimate undoing after all."
"Maybe so." Adele responds. "To answer your question, I do like horses but I also like people and people tend to like me too, so I'll be inside." She turns, ready to leave him once again by himself but before she can even take a step, he's calling out to her.
"Let me show you something." She stops, staring up at the massive house as she debates whether or not to go with him. She knows what she should do and she knows what she wants to do but she curious, a little too curious as she finally turns back.
*VD*
He's leading her through the crowd when they are stopped by a waitress with a tray of glasses filled with champagne. The sound of ringing glass sounds through the room catching both their attention and Klaus seems only partly annoyed when he spies his mother standing on the staircase, looking ready to make a speech.
He reaches for the glass held out to him before grabbing one for Adele as well and she takes it with a nod of thanks.
"Good evening," Esther begins. "Ladies and gentlemen, waiters are coming around with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy then to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" The crowd echo's and the sounds of clinking glasses can be heard from every which direction. Adele clinks her own glass against Klaus's before taking a swig from it before placing it back on a waitress's tray as she walks past.
Klaus downs the glass before he also abandons his glass and continues leading her away from the crowd. He leads her towards the back of the house, into a room that screams privacy.
There's a large painting hanging up on the back wall, one that draws her eyes right away. "What is this?" The painting is beautiful but she's confused on why he's showing it to her.
"One of my passions." He mummers and she glances at him briefly as he's gazing up at the painting. She glances around the room at the serval pieces of art along the walls.
"You collect art…why does that not surprise me?" She asks, eyes moving towards the table in front of them. There are sketches lined along the table, and she picks one up admiring it closely. "You did this." It's not a question at all but he still nods.
"One of my landscapes is hanging at the Hermitage," And she glances up with a smile because he actually manages to sound a bit bashful. "Not that anyone would notice. Have you been?"
"I…haven't really been anywhere. I've been to North Carolina, I've been to Florida and I've been to Chicago but that's it." She admits slowly.
"I'll take you." Her eyebrows rise dramatically at his declaration. "Where ever you want. Rome, Paris, Tokyo?"
"Oh gosh." She actually laughs, she can't help it and it makes her laugh even more when Klaus joins her. "Must be nice." She mummers after the laughter has died down. She gazes back down to the sketch in her hands. Klaus's head tilts in confusion to look at her. "You can just snap your fingers and get whatever you want. Is that why you need a hybrid army? To have little servants to take you places and bring you things?"
Klaus's smile has fallen into a deep frown. "You shouldn't make assumptions." He says and she nods placing the sketch down before turning towards him.
"You're right. I shouldn't assume things that I know aren't true." She says. "Because I get it. Your father didn't love you, so now you assume nobody else will either. That's why you compel people or sire them or try to buy them off." She places something else onto the table and when Klaus glances down at it, he finds the feather necklace sitting there. "But that's not how it works. You don't connect with people, because you don't even try to begin to understand them." She's not sure if he's angry or upset, she can't gage his expression as he stares at the necklace on the table, his frown is still deep and his brows are furrowed but he gives nothing away.
She's not sure what possesses her to do it, but as she moves to walk past him, towards the door she lays a hand against his bicep. A comforting gesture compared to her otherwise harsh words.
*VD*
She's walking towards the front doors, ready to get the hell out of this house before Klaus can corner her again when she notices them, Damon and Elena arguing in front of her exact designation. She watches Damon grab a hold of Elena's arm before she turns to yell at him and decides it time to intervene.
"Look, I'm sorry that I had to cut you out of the plan." Elena is saying as she reaches them.
"There shouldn't have been a plan. You shouldn't be here." Damon snaps tugging on Elena's arm as her twin winces.
"Come on, Damon. Let her go." Adele sighs watching Damon's eyes harden at her arrival. He drops Elena's arm, his attention now directly focused on her.
"You shouldn't be here either. You shouldn't have come, that way you're not entertaining Klaus's idea that he can have you." He's practically yelling at her.
"Oh for the love of god Damon!" She snaps. "Stop! It doesn't matter what Klaus wants! I don't want him, I want you! You're being ridicules!"
"If I'm being ridicules, it's because I love you!" He snaps back and she throws her arms into the air.
"Well maybe that's the problem!" She yells without thinking and automatically regrets it as Damon takes a wide step back as if she'd slapped him. "Damon, I didn't mean…" She tries but he cuts her off.
"No. I got it." He nods slowly backing away. "I care too much. I'm a liability." He laughs but the sound if dry and humorless. "Isn't that ironic?"
"Damon, please…" But he's already gone, molding into the crowd and she feels like screaming, her eyes are stinging with frustrated tears.
"Adele…" Elena speaks up from behind her but Adele refuses to turn around.
"I'm just going to go home." She finally says. "This whole night has been nothing but a disaster."
*VD*
"Well maybe that's the problem!" Her shrill yell is still ringing in his head as he enters the Mystic Grill. A part of him knows that she was just frustrated; and apart of him knows that he's being unreasonable about the whole Klaus situation but there is that larger part of him, that self-conscious part of him that won't let him listen to reason.
Klaus is trying to steal Adele from him and she's falling for it.
Obviously she's falling for it; he never understood how she could possibly love him in the first place. So why would she not fall for it? Why would she not take the first chance she has to find someone else?
It's those thoughts that had pushed him over the edge, those thoughts that caused him to push Kol Mikaelson off the balcony, those thoughts that caused him to snap the newly awakened original's neck.
He didn't regret it, especially when he looked up to find Stefan and Elena standing there but no Adele. His mind was making up so many scenarios as to where she could be and who she could be with that when Stefan asked if he was crazy, he actually wasn't sure if he was just upset or if he had literally gone crazy.
It's also those thoughts that causes him not only to over-hear the end of Matt Donavon and Rebekah's conversion where he basically tells her to fuck off but to completely seek her out. "Burn. Rejected by the captain of the football team. Welcome to adolescence." He comments, voice flat as he reaches over the bar to grab the first bottle of alcohol within his reach.
Vodka.
It'll just have to do.
"Shut up, Damon." Is her childish come back. "I knew I should have killed him. Mother wouldn't let me." She continues looking back in the direction in which Matt had taken off.
Damon takes a long drink from the bottle in his hand, chugging down a good portion of it before reaching back over the bar for two shot glasses. "Well, never let people tell you what to do." He pours them each a shot and pushes the glass towards her. "Besides, you would have broken him in a second." He downs the shot glass before pour another and downing that one too.
"Are you suggesting I can't be gentle?" Rebekah corks an eyebrow at him and Damon noticing she's hasn't touched her shot, takes it for himself before forgoing the shot glasses once more and chugging down the vodka like its water.
"No." Damon shrugs. "I'm just saying you should find someone a little more durable."
"And who would that be?" Rebekah's gaze moves over to Damon, standing there with a half empty bottle of vodka in his hand as his own gaze meets hers, his devilish smirk moving slowly into place.
Tomorrow Damon is going to blame it on the vodka and the never ending cycle of "Well maybe that's the problem!" ringing in his head that caused him to do it, but for tonight he wasn't going to think about it.
Next time on Lose Myself:
Elena reveals Esther's plan to kill her entire family and the brothers try everything they can to make it happen,
Elena gets kidnapped again,
And
Damon tries to keep his dirty secret from getting around to Adele.
Go ahead and tell me what you thought. Right down there. In that box. That box right down there. xD