[Chapter updated in June 2023]
A/N: Hello & welcome back. Today is Katherine Pierce's 550th birthday, so I thought let's celebrate this special day by gifting you all the next chapter of 'Love Will Remember'. And as always I want to thank you for your continuous support and feedback. It means a lot to me :)
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▬ New York City / Paris ▬
"You did what? You can't be serious, Nik! Have you lost your damn mind?"
Klaus rolled his eyes and was tempted to remove the phone from his ear to avoid getting tinnitus. "It will work, sister. Don't tell me you don't have a little faith in our new friend."
"Friend is hardly the right word, brother, and you know it. You entrusted that manipulative, lying, scheming, unworthy wench with this sensitive topic!"
"Poppycock! Don't assume I don't know what I'm doing!" Klaus raised his voice before he reminded himself to stay calm. Of course he still has doubts about the success of his mission but Katerina was desperate. If her life means something to her, she will make sure to make their deal work.
"And have you, omnificent brother, considered that she will use Elijah's weak spot to manipulate him against us? You are delusional to believe that this strumpet can mean anything to him IF she even gets a reaction out of him."
"Stop this nonsense, Rebekah! Of course I am aware of the risk but that's why I won't let her be unsupervised. And if there's anyone outside our family who might have a chance to get through his current lost condition, it's her. Don't believe I haven't noticed how our oh-so-noble brother lusted for her."
"Now you exaggerate, Nik. Elijah didn't lust after her, that hardly is what it was. He probably pitied her. And who can blame him? Elijah always was the one who makes himself strong for the weakest. Even if it happens to be for such a slut as Katherine Pierce. Or Katerina Petrova, doesn't make any difference if I'm honest."
"I hardly matter, does it, sister? As long as she fulfills her mission, we don't need to get to the bottom of our brother's questionable taste. And if Katerina proves to be useless to us, I simply kill her. It's a win-win for both situations." The corner of his lips curled upwards, vividly imagining the downfall of Katherine Pierce.
"And what if she is successful? Do you simply pardon her?"
The grin on Klaus's lips fade and his expression grew stern.
"I'll see. It probably depends on our dear brother's view. Can't have him turning his back on us again if I kill his lover. Although it wouldn't be the first time." A shrug followed his words, although Klaus is aware this might be going to be a problem in the future. He can't picture Elijah having a serious interest in the doppelgänger but one never knows. Especially because he does remember the time in Mystic Falls, shortly after Elijah handed over the last white oak stake to him, where he asked him to pardon Katerina.
What were his words? 'As your family, as your only living brother, I would ask that you provide me with this opportunity to feel, to care. To love.' If Elijah truly meant what he was saying back then, if his supposed feelings for this horrible doppelgänger weren't a mere charade, then his plan should work out. One could believe him that he would welcome it if it were anyone else but Katerina Petrova. But unfortunately, Elijah had developed a pretty intense connection with her and still seemed to believe he could find the naive human girl somewhere inside her.
A fool, that's all he could say regarding this matter.
And a dangerous fool, Klaus thought to himself. If he doesn't have Katerina under absolute control, there is the risk that she'll make the situation worse. Elijah had already betrayed them once when it came to this horrible person.
"Don't worry, Rebekah. I'll have it under control and as soon as we have Elijah back, we will deal with the Hollow. I'm positive we will see each other soon. Until then, take care of you, little sister."
With that, Klaus ended the phone call and returned his attention to the small, French army that he has created.
▬▬xxx▬▬
Manosque, France
Katherine had been racking her brains over the last few days about how to proceed.
She couldn't just talk to Elijah and say, 'Hey, your family is waiting for you, they really suck, but they also really miss you so it's still a win for you.'
She also could not try to break his neck and deliver him to Klaus. That was unfortunately not the goal of the task, even if that would have been probably the easiest variant as Elijah was apparently not in an alarm position at the moment.
What else was left? Flirting with him and turning his head? That felt wrong on so many levels.
They had been together once and had separated, or rather, he had separated. She refused to come anywhere close to flirting with him because although she is a great actress, deep down she cannot forget that he rejected her. Trying to force herself to flirt with him would make her feel cheap. Why did she still have to deal with it after all these years? She could have something so much better right now. Well, she could, but then Klaus would tear off her head. She still wonders how he managed to find her. She thought they were finally even...
So what was left? And above all, what would preserve her dignity?
Until further notice, she had limited herself to reluctantly going back to the pub. Reluctantly, because she didn't want to be near him. Meanwhile, she had no doubt that he could not remember her (otherwise he would have reacted to her, right?), but it still caused her discomfort.
An Original that was potentially out of control was nothing she wanted to be close to. After all, one could not know what such memory loss could do. Although there were no signs of aggressive behavior, Elijah seemed exceptionally peaceful and at peace with herself every day she listened to him play.
Maybe her discomfort was just because she didn't like looking at him. Not because he wasn't a handsome man - because he is - but simply because it reminded her of what she had lost. Many years ago...
Apart from that, she had to admit that this new style of clothing, which had nothing to do with his usual formal appearance, looked forbiddenly sharp. The suits were incredibly sexy but these Henleys he apparently started liking to wear? It was a hot look on him. If they didn't already know each other (or rather knew each other), he would definitely be the type of man she would appeal to.
Even now, when she currently sat in the pub again to watch Elijah play, she felt this feeling arise. It made her remember things she wanted to forget. Not because they were bad things, but because they were good memories; sometimes quite passionate memories.
What was that?
Is she starting to feel attracted to him and dwell in passionate and hot memories just because he looked different and she watched him play?
Please no, she can't have that.
Those were thoughts she felt ashamed of because she didn't want to feel that way about him. In fact, she hated it. She didn't want to adore a man, let alone someone who didn't want her!
Katherine downed her drink and shook her head before she grabbed her purse and left the Pub in the middle of a song he was just playing.
▬▬xxx▬▬
It had been a few days before Katherine dared to go back to the pub. As if she were afraid of what awaited her there (which she certainly was not - at least not in that way).
The last few days she had spent on the Côte d'Azur, away and out of Manosque, switching off her head, enjoying life. Without thinking about Klaus, who probably had her followed. Without thinking about Elijah, her ex, who (fortunately) couldn't remember her and who she was supposed to bring back to his family. They have been beautiful days. But somehow ..., maybe it was her paranoia, but at some point, she had started to get concerned. As if Klaus were stalking at every corner and waiting to put her to an end.
His appearance in Paris had completely ruined her inner peace. She would even go so far as to say that the fear of him was back. He had surprised her completely unexpectedly and she knew that he was not joking when it came to his brother. If she wasn't successful then..., then she will have to run again, hide, and assume false identities. A terrible thought.
So before focusing on this disaster, she preferred to focus on the piano.
Admittedly, this activity here was a waste of his talent, his playing was a piece of background music. People listened to him and clapped when he finished his play, but basically, no one really appreciated it. At least not in a way that would have been appropriate.
Elijah had never shown his instrumental talent openly, or rather rarely. She didn't know the exact reasons for this, but she could imagine that the Elijah she knew would never give his talent to something so inferior.
As in the days before, there were different glasses, empty and some with leftovers on the piano, people chatting while he was playing, toasting each other, laughing loudly, and leaving the building whenever they liked.
Normal behavior in a pub where nothing was out of the ordinary.
At least if you ignored Elijah's presence - he was the one who didn't fit in there. And yet nothing disturbed him. He seemed like he didn't mind it. Again, the behavior of the people was normal for a pub but the way that Elijah seemed entirely unbothered by the lack of respect?
He, who expected and demanded respect from others, accepted this behavior.
Katherine was sure that - if this had been the normal Elijah - speeches would have been already held and heads would have rolled. Another proof that this man was a different person.
But she thought too much about it again. And thinking too much about the same things wasn't recommended.
Katherine, who was sitting at the bar as usual, emptied her glass and decided to devote herself to her book again. A book whose content she didn't care about but which was a good cover.
She needed a reason to sit in a pub every night Elijah played there (which was actually not every day). Admittedly, reading was a strange reason to visit a pub, but at least it stopped people from addressing her. The French people are incredibly flirty and of course, tried their luck with any beautiful woman they believed are available. Of course, it was not surprising, but she had actually received several requests for more drinks, to trips, or other flirting attempts. She really preferred that boring book over those fruitless attempts of desperate men.
So that's what Katherine did. She sat at the bar, ordered a drink from time to time, and also let her gaze wander to Elijah every now and then. Just to make sure that he was still there and that they hadn't switched the player.
She felt quite stupid about it, but she hoped to learn something about him by getting acquainted with this new Elijah. Who knows, maybe she recognized certain patterns?
Every now and then, although she thought it was impossible, she actually lost herself in the book she had procured. Not because it was interesting, but because she preferred to focus on something that had nothing to do with Elijah.
"Mademoiselle, voici un verre pour elle," First, Katherine did not feel addressed, but when the bartender pushed a glass of whiskey over the counter, she raised her head in amazement. She didn't order anything? And she wouldn't take a drink from a stranger, either. Precaution, if one so will. It's nice that a stranger buys her a drink, but she really didn't need that, especially if she hadn't supervised it.
Katherine closed her book and packed it back in her bag which was just big enough to fit it.
"Non, il doit y avoir un malentendu - no, that must be a misunderstanding. Please tell the person that it is nice, but he should not give his bought drink to me," Katherine retorted and was about to push the glass away from her when an all too familiar voice sounded behind her.
"Forgive me, I didn't intend to insult you."
Katherine turned and looked at Elijah's face. How had she not noticed that he had stopped playing?
"Don't worry, I definitely didn't take it as an insult," was all she could respond because she was ... puzzled. How did she end up in this situation where he buys her a drink? He doesn't even know her.
"Then I am reassured. It should actually be just a courtesy because I saw that your glass is empty and I know you're here often."
Did he? Katherine was surprised that he seemed to recognize her from her previous visits.
"That's really nice. Perhaps I should reconsider my initial aversion. Do you like to take a seat? Perhaps we can share a drink." Maybe she should really seize this opportunity, even if it was indeed unexpected. She didn't expect him to talk to her.
Elijah accepted her invitation, sat down on the empty bar chair next to her, and ordered a beer. A beer, not even a glass of whiskey, what an unusual choice for him.
"You seem to have had the right instinct, how did you know I liked whiskey?" she asked innocuously and politely, although it was hard to just have a casual conversation with him. He wasn't just anyone, after all.
"I deciphered it from the empty whiskey glass in front of you", he retorted and a tiny smile is playing along his lips. "You're a tourist, right?"
"What gave me away?", she asked, seriously interested although she thought she knew the answer. She was also thankful that she was capable of coming up with a quick counter-question and not starting to stumble. That would have been embarrassing.
"You speak English and most French don't speak English within their own country. Admittedly, many aren't really skilled at it when they do."
"Hmm, can I assume you're a tourist too? After all, your English is pretty good." A stupid question, after all, she knew that he was not French, but she wanted to keep the conversation going. She had to find out more about him, about this new version of Elijah.
"I wouldn't call myself a tourist, I've lived here for some time."
"Interesting, where do you originally come from, may I ask?"
This question seemed to make him hesitate; she recognized it by the hint of a frown, which was really only slightly indicated.
Does that mean he didn't know where he had lived before? As far as she knew, he had been living in New Orleans the entire time before this ... loss of memory happened. He couldn't have just woken up in France one day, could he? Why didn't Klaus give her more information?
"I have lived in the United States before, but I have always felt a connection with France. Life here is simply more beautiful."
"I agree, it really is beautiful here." She could well imagine that the real Elijah would also like it here.
Before she could continue her conversation, Elijah got his beer, which he toasted to her.
"To a continued wonderful stay."
"To a continued wonderful stay," she repeated before she took a sip of her whiskey. Elijah did the same but with his beer which she noticed that he enjoyed. He wasn't grossed out by it - which obviously can be expected because if new Elijah didn't like beer, he wouldn't order it. But still, it was a fascinating discovery.
Katherine also knew that this was probably a unique opportunity that opened up for her here. How and where else would she have such a casual conversation with him? Especially because in this case, it hadn't been her who initiated it and therefore, it's impossible that he could grow suspicious of her.
"Did you ever thought of returning to your homeland?", Katherine finally questioned to keep the conversation going.
Elijah thought about it for a rather quick moment. "No, I don't think of moving away from here. At least not for the moment. I feel at home here, why trade this for something else?"
His question made Katherine wonder if he knows he has family in the United States. If he even misses them in case he knows of them.
"I think I can understand that pretty well. I rarely feel at home somewhere, so if I feel comfortable somewhere, I'm going to enjoy and appreciate it as long as it lasts." Katherine doesn't like to give such insights into her thoughts because it is the truth. Katherine rarely feels at home somewhere, no matter how generous and luxurious the accommodation or how beautiful the landscape is. She is used to not staying for too long; the price of being always on the run. Eventually, even if there's no such reason, she starts to feel uncomfortable. If she stays too long in one place, the risk of someone starting to notice her gets too high. One won't remember a random person but one certainly will remember a frequent guest. Isn't that why she's having this conversation with Elijah in the first place? Because he started to notice her frequent visits?
It surprised her that she was so ... genuine with him but she assumed that despite everything, he's still somehow ... him. Perhaps it is what she wanted to believe. In fact, she doesn't know what she wanted to believe or not. She's confused and still overtaxed by this surprising conversation.
Katherine noticed that Elijah watched her with interest. As if he was analyzing something. Is he going to recognize her?
"So I assume you're returning soon to where you initially come from?" he choose to ask which caused her to shake her head with a smile.
"No, I'm on vacation. As I said, the south of France is a beautiful place. The chic beaches, picturesque places, unspoiled landscapes, idyllic mountain villages, and the impressive rocky coasts are definitely worth a visit." It's a shame that she cannot enjoy the beautiful landscape like a normal tourist. "I still have a lot planned and I think I can't leave until I've done everything."
How true. After all, she had a mission that was unfortunately not as beautiful and easy as marveling at picturesque places and beautiful beaches.
Klaus had ruined France for her. On the other hand..., if she were successful, she might actually be able to start a new chapter. She would be free, her main enemy would no longer be her problem. Anything else would be manageable then.
"That sounds like a very versatile program," said Elijah, bringing his beer to his lips.
Katherine nodded, "It is. It remains to be seen whether I will succeed."
"I keep my fingers crossed for you," he replied before he emptied the last sip of his beer and then conjured an apologetic smile on his lips.
"I have to say goodbye now, the duty calls," he glanced at the abandoned piano with a wink. "It was nice to talk to you and of course, I wish you a continued nice evening."
"Then of course I don't want to stop you. Thanks again for the drink," she raised the glass a little bit and offered him a genuine smile. Elijah returned the smile, a slight hint of his dimples visible before he returned to the piano.
Now that there was some space between them, Katherine reviewed the conversation. Talking to Elijah was surprisingly easy as if there had never been a past connection between them. And, although she shouldn't interpret too much into it, she still wondered how he noticed her. Sure, the pub wasn't that big but there certainly were other guests who visit frequently as well. Did she feel flattered? Perhaps. But only a little bit. Right? Damn, Katherine!
Although she had sworn to herself that someone like Elijah, someone from the past, someone whose chapter has been closed years ago, had no influence over her anymore, he still seemed to hold some kind of power over her. The thing is ... it felt nice talking to him. So familiar. Like nothing bad ever happened between them. And in all honesty ... she missed these talks she used to have with him.
She knew it was wrong and against her principles. Gosh, she could slap herself for even feeling that way. She couldn't even blame it on the alcohol or Elijah's new, very unexpected but still very fitting dress style. Only she is at fault and perhaps a cold shower is needed to get some sense back into her.
It really is for the best if she leaves now.
She took her purse and left the pub even before Elijah started to play again. If there's one thing she's really good at, it's running away.
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A/N: Kalijah's first interaction after their breakup. Who would have thought that memory-less Elijah is going to buy her a drink?
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