AN: Once again I have chosen to push off the outtake I intended to post because it just will not stop growing. This one is more fun anyway. That one is starting to get a bit traumatizing to write, to be honest. So instead, here's Elena, John Winchester, and Klaus going to recruit Kat to their team.
Shoutout to the people who are bothering to read these and to the ones who leave reviews! Thank you so much, y'all rock, seriously. Enjoy!
Addendum: Outtakes
Excerpt from Ch. 15
Mystic Falls IV
Virginia: November 2015
"She's certainly got a taste for decadence," John mutters, eyeing the lavish mansion in front of them.
"Katerina always took her lessons well," Klaus says in agreement.
Elena glances between the two of them, suppressing a burst of hysterical laughter. The doppelganger, the hybrid, and the hunter, an unlikely trio if there ever was one.
"We should probably go in now, it's nearly time," Elena reminds the two of them once she manages to rein in her deranged mirth.
They arrived early, both men intent on checking for traps and Elena wanting nothing more than to get it over with and be done – be gone. Yet now that it's been cleared by both of them, they all linger, standing at the open gates like Hell itself is waiting for them and not a girl who shares Elena's face and ruthless streak.
Elena's is better hidden, but her present company saw enough last night to know the truth: she and Katherine have always had more in common than anyone is comfortable with.
Klaus still looks at her like he's expecting another violent outburst – she's not sure which shocked him more, her physical violence against herself that was only prevented by him, or the vitriolic words she spewed at his sister with the precision of a surgeon removing a limb.
John had arrived too late to witness her outburst but had a front row seat to the unveiling of her plan. Another kind of shock, the revelation of exactly how strategic her mind is.
These are things Elena keeps well-hidden, rarely does she let her anger get the better of her, and no one likes a schemer, her mother always said. Grief has undone her. At the threat of the loss of her free will, she reacted and at last revealed herself: Katherine's successor through and through. It turns out when back up into a corner, they're remarkably similar in their ruthlessness and strategy.
Elena, too, has resorted to self-violence to get what she wanted, as Katherine did in order to get Rose's blood and ensure her transition from human to vampire. Elena, too, has seen the necessity of running, of laying false trails and grabbing whatever bit of leverage she can. Katherine had the moonstone; Elena has the white oak stake.
There is Klaus' wariness, and there is John's troubled concern. Elena ignores it all, setting off towards the mansion that houses her vampiric ancestor, since no one else seems willing to move. They both follow her, bracketing her sides like the most bizarre honor guard in history.
They're on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, their meeting place one of Katherine's choosing, one of her stipulations for agreeing to meet with them. She wanted Elena to come alone, but that idea had been brutally rejected by John before the idea had even reached Klaus' ears. Klaus had insisted on his own presence, no doubt to prevent any myriad of plans: Katherine capturing Elena to use against him, the three of them plotting against him, and any number of things that had never crossed any of their minds.
They enter through the front door, as instructed. Katherine is waiting in the sitting room, draped across a dramatic velvet divan, lounging yet alert.
She glances between the three of them warily before settling firmly on Elena, the closest she has to an ally in the room, or at the very least, the men's shared weak spot.
"Elena, so lovely to hear from you," she says, blatantly ignoring the hunter and the hybrid.
"Katherine," Elena says by way of returning her greeting.
Katherine shoots Klaus a wary glance. "I hear you need my help?" She's looking at Elena, but her words are a clear prompt to Klaus.
He rolls his eyes but reaches out to the extravagant bouquet on an opulent table beside him. From it he plucks a single white rose.
"Peace, Katerina," he says, waving the rose theatrically.
She rolls her eyes but relaxes a fraction.
Elena cuts in. "I need you to pretend to be me," she says simply.
Katherine nods her head. "To distract Alaric, who is now a big bad Original bent on destroying the entire vampire race," she summarizes. "I subscribe to Mystic Falls Weekly. What makes you think I'm going to help you?"
"Because you don't want to die, Katherine, and I have the white oak stake, which Alaric needs to kill Klaus and his siblings, which in turn, will kill you. So, we all need each other, and all of the negotiating that's about to happen is pointless and overdrawn." Elena gives a tense smile at the end of her speech. "So, what do you want?"
Katherine narrows her eyes at her. "You're the only way to kill Alaric now," she states frankly.
And at her words, everyone else in the room is moving. John Winchester tries to step in front of Elena and Klaus Mikaelson lunges for Katherine, but Elena dodges them both deftly to places herself firmly in front of Katherine.
Elena holds a placating hand out to the irate men.
The other three are frozen by her action.
"We need her," Elena reminds her two companions. She looks hard at Klaus. "You can't be that impulsive."
Katherine chuckles, glancing between the two of men at the defense with disbelief. "God, you are better than I ever was," she says, genuine admiration in her voice. "Hunters and hybrids working together to protect sweet, defenseless Elena? I could never pull that off." And there it is, the note of envy that has always stood between them.
Only there is something else beside it now. Sweet, defenseless Elena did not hesitate to step between Katherine and Klaus' wrath, and there's no way Katherine will ever be able to forget that.
She takes a breath, remembers her role.
"That wasn't a threat, by the way," Katherine tells them impatiently. "I was stating a fact and proving a point." She cocks her head to the side, peering at Klaus from around Elena's shoulder. "I wanted you to know that I know," she says meaningfully.
Elena understands her immediately. "Someone told you, so that means other people know."
Klaus inhales sharply. "I'm going to-"
Katherine waves him off. "Relax, I killed them," she says casually. "After I found out who told them, of course. And I'd be perfectly happy to tell you who that is once we've figured out the terms of my being Elena."
Klaus and Elena exchange a look and then Elena is stepping away from her place guarding Katherine to return to her spot between her mismatched sentries.
Katherine cocks her head to the side as if to ask her: well, what have you got?
Elena complies. "Klaus has already agreed to stop trying to kill you, he'll even foot the bill for you being me, all you have to do is do a convincing job of being me," she explains.
"I can't play being as dull as dishwater for very long, Elena," Katherine says.
Elena snorts at the insult, shaking her head. "God, Katherine. I hear all of this about you being so clever and so resourceful, but you couldn't even be bothered to learn about me properly." She looks at Klaus again. "Maybe we should have Rebekah play me, she might be more convincing."
Klaus nods in agreement, the two of them well-aware that Rebekah is already across the northern border.
Elena turns back to Katherine. "You didn't ever bother to find out what kind of girl I was before my parents died, did you?"
She has Katherine's interest now, and John's.
Klaus, unlike Katherine, has done his research properly. He knows exactly what kind of girl Elena Gilbert used to be.
Katherine shrugs. "Maybe I came to my conclusions too quickly." She leans forward, cocking her head to the side, mimicking an engaged and concerned therapist. "Tell me about yourself, Elena."
Elena smiles then. "Let's just say I was pretty well known for my wild streak."
Klaus interjects. "I spent a limited time as Alaric and everyone was perfectly willing to tell me all about Elena Gilbert, the defending keg stand champion."
"Keg stand champion?" John asks, speaking for the first time since arriving.
Elena shrugs. "I was a bit of a party girl."
John is starting to see why his son is so fond of Elena, for all of her tragedy, there is something shining at her core that cannot be extinguished – and something just a little bit wild.
Katherine considers this. "That, I can work with."
Elena turns back to her. "I was thinking Buenos Aires," she says with a light smile.
Katherine sighs, staring dreamily into the distance. "Oh, Buenos Aires," she says like the city is a long lost lover, far more beloved than any man she's ever taken to bed.
"So, we have an agreement?" Elena asks.
Katherine snaps to attention, contemplating her human counterpart. She sees the heavy darkness tugging at her eyes, the tension that pulls her skin tight.
"On one condition," she says.
The room stands to attention, tensing for her request.
"Name it," Elena says.
"A moment alone," she flicks her eyes to each of the men bracketing her, "with you, right now."
John interrupts, speaking for the first time. "Absolutely not."
Katherine rolls her eyes. "If I so much as breathed at her aggressively Klaus would rip me limb from limb." She leans forward. "I like my limbs."
John shakes his head. "I don't care. I'm not leaving Elena alone with any of you."
"I want to talk to Katherine alone," Elena says.
John gives her a sharp look.
"She's not going to do anything, we have things to say to each other," she says simply.
Klaus is watching them from narrowed eyes, the proverbial arrow notched in her bow. The string quivers with tension, and Elena recognizes that now is not the time for self-inflicted wounds.
"There are things about me that Katherine needs to know," Elena points out. When neither man moves, Elena rolls her eyes, going for the throat. "I'm not telling Katherine anything about my sex preferences with either of you in the room."
Katherine laughs as John turns an impressive shade of red and Klaus opens his mouth to speak, looking particularly interested.
Elena raises a hand to stop him. "No, you don't need to know."
When they are gone, Elena turns back to Katherine. Katherine looks at her, clearly waiting.
"Well?" Katherine asks. "Aren't you going to tell me all your dirty little secrets now that they're gone?"
They both know that it was just a ruse to get John and Klaus out of the room, but Katherine can't resist now that they are alone.
"Bite me," Elena says in response.
Katherine considers this. "I guess that explains the attraction to vampires."
Elena snorts. "It is definitely the opposite. Now, say whatever it is you didn't want to say in front of John and Klaus."
Katherine grins. "Aw, girlfriend, I'm a biter, too." Her eyes fill with blood, fangs popping out as she grins wider.
Elena surprises her by laughing. "Yeah, it's a family trait."
Katherine cocks her head to the side, fangs retracted and eyes clear, and really looks at her for the first time.
"We could be friends," she says, like it's never occurred to her before.
Elena considers her. "Maybe." She doesn't say anything else, just looks at Katherine, waiting.
"You stepped between Klaus and I," Kat says, sounding almost breathless.
"We need you," Elena reiterates. "I need you," she corrects herself.
"Sure, you do," Katherine agrees. "But you should know better than to get between Klaus and what he wants to destroy."
Elena is unphased. "He won't hurt me, I'm too important to him."
Katherine seems to understand exactly what Elena is saying.
"Better you than me."
Elena shrugs, struggling to look indifferent.
Uncharacteristically, Katherine takes pity on her, moving on from the uncomfortable truth of what the hybrid feels for her doppelganger. She figures that's enough of a burden all on its own.
So, she mirrors her shrug and gets to it. "You could do it instead," she offers. "Go be Little Miss Wild Child in Buenos Aires, have a bit of fun for once."
Elena looks confused. "You sound like you actually mean it."
Katherine nods. "I do."
Elena shakes her head. "I couldn't."
"But you can let some hard-ass militant hunter turn you into a weapon?" Katherine asks, genuinely curious.
Elena shakes her head, seeing Katherine's point immediately.
"He doesn't want to do it, either," she says. "He'd happily let me rot in some safehouse." She leans forward, intense. "I want this," she insists, her voice raw.
Katherine looks unconvinced. "His son, I've heard he's particularly delicious, are you sure you don't just want him?"
Elena shakes her head, refusing to even think of Dean. "No," she says decisively, honestly. "I want to do this," and then, because they are alone, and because Katherine is so much like her, underneath it all, she adds "I think I need to do this."
Katherine nods, finally convinced, a look of understanding. "It sucks, not having control over your life," she says.
Elena nods feverishly.
"If we all make it out of this alive and Alaric's no longer a problem, I want your word that Klaus will never come after me again," Katherine says.
Elena nods. "Of course. But why my word? Why not Klaus' himself?"
Katherine shakes her head. "I know better than to trust Klaus' word." She levels Elena with a look. "Just like I know that Elena Gilbert gets her way even when no one else can."
Elena looks lost and maybe a little defensive, but she nods. "I promise, he won't come after you ever again."
"Then we have a deal," Katherine says with a satisfied nod.
At last, she rises from her perch, offering Elena her hand. Elena takes it with barely any hesitation.
Elena turns to leave but Katherine calls her back.
"Elena, no matter what, don't let anyone know where you have the white oak stake," she says, surprising even herself.
Elena looks at her, eyes wide but not in the least bit guileless.
Katherine kind of wants to kick herself but continues despite herself. "It's your bargaining chip. John, Klaus, the moment they know where it is, they're not gonna give a shit what you want." She levels her with a look. "Don't ever think that anything matters more to men like them than power and control. Keep it to yourself, don't let them control you."
Elena nods. "I know. They'll never find it," she says.
"Good," Katherine replies. She cocks her head to the side. "It's gonna be fun, being you."
Elena finds John and Klaus waiting for her at the gate.
"Well?" Klaus asks, still twirling the white rose between his fingers.
Elena nods. "She's in."
"That's good," John says briskly. He sets a hand on her back, steering her towards his car. "It's time for us to go."
Klaus stops them with a flick of his hand. With his fingernail he severs the stem of the rose, shortening it to tuck behind Elena's ear, the white petals standing out against the fall of her dark hair.
He lifts her chin to look at him, studying her with the satisfaction of artist completing a masterpiece. She meets his gaze, giving nothing away, as unflinching as ever.
"I will remember every inch of her of unblemished skin exactly as it is, Mr. Winchester," he says, his voice low and menacing. "I'd like her returned to me in precisely the same condition."
He never takes his eyes off of Elena, waiting for John's affirmative response before speaking to her.
"I'll be seeing you, sweetheart."
AN: I'm always a sucker for a good Petrova team-up, tbh. Also unrequited Klena, lol. I am writing these for me and me alone tbh. Also, I just realized this is the first Mystic Falls outtake I've posted, wild! There are more of those than any other location!
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xoxo
-Pixie