Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It all happened so fast.

One moment she was drowning, ready to die for someone else. It was a death befitting that of a doppelganger: sacrificing herself for others, that is. Katherine did everything she could possibly do to avoid this. But Elena was no Katherine. It seems she had lived up to what people expected of her kind after all.

She was so certain she had died that fateful night on Wickery Bridge. She had given up her life in order for Matt to live—the thought in which, perhaps, by her death, things in Mystic Falls could return to their old ways. No vampires. No hybrids. No doppelganger. These thoughts filled her mind with ease (they made everything easier for her to accept her impending doom, making it easy to watch Stefan pull Matt out of the car instead of her) just as the cold water around her filled her lungs.

It seems those thoughts only proved to be her fantasy when she awoke in this dark and dreary room, the only light source being the sign which says "EXIT." At first, she concluded that she was on the Other Side. But then the image of herself gasping for breath while pleading with Stefan to save Matt instead of her flashed through her mind. She gasped, bolting upright from the metallic table she was lying on (how long had she been there?), her head full of questions as she surveyed the room around her. Everything felt too real for her to be on the Other Side. Coughing up the water from her lungs, she noticed that she wasn't wearing anything. The smell of formalin filled her nostrils, and it was then that she realized she was in a morgue.

She scrambled to leave the room, not minding her nakedness as she only had her friends in mind. She felt weird, but whatever miracle had brought her back from the dead was pushed aside by her thoughts. They were probably grieving right now. She couldn't bear the idea of them crying not only for her but also for Alaric, whom they had lost twice. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall.

Dizziness struck her before she could even reach the door, almost causing her to hit her head as she suddenly fell to the ground. She thought she saw someone from the corner of her eye. At first, she dismissed it; it was so dark she probably was hallucinating. Must be a side effect of coming back from the dead, she convinced herself.

But the longer she stared, the more certain she became. Her heart sped up when she made out who the person was. She couldn't mistake that blonde hair.

"I was praying they were wrong, you know."

From the shadows, Rebekah emerged, her eyes full of contempt as she watched Elena from under her golden lashes. "If only you had stayed dead, I wouldn’t have to resort to this."

Elena thought the same, had wished she had remained in her eternal sleep, but the confusion of not knowing why she was still alive and not understanding what Rebekah was talking about rendered her unable to respond. Instead, she met the other girl’s gaze with the same intensity, knowing full well that it might not be the best course of action given the situation.

She willed herself to stand up despite the dizziness.

“Niklaus is dead.” The way Rebekah revealed this did little to ease the tension within her.

“You killed me.”

Scoffing at those words, Rebekah moved toward her, her heels clicking as they made contact with the ground, the sound resonating throughout the room. She stopped inches from her, her eyes devoid of emotion. Elena reminded herself not to be intimidated; this was Rebekah. She refused to show any reaction that would satisfy the Original.

“I did,” Rebekah admitted, adding, “To save my brother. Because, let’s face it Elena, you would do the same if it were your brother in danger.”

“But he’s still dead, isn’t he?” Elena knew better than to provoke her further, but her mouth moved before she could catch herself.

Rebekah let out a humorless laugh at this. “You’re right. He wouldn’t come back even if I killed you here for the second time.”

Though Elena couldn't see her clearly, Rebekah's voice sounded tired.

Elena gained a slight surge of courage from that. She closed the remaining distance between them and placed her hand on the other girl's shoulder.

“Then let me go," she urged. "You have done more than enough. You should love yourself, Rebekah. It’s time you stopped living in the shadow of your brother. You deserve to live for yourself this time around.” Elena meant every single word that came from her mouth. She remembered the girl who had opened up to her, the one who had confessed to running for a thousand years, craving love only to be betrayed over and over again.

It seemed her words had an impact when Rebekah's eyes softened. Elena notes the way the woman backed away from her, the visible loneliness she tried to conceal only to fail, now evident. Rebekah angrily wiped away the tears that had escaped her.

Elena sees the opportunity to flee—

Rebekah was already between her and the door. She glares at Elena, her nails digging into her wrist, preventing Elena from escaping.

"Don't think you can use the same trick on me again," she says with so much malice, Elena actually flinches upon hearing them. It had been a gamble on her part, she knows, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

"Let me go!"

"Doesn't it concern you how I managed to learn you're alive?"

Elena stops struggling.

"What do you mean?"

Rebekah deepens her nails into her skin, making her scream. She watches in pain as blood oozes from her wrist, only for it to slowly heal as if there were no wounds in the first place. She blinks.

"No. That's not possible..."

"Oh, but it is!" Rebekah exclaims with so much enthusiasm, "I heard you died with vampire blood in your system—Damon's, to be specific—but don't worry, I've already compelled them to forget that part."

I was praying they were wrong, you know. Rebekah's first words suddenly become clear to her. If only you had stayed dead, I wouldn't have to resort to this.

Elena can only stare at her in disbelief.

"But what a shame, as dearest Elena here didn't want to become a vampire." Rebekah's nails trace her face, her voice too cheery for Elena's taste. "Stay there." She doesn't even notice when Rebekah manages to compel her. She wills her body to move to no avail.

She watches as Rebekah goes to retrieve something from the other side of the room. Her mind doesn't register it at first, but the terror of seeing what's in Rebekah's hand almost makes her lurch. The smell is too strong, and suddenly, there's only hunger.

It's a blood bag.

She closes her eyes. No. No. No.

"Just kill me."

"But that's what you want. I couldn't possibly give you the satisfaction of granting that wish."

Rebekah is right. That's what she wants. Transitioning means there's still a chance for her to die without becoming a vampire. But feeding on human blood eliminates that possibility.

Tears escape her as the blood is forced down her throat, her eyes fixed on Rebekah's face in disdain. She wants to wipe the smile off her face, wants to punch the hell out of her. And yet, she's helpless against her. She can't even make a move without so much as a command from her.

The dizziness she felt earlier is suddenly gone after finishing the bag. Rebekah wipes the blood off her chin with her thumb, licking it off as she casts a grin at her. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Go to hell." It's funny how she once said those words to her brother. Rebekah doesn't find it mildly concerning, only giving her a bored look before grabbing her chin. "We're not done."

She struggles when Rebekah tries to make her look her in the eye, attempting to free herself. She fails of course. She always does.

"I want you to forget everything. About your past. About yourself. About your ties with the family you made for yourself. You will not remember a single thing.” There’s venom in the way Rebekah spews out those words. “No amount of love can save you."

At first, it seems like the compulsion isn't working,

(And then her mind goes blank.)

"Every day, you'll resent yourself for being alive, but you can't die."

(She feels anger building inside her, couldn’t place the spiteful feeling towards herself when she closes her eyes.)

"You'll spend your life regretting for taking part in the killing of my brother. I want you to remember him. His name. His face. He will be your salvation. Only for you to remember at the end of the day, it was your fault he died."

(There are fires everywhere, memories of that night flooding her mind. Klaus takes her in his arms, draining her of blood, no struggling on her part. The gentleness as his lips meets her neck, the way he yanks her further in his grasp, everything is vivid; it’s all she can think of. She dies happily that way, only for it to be taken away when she catches a glimpse of herself through Rebekah's eyes.)

"Now run."

And she does.

Klaus, in Tyler's body, finds her wandering the woods several days later.

She surprises him when tears escape her eyes the moment her gaze lands on his.

Chapter Text

It had to be another ploy of some sort; another plan to take him down. They never got tired, never stopped coming after him, no matter how many times he destroyed their silly plans. It was fun at first, watching their futile efforts to find ways to kill him, only to prove to them that he's indestructible. It fascinated him. They were simply pawns in this game of chess, not even worth considering as his opponents. Unbeknownst to them, they existed solely for his entertainment—a way to pass this aeonian and atemporal life he had.

Lately, he hasn't been enjoying himself.

(He needs to do something about that.)

And so, he had carefully laid out his plans amidst all the chaos. The Bennett witch helped him in exchange for the lives of her friends (it was so funny— all he had to do was offer her the safety of her friends and she was quick to agree). The witch assisted by transferring him into Lockwood's body, and it delighted him when he was able to trick Caroline with no efforts into believing he was her lover, obviating  all possibilities of suspicion.

Elena being dead didn't surprise him at all. He watched how her silly circus band of her so-called friends grieved for her in the funeral they arranged for her. The blue-eyed boy cried the most, lamenting how he should have been the one in the grave instead of her. Klaus silently agreed. With his death, there might still be a reason for him to stay in this one-horse town. With Elena gone, there was no reason for him to linger any longer without the tool to create his hybrids. He found it amusing, how the tears flowed so easily from their eyes, knowing that it was their fault she was dead after all.

Or so he thought.

Klaus couldn't believe it himself—the one time he decided to be in his other form—when he spotted the girl who everyone believed had died the same night he took control of Tyler's body. He found her stravaging the woods like a sylvan, like a nymph, graceful and alluring as the moon illuminated her features. For a moment, he thought she might be a ghost, one haunting him for the things he'd done to her. Blood was dripping from her chin, running down her neck (he observed the scar from the sacrifice, pleased to find it was still there), painting and mapping her body in scarlet before Klaus noticed the pool of blood beneath her feet.

He tried to ignore the lack of clothing on her part, assuming that ghosts might not be fans of wearing garments on the Other Side.

Elena didn't look at him, didn't spare a glance. She was focused on something else, and Klaus understood when he got a better view of what she was doing.

She wasn't a ghost.

A vampire. She was feeding on a human, for goodness' sake!

His gaze was fixed on her as she fed on her victim, completely disregarding her surroundings. He found himself hiding behind an oak tree, his breath held.

Klaus laughed to himself. Oh, what a cruel twist of fate. Once, she had loathed the thought of becoming a vampire—blood-sucking, cold-hearted creatures with no regard for their victims—and now she had turned into one herself. He couldn't wait to hear her thoughts, her reasons for leaving her loved ones in sorrow, her being the cause of all these recent animal attacks lately, and for managing to avoid capture for the past few days. They were fools to believe she had died—

No.

He was the fool for believing she had died.

Was it their plan all along? Make him believe she was dead so he would leave them alone? Did the Bennett witch inform them that he was still alive? Did they know he had been in Tyler's body all this time?

His thoughts came to a halt when he heard her voice.

"Go. I don't want to kill you. Forget this ever happened."

Of course. He wasn't expecting her to actually kill someone, but he still couldn't hide his disappointment when he saw her release her victim. Still Saint Elena, even as a vampire.

Deciding to reveal himself before Elena could disappear once again, afraid he wouldn't see her if he let her go, he stepped out from his hiding place, revealing himself in front of her. He put on his best Lockwood façade, casting a concerned glance in her direction.

"Elena," the name rolled off his tongue so effortlessly.

She spun around in the direction of his voice, shock evident on her face. He listened closely, hearing her heart beating faster than earlier, the alertness in her stance was very obvious which amuses him. There was something different about this Elena, he noted. He could tell it was her, but she was looking at him as if he were a stranger. This caused him to be intrigued. While he hadn't paid much heed to how close Tyler was to Elena, he was certain that if he were to show up before her, the expression she currently wore would not have been her reaction.

Does she know?

He peeks her through his lashes, watching her stupefied expression shift to a more conflicted one. He didn't miss the tears that welled in her eyes, her gaze fixed on his.

"I... I'm sorry."

Those weren't the words Klaus had expected to hear from her.

"Forgive me for asking this... but who are you?"

He didn't know if he'd lost his sense of humor, but this didn't make him laugh.

Klaus had lived for a thousand years, but he had never seen a vampire lose their memories after transitioning into one. It had to be some sick joke. Did they really believe this would work on him? Had they run out of ideas on how to bring him down? He could offer them a few pointers, if they were interested.

But the look on Elena’s face remained unchanged.

Impossible.

Chapter Text

She's been on the run for a few days now.

From what or from whom—she has no idea.

It's astonishing to say that nobody has caught up to her yet. She hasn't exactly done a good job of covering her tracks—that, she did on purpose. She deliberately spares her victims; the thought that one day somebody will figure out why these people went missing, only for them to come back with all these bite wounds, makes her heart flutter. Maybe they will give her the one thing she's been craving the most. The one thing she can't give herself, no matter how many times she tries to stake her heart—which she can’t.

If another vampire sees her, they will think she’s a saint.

She isn’t.

She did all that for a reason of her own. She is shrewd, conniving in her own way. A mastermind to a plan she hopes does not go unsuccessful. If she can’t end her own life, she’ll beguile others into fulfilling it for her.

She can’t remember who she was. She doesn’t remember her name, where she came from, what she’s here for. Only the knowledge that the ineffable pain within her needs to stop; it needs to end soon. The hatred in her heart, the one she has for herself, seems to grow more lately each day. She’s tried all sorts of ways to eliminate herself, only to fail. At night, when she’s too exhausted to find new ways to ensure she won’t open her eyes again, she imagines him, giving her the death she yearns for within his arms; the swiftest touch of his lips against her skin; the heat of those blazing flames surrounding them. She also hears voices—shouting, screaming, yelling someone's name. It's not clear to her if it was hers or someone else's.

How ironic that those things are what keep her feeling the most alive in those times she wants to embrace death. She finds peace whenever she thinks about it.

(It’s as if he’s her salvation)

So when this man suddenly shows up and calls her Elena, she doesn't know exactly what made her body react almost immediately, as if that's the most natural reaction to it.

For a second, she thought it was him.

Klaus.

She remembers him. She remembers everything he did to her. His face, his name—they are all etched in her body and soul, in her heart and mind. She knows it’s not love. Hell, it’s everything but love. But her knowledge of him keeps her grounded in a world where she knows anything but herself. He’s her only connection to her past self, the one she has no memory of.

She knows she’s the reason why he’s gone.

The man before her is anything but Klaus.

Tears formed instantly when their eyes met. She doesn’t know why. Doesn’t want to know the reason why. Her emotions are all over the place, and she’s not sure what to do about it.

Regret. Despair. Shame. Those things overwhelm her, drowning her in misery.

Who is this man to make her feel like this?

“Forgive me for asking this… but who are you?”

The man frowns. He opens his mouth, as if to laugh at her, but he sees her face and stops. He looks at her as if she’s broken (she is broken, she thinks). They stare at each other in silence, studying each other’s features, both trying to figure out what exactly is wrong.

This goes on for a few more minutes until the man breaks the silence.

“Why don’t we get you something to wear first, love.”

She feels the wild throbbing of her heart upon hearing that word alone. The man raises his eyebrow but doesn’t say anything about it. He offers her his hand; she questions his intention at first but takes it nonetheless.

He leads her out of the woods.

He doesn’t ask why she didn’t compel some family to take her in, why she chose to remain undressed when even he, an immortal, knows it’s freezing outside for his taste (unbeknownst to him, it’s a punishment she gave to herself). He takes her to his house, not the one owned by the Lockwoods; gives her time to clean herself up; lets her pick clothes she can dress herself in from Rebekah’s closet. She doesn’t say anything throughout it all, and neither does he.

Klaus isn’t sure why he did so. You can call it curiosity, or maybe he thinks she could be his secret weapon when the time calls for it, his little secret. But at that moment, he just wanted to see her away from that situation.

It’s not pity. That, he’s sure of himself.

He decides he won’t speak of their encounter to her for the meantime, letting her rest in one of his guest rooms. Tomorrow, he thinks, tomorrow he will talk to her. Clear things up with her. Tonight though, he will give her time to collect her thoughts.

The next day, he finds Elena already awake, hiding herself within the corners of the room, shielding herself from the glaring blaze of the sun. He finds this view amusing, not hiding the smirk that forms on his lips as he leans over the doorway. Elena was too busy keeping herself away from the angry streak of sunlight penetrating the room to notice him. When she does, though, she glares at him.

"Is this funny to you?"

"Yes," he answers without blinking. "I mean, who would have thought, the famous Elena Gilbert, afraid of something a measly mortal can walk into without so much as an effort."

"Aren't you the same?" she mutters bitterly to herself. She hears it anyway.

"I'm not," he says with arrogance. "I'm better than most everyone here." And it's true. He could crush anyone without batting an eye, knows the power he has more than anyone. He doesn't hide it—doesn't feel the need to. He likes to flaunt it, actually. Let everyone be reminded of their weakness if they dare to face him.

He doesn't say anything about him being a hybrid, that he doesn't need those daylight rings to protect him from the sun.

Elena eyes him with so much curiosity, and Klaus grins. She looks away.

"Elena Gilbert... Is that really my name?" She changes the subject, fiddling with her dress. Klaus notices the nervousness in her tone, like she's afraid to know anything about herself, afraid to learn what kind of person she was in the past.

He would still like to believe she's lying.

"You can drop the act now, sweetheart. Nobody's buying it."

“I’m not pretending!” She snaps. She can't believe he's accusing her right now when he's the one who brought her to this place.

“Right. Don’t go expecting me to hand over your boyfriends when I learn about this new scheme of yours.”

He feels her eyes following him when he crosses the room to close off the curtains. Klaus hears her relieved sighs, the shuffling of her feet when she stands. He spins around to see her giving him that look, the one that made him take her to his place first and foremost.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. There's no scheme," she grits between her teeth. “Why do you think I came here with you?” She’s clenching her fists, fire in her eyes. She tries to hide her fear with foolish bravery, but he knows.

“I don’t know, love. Do tell me.” He takes a step, teasing her, the unspoken words hanging in the air: Come on, try me. Elena doesn’t move, doesn’t falter in his attempt to intimidate her. She stands there boldly, unyielding, daring. Mirth flickers in his eyes, and she sees this.

“Answers. Since you seem to know a lot about me, I thought I’d have them if I came here with you.” She closes the distance around them, challenging him. “But I'm guessing I’m just wasting my time around here. So if you'll excuse me—”

“You’re not going anywhere," he surprises both of them when he says that. Seeing she's not going to change her mind, he sighs, taking her arm before leading her downstairs and dragging her to the dining room. He doesn't give her time to protest when he yanks her to sit in one of the chairs before glaring at her.

"You'll need to have a full stomach if you want answers."

“You didn’t tell me your name.” Elena declares when she had finished her plate. Klaus merely gives her a glance before going back to the book he’s reading.

“Do I have to?”

“Fine, don’t.” She rolls her eyes, wiping her mouth with the table napkin. It keeps bugging her, the identity of the man in front of her. She finds him irritating, and yet she doesn't forget about their encounter the night before. There's still that nagging feeling deep within her, the longing one that seeks and craves and yearns for the sweetest kiss of death. She didn't tell him her other reason for coming with him.

Klaus doesn’t say anything after that, barely paying attention to her. There is a long pause of deafening silence before she decides to take matters into her own hands, snatching the book away from him. This earns her a scowl.

“You said you’re giving me the answers I’m looking for.”

“You misinterpreted me. I didn’t say I have the answers to whatever questions you have in mind.”

Elena gapes at him with bewilderment. “Fair point. Then tell me what you know about me.”

“As a matter of fact, aside from your name, I haven't cared to get to know you at all.”

This is pointless. He’s not going to give her any serious response at all. Elena finds herself leaving the table when she hears him speak. “I need to get back to my body, assuming you’re true to your words and not conspiring against me as we speak.”

“Your body?”

He gives her a look. “It is what it is.”

“And that’ll help me learn whatever I want to know?”

“Trust me, darling,” he says with so much confidence. “Not that you have any other choice left.”

She finds herself agreeing.

Later that day, Klaus gives her an empty journal.

When she asks what this is all about, he gives her a rather quick answer.

"If there's anything that you're known for, it would be for writing in those silly things you keep with you."

Chapter Text

"We had a deal—I thought I was clear when I told you to leave this town as soon as you get whatever the hell you want here.”

Bonnie came as soon as she saw the opportunity to confront him.

"Just the girl I wanted to see," Klaus ignored the anger in the witch's tone, swirling the glass of scotch in his hand, not sparing so much as a glance in her direction. He had been in the Grill for a while; Matt or whatever his name was had come to him earlier, offering small talk here and there before deciding to dash away to serve the customers there. He really didn’t mind; he didn’t come here to see him.

Cocking an eyebrow, Bonnie sat next to him, albeit still keeping a little distance. She ordered a bourbon; he took note. Of course, she did. "Until when are you going to stay in Tyler’s body?"

Klaus turned in her direction, smirking at her. "Afraid one of your friends will notice?"

"That," Bonnie deadpanned, "And I’m concerned for Tyler himself. And Caroline, of course. I see you’ve been enjoying yourself pretending to be her boyfriend when clearly—you’re not."

Ah, Caroline.

The Bennett witch wasn't entirely wrong. He did enjoy being her faux lover, enjoyed the kisses he got from time to time, reveled in the attention Caroline had been giving him the past few days. Isn't that what he wants? Although he admits she’s not really the reason why he's still residing in Lockwood's body.

His thoughts drifted off to the newly turned vampire he left in his house. He'd given her instructions not to leave the manor at all costs when he's not with her. Not that it matters. He's sure she wouldn't even dare do so as she's still without a daylight ring, void of the ability to walk under the sun. He remembered the expression on her face as he gave out all the rules for staying in his household, as if his words had obfuscated her. Well... he may or may not have given her a threat or two while doing so. He did have the tendency to talk piffle when he's not watching himself.

He snapped out of his trance.

"Nonsense," he said, downing his drink all at once. "I assume you're willing to transfer me back to my body if you're so concerned over your pals here."

That statement made her pause. He observed her as she pondered over his words, the wheels in her head turning, probably working twice as hard so she could offer a perfect response.

"Transferring you means I'll have to deal with black magic once more. It took all my power to place you in Tyler's body, and there are consequences in doing so. I can't anger the spirit anymore, Klaus." She said his name in a hushed whisper, glancing around her to see if anyone had heard any of their conversation.

He was not at all satisfied with her answer.

"Mind it was you who demanded I leave Mystic Falls at once. I gave you plenty of days to replenish your energy," Bonnie sensed the impatience in his voice; she gulped. "You didn’t think I’d leave this town with this body, did you?" Klaus saw that she need not anymore have to be told twice, saw the understanding on her part. She hurriedly chugged down the bottle of bourbon when it arrived, amusing him.

"I’ll try."

“I don’t want you to try,” he couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face. “Do it.”

The witch asked him to give her another day to prepare for the ritual. He agreed; what's another day to him anyway? Might as well enjoy this town for one last time before he departs. There's no more reason for him to stay anyway. Thankfully he still had the last supply of Elena's human blood stored somewhere in his safe. He'll create another set of hybrids as soon as he leaves this pony town.

Elena.

Her name surfaced in his thoughts just as suddenly, as if a reminder that he still had unfinished business here that needed to be done. He did promise her that he'd help her find the reason for her current state, why she had no memories of her past. Now, Klaus isn't one to break his promise (excluding that time when he killed Elena's aunt just to spite her); he really is interested as to what factors caused her to forget everything about herself. There is still some doubt hanging in the back of his mind, but he'll find that out when he gets back into his own body. He'll compel all the needed information from her and see if she and her lackeys have anything up their sleeves yet again. And then he’ll decide what to do with her after learning the truth.

Of course, he might have an idea of what may have happened to his doppelganger. No vampire has ever forgotten their self and their past after they had transitioned. Instead, they remember everything. Any compulsions placed on them will be lifted just as soon as they become a vampire. Unless...

He's not sure who among his siblings is responsible for Elena's memory loss.

He had a long night ahead of him to figure out what might be the reason for Elena to act that way. A vampire will not lose their memories so easily unless someone had tried to tinker with their brain. And no one... unless they're an Original like him and his family, could do it.

He decided to drop his suspicions for the meantime. He won't suspect his siblings until he's confirmed it from Elena herself.

He caught in the corner of his eye when Damon and Stefan made an entrance to the Grill. Stefan gave him a nod while Damon made a sardonic comment about Tween Wolf when he saw him. He nodded in return, ignoring Damon's tendentious act of being high and mighty.

The Salvatores went to sit on one of the tables far from everyone else, talking in hushed whispers, as if discussing something trivial. He noticed that Elena’s brother also made an appearance right after them. He went right over to the brothers and joined them in their discussions.

Interesting.

He amped his vampire hearing to listen in on their conversation, all the while pretending to be interested only in the drink he had in his hands. He must have looked like he had too much to drink because Matt came sauntering over to ask if he was feeling okay. When he dismissed him and said he was good, the blue-eyed boy hesitated at first before leaving him by himself.

“She’s at peace, Damon. What are you talking about, bringing her back to life?”

“Woah, woah, woah. Hold that thought—have you gone mad? We’re talking about my sister here! She didn’t sacrifice herself just so you can throw her right back into whatever games you want to play!”

“You've gone and come back to life more than once, little Gilbert. Don’t you think your sister deserves to live longer more than any of us here? There must be some way! She’s a doppelganger; she’s probably on the Other Side right now watching over us, waiting for us to find a way for her to come back.”

“Damon, I know you’re still grieving, but this isn’t why we came here. You need to let go of her.”

“No, Stefan—“

“He’s right, listen. I didn’t agree to come here to talk about this. I found something over the past few days: there might be a way to cure vampirism.”

Klaus had stopped listening right after that part. Had almost dropped the glass in his hand if it weren’t for his quick reflexes. There is a cure.

A cure.

A cure for vampirism.

He could not believe what he had just heard.

It’s as if there’s something that just clicked in his head.

A plan.

He might have to keep Elena to himself after all.

He didn’t find Elena anywhere when he came home at night.

Fearing that she’d escaped and had found his plans for her or that the Salvatores tricked him into believing there might be a cure for vampirism, he didn’t think twice about punching the wall beside him, screaming in anger as he slammed everything around him, destroying the things his eyes had set upon.

He searched for her high and low in the building, pieces of wooden furniture and shards of glass from one of the vases he’d wrecked underneath his feet—victims of his fury.

She wasn’t there.

Nobody was there.

Clenching his jaw, he felt the anger boiling inside him once more. He left the house, deciding he'd kill her when he found her. Whatever explanation she had for leaving despite his warnings, he wouldn’t listen to them.

He caught sight of her scent somewhere, deciding to follow it until it led him to the woods where he found her the night before. The smell of blood didn’t escape his notice either.

Suddenly he was reminded of the feeling he had when he saw her feeding on someone for the first time ever, the soft gasp that left him when his eyes landed on the beauty who didn’t seem to care about anything around her except for the prey she had in her grasp, the pleasured look on her face after she was finally sated.

Elena was nowhere in sight.

His brows knitted in confusion for the first time. Her scent had stopped around here somewhere, only the faint scent of blood hanging in the air, clogging his nose. If he had his body, he might have found her as soon as he sensed she’d gone. He should have had the Bennett witch transfer him to his body that day.

There was no sign of her.

A body dropped in front of him all at once, not giving him any time to process what just occurred before Elena decided to appear, a glint in her bloodied eyes. She licked some of the blood off her fingertips, eyeing him as she did this. It was as if she were an entirely different person from the one he left earlier that day.

“Did I not tell you to never leave without my consent?”

“I was hungry. I don’t think I need permission for that.”

Klaus frowned. His gaze drifted to her blood-stained dress before returning to her face. Letting out a sigh, he crept towards her, his palm reaching for her face before proceeding to wipe some of the blood smearing her cheeks with his thumb. She drew a short breath when he did this. He almost laughed if it weren’t for the anger he still felt toward her for disobeying him.

“Let’s go,” he said, taking her arm in his before she could protest. He’d think of a fitting punishment for her later.

“What about the body?” Elena asked, not entirely worried about the body.

“Animal attacks.”

His answer earned him her genuine smile, free of any hidden intentions like the ones Caroline had given him before to distract him from their plans. The smile she had given the Salvatore brothers when she thought he wasn't watching. The same one she had on her face before he decided to show up in front of her during their Senior Prank Night.

He ignored the way his heart had skipped a beat when she did so.

Chapter Text

Trapped in her room, Elena eyed the compelled humans lined beside her bed who returned her stares blankly, not having the capability to think and move for themselves. She pitied them but then again, the man brought them to her to avoid anything like last night from happening again. He warned that if her night wanderings were ever to repeat, he might have to take actions against her will. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at how dramatic he was acting. He obviously got mad because of this, and it led her to the situation she was currently in right now: bored out of her wit, having a staring competition with these humans and a journal in between her fingers.

She still hadn't written anything.

The blank pages gawked at her mockingly, and she fought the urge to rip them off; she couldn't let the satisfaction of destroying something that man gave her take over.

The lack of anything to do made her frustrated. Carefully placing the journal where no one could find it, she ended up leaving the room and the compelled people in there, aimlessly wandering around the hallways of the mansion. She meandered through the ins and outs of the place, careful not to step on shards of glass decorating the floor. Funny enough, the kitchen was the only place left intact out of all the places she had seen so far. She didn’t exactly know what happened, but she had an idea that the man may have wrecked the place while she was out.

The man said someone would come later to clean up the place while he was gone for some "business" he needed to attend to, and she couldn’t bother to remember the next things he listed of the whats and whatnots to do while she was staying there. She may have heard something along the lines of "don't touch anything that does not concern you," but she wasn't too sure about that anymore when she suddenly found herself facing two large and elegant doors, clearly a place that may hold things beyond her understanding.

The door was also left slightly ajar.

Her heart fluttered in excitement; she wasn't even scared of entering a place that was clearly off-limits. It was open, anyway.

Silently, she stepped her foot inside the room, and then her eyes saw it.

Before her were things capable of leaving her gasping with awe. Portraits after portraits decorated the entirety of the room: some lying still on top of a wooden table, and some framed and put up against the walls around the room. Some were still incomplete, a work in progress, and Elena didn't hesitate to touch one of the paintings, a smile forming on her lips as she found it still wet. The smell of wet paint hit her nose, and she was left marveling at the various colors her eyes had caught sight of, unable to deny the beautiful paintings lined within her eyesight. She didn't expect to find anything like this in this place, much less expect that someone like that man would find an interest in art itself.

She was so dazzled with curiosity and wonder that she didn't even notice the figure by the window.

And when she did, it was too late.

"Katerina."

A man stood before her all too suddenly, taking up all her space, and she forgot to breathe. This person was also a vampire, she noticed. Is this the person who’s going to clean the place?

But the man was wearing a fancy suit, a bit extravagant for someone to wear if he was only here to tidy things up. She would've laughed at the situation if it weren't for the position, she was in. He was too close, and before she could even ask him who he was, he had already claimed her lips, cradling her face with a gentleness she hadn't felt since she could remember.

She was too shocked to even respond, and the man saw this, parting from her lips at once.

What the fuck.

"Forgive me, Katerina. I was only overjoyed to see you alive. I just— I didn’t expect to come across you here." The man told her too formally for her taste. There was something noble in the way the man presented himself, his presence that of someone with an obvious regal bearing. But then again, he kissed her without warning, and his dignified appearance may have already been tainted in her eyes.

And she was confused. Who is this Katerina he keeps mentioning? Why did he mistake her for that woman? Does this man know her? Was she Katerina all along and not Elena? What was she supposed to believe?

He saw the confusion in her eyes and once more reached to cup her cheeks. "I would entreat you not to fear me; I did not come as an enemy this time."

"I was told my name is Elena Gilbert," she said, breaking away from his hold and distancing herself from him.

She couldn’t fathom the expression that clouded his face the moment she revealed this—something of confusion and recognition meshed together—and the man stepped back in shock.

"Elena? But the news says you died. H-How is this p—” he didn’t finish himself, pausing unexpectedly. Instead, his gaze drifted to her face, and as if an idea popped into his mind, he grabbed her waist with a speed so fast she didn’t even notice what happened. Her eyes widened when he carried her by the casement in the room, getting an idea of what he was planning to do. He pulled the curtains open, and all at once, she screamed in pain, her shrieks probably being heard throughout the whole manor at this point.

She couldn’t even pull herself away from his grip due to the excruciating pain being forced on her, and the only thing she could do was to watch how her skin burned and healed and burned and healed, the process repeating for the next few seconds. She thought, this is it, this is how I’m going to die, but the idea died when the man appeared to learn what he wanted to know, closing the curtains and leaving her gasping and backing away from him in horror.

"You’re a vampire."

He said this with a stony expression on his face, and if Elena wasn’t still in so much pain, she would have responded in something sarcastic to him.

She didn't, but she also didn't miss the opportunity to glare at him.

"I came here as soon as the news of both your and my brother’s death reached my ear, but what do we have here? You: alive. My brother: not so much luck on his side after all." He faced her glare head-on, daring her to do something she’ll come to regret later on.

"As much as I do not tolerate his actions, I still believe he was redeemable. But that wouldn't be the case anymore considering what you and your friends have done to him."

It’s as if the man is talking in riddles. Elena doesn't understand a single thing of what he's saying, has no recollection of doing those things she supposedly did. It seems her life is a never-ending maze of confusion, and she dreads the fact that there might be no way for her to get back the life she had before her memory loss.

"I don't know what you're talking about, nor do I know this brother of yours."

Her words seem to amuse him.

“I trust you’re a better liar than that, Elena.” He approaches her cautiously, like he's entertaining the idea that she may really do something against him. But Elena knows better. This man is not someone to be crossed with.

“I’m not lying. I don’t even know who you are!” She tells him angrily, tired of not knowing anything around her.

Now this seems to catch his full attention, fully not expecting to hear those words from her. As if the idea that she cannot recognize him astonishes him. Frowning, the man inspects her face. He closes the distance around them, and Elena didn’t move from her spot, afraid of what he can do to her. He slowly reaches out for her face, and Elena thinks he's going to kiss her again, but then he tips her chin up towards him. “Look at me.”

She doesn’t know what pulled her to do as she was told. It appears as if he was compelling her.

(But the only one she knows and remembers who can do that is Klaus.)

(This man is obviously not Klaus.)

“Are you telling the truth?”

“Yes,” she says without a trace of hesitation. She watches closely as he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.

“Tell me my name.”

“I can’t. I have no idea what your name is.”

The disbelieving look on his face tells her everything. He was not prepared for her answers.

“How did you become a vampire?” He asks once more.

“I don’t know. When I woke up, I was already like this. I recall running away from someone, but I don’t remember anything beyond that.”

An exasperated sigh escapes from him, not knowing what to do with the information she’s given him. He releases her from his hold, and Elena feels all the tension disappear when he does, giving her space to breathe.

He’s staring at her as if she grew another head, and Elena crosses her arms.

“Now I think it’s time you tell me who you are.”

“Elijah Mikaelson. We know each other…” Elijah stops. “Or at least, we used to.”

(Mikaelson. Is he related to Klaus, perhaps?)

They had moved to the kitchen after all the ruckus that happened in that large room, deciding among themselves that it may be better to talk where they could be comfortable. Elena observes the man who calls himself Elijah, acting like he didn’t just watch her almost die earlier. She scoffs silently.

“I’m also an Original.”

“An Original?”

“I’m still having a hard time believing you have no memories of anything,” Elijah whispers, which didn’t escape her ears. “From the name itself, being an Original meant all vampires existing in the present come from our bloodline. Originals have walked this earth for over a thousand years— we’re stronger, faster, and more powerful compared to normal vampires. It is a known fact that humans can be compelled by vampires, and that vampires can be compelled by an Original, but no one can compel an Original.”

That explains why she was so obedient in answering all his interrogations earlier.

Elena unconsciously bit her lower lip.

If that is true and if what he had told her about her killing his brother is also true, then that meant she might as well have just dug her own grave.

“Who is this brother that you spoke of earlier? The one me and my friends supposedly killed?” She quietly asks.

She had her suspicions the moment the name Mikaelson was uttered by him, but she still didn't expect that name to escape his mouth when he answered her.

“Klaus Mikaelson.”

Everything finally clicked. Elijah Mikaelson. Klaus Mikaelson. Elijah had mentioned earlier about her supposedly killing his brother—Klaus—and all the nights she blamed herself for being the reason Klaus was dead came rushing back to her all at once, filling her with dread and regret she couldn't explain.

Elijah noticed this, but before he could ask her what was wrong, a sudden gust of wind enveloped the room.

“Say, brother, what abridgement have you for this fine afternoon?”

If there’s one thing that Elena clearly remembered the man telling her when he left her here alone in this household earlier that day, it’s that he would be back early. He also told her he might be in another body when he did return and that she must not be afraid if an unfamiliar face showed up in front of her.

But the face in front of her was too familiar. Enough to make her tremble and shake—not because of fear, not because of sadness either, but because of relief and joy upon seeing his face.

There he was, standing before her in all his glory, his lips forming a smile that she had repeated over and over in her mind for the past few nights she had awoken as a vampire. The only face she clearly recalled amidst everything she couldn't remember.

She hoped she wasn't dreaming because Klaus Mikaelson was clearly alive.

Chapter Text

There is something oddly unusual about the way Elena’s brother carries himself these days, leaving others to wonder if he truly lost the last of his family just weeks ago.

Perhaps others might think it's merely a phase, akin to those he went through in the past when his parents died, but Klaus disagrees. He had already dispatched some of his remaining hybrids to gather information about the last Gilbert, but of course¸no matter their loyalty to him, Klaus still can't bring himself to trust them completely with this task. He can't risk jeopardizing his only chance to retrieve his key to building an army of hybrids.

Klaus has been tailing Elena’s brother since morning, stealthily maneuvering in the shadows, determined to uncover more about the cure he mentioned during the meeting with the Salvatore brothers yesterday. There was only one cure that crossed his mind upon ruminating. But it can't be that… can it? He had long forgotten about it since he destroyed the little affair his sister had with one of The Five, an event that ultimately led to the massacre of everyone else involved. He had ceased thinking about it after enduring decades of torture and mental turmoil caused by the Hunter's Curse.

He can't imagine killing another hunter if the circumstances permit it.

The young Gilbert—a name Damon occasionally refers to him by—cautiously slips into a suspicious-looking truck hidden in the heart of the forest. He emerges about an hour later, a curious expression etched onto his face. Klaus tries to eavesdrop on what's transpiring inside, but he's met with an impenetrable barrier. A spell, he deduces. Could it be the work of a Bennett witch?

Despite his disdain for wasting time, there's only one way to find out. So he waits.

He remains perfectly concealed as the young Gilbert finally exits the truck, accompanied by an unfamiliar man. They exchange no words, only a shared understanding, sealed with a handshake. And before he could have a better look of the man, he retreats back into the vehicle.

Klaus can't recall if he's encountered this man before. He'll have his hybrids to look him up.

Elena’s brother lingers for a moment longer, and upon closer inspection, Klaus detects a fire in his eyes—a blaze reminiscent of something awfully familiar. Klaus can't mistake those eyes for anyone else's—eyes that wouldn't hesitate to eradicate any vampires that dare cross their path.

The same eyes that the hunters he annihilated centuries ago possessed.

And then, it dawns on him. Oh.

Klaus realizes that the Salvatores may not be the puppeteers orchestrating this game after all. No, perhaps he's overestimated them.

Klaus had missed his intentions yesterday in his meeting with the Salvatores, but now it’s clear to him what Elena’s brother is up to. He supposes this was to be expected, whereas everyone he had ever loved gone since letting these vampires in their lives.

He can't help but let a smirk dance across his lips. This situation is becoming more intriguing by the moment.

Oh, what a delightful turn of events.

"You're late," Bonnie remarks as he finally arrives at their rendezvous. If she notices the telltale signs of amusement on his face, she makes no comment of it.

"Had to attend to a few matters—not that it’s any of your business, my dear. Now, are we all set?"

The Bennett witch rolls her eyes. "As long as you're ready."

"Fantastic. Carry on."

Elena feels like she’s been drowning from the moment her senses returned to her.

She can't breathe. Darkness seems to reach for her, closing in on her and encasing her in never-ending hopelessness and helplessness with no way out. There's no light to reach for at the end of the tunnel.

Waves of both sadness and self-contempt sweep through her whole being, and she doesn't understand why; her emotions spiral out of control as she takes a moment to observe where she is and what she’s doing.

She sees she’s alone and naked in the middle of the woods, confused, with an undeniable thirst for blood. She has been running for God knows how long. She can hear her own heart thumping loudly against her chest, her lungs burning and screaming for air. She’s not particularly tired; she can stop at any moment, and yet she can't help feeling that it's going to be the end for her the moment she does. But why? What did she do? Who was even after her?

(Conflicting thoughts of wanting to be caught and wanting to live battle in her mind.)

She runs endlessly, launching herself with no sense of direction or destination, not paying attention at all to her surroundings, nor does she pay heed to the cuts she got from small branches and sharp fronds, healing at once only to be replaced with more. She nearly stumbles when her foot gets caught on a root but quickly regains her balance by grabbing hold of the nearest trunk, scraping her palms in the process. It seems like hours have long since passed since her venture, but the darkness that stretches and spreads like a blanket in the sky above her has her thinking otherwise. Even if there was a moon above, the dense canopy has made it impossible for its silvery beams to penetrate them.

A gust of cold wind blows in her direction, and she shudders, observing the goosebumps forming on her skin. She braces herself, fervently wishing for something to cover herself in the creeping midnight chill.

She pauses at the thought.

No. She doesn't even deserve that.

Her mind scrambles to make sense of everything that led her into this situation, but somehow, she remembers nothing at all.

She bites her lip and goes on running for more. She'd kill for a sip of blood right now.

Occasionally, she hears the clear indicator of animals scattering away—the gentle snapping of twigs mayhaps hinting at a rabbit or deer—as they feel her approaching. The noises the nocturnal creatures make have filled the entire forest, and if she tries to listen closely, she can hear the ululating of a wolf in the distance.

Wait. A wolf.

Something flashes in her mind. Blue eyes. Devilish smile. Sharp fangs piercing soft flesh.

Just then, a name suddenly pops into her mind.

(A name that had been silently clawing in her chest for several hours—wanting her to remember, to never forget, for her to carry with her all the time—a name that carries both sadness and relief to her as she traverses this unknown path, her past and future both unclear to her.)

She hadn’t realized when she had stopped running, a sense of calmness washing over her unexpectedly.

Klaus.

She finally remembers.

When she looks up at the dark sky, the stars that she had failed to notice earlier—hidden behind the clouds which had already begun to shift slowly—twinkle brightly, coruscating and casting down hope inside her.

Elena’s been drowning. Sinking and sinking deeper, falling into the bottomless abyss of agony and despair with no one to turn to for help. Struggling desperately for air.

Klaus had become her oxygen.

“Say brother, what abridgement have you for this fine afternoon?”

She realized she was holding her breath the moment he appeared before her. The surreality of the situation hadn't completely sunk into her mind yet, with questions of hows and whys invading her thoughts.

But more importantly,

He’s alive. He’s alive. He’s alive. He’s alive.

Klaus is here, and he’s alive.

She is struggling to trust what her eyes are seeing. Suspicions of this being a hallucination or a dream occur to her mind.

His appearance is ever the same, never changing. She had seen his face in her dreams like this every night, had blamed and cursed herself over and over for his death, had wished it was her instead who died in his place.

That doesn’t matter. He’s here now.

She wants nothing more at that moment than to run to him and feel his touch once again, to be wrapped in his arms like he did the night he killed her. She unconsciously grips the kitchen counter for support, his presence so powerful, so irresistible.

It’s taking everything in herself not to block his path and ask him to kill her again then and there.

Her eyes are focused on him the entire time, never leaving him even as he approaches the bewildered Elijah beside her. She supposes she might even have the same look on her face right now. She tries to hide the disappointment on her face when he doesn't acknowledge her presence, his mouth curling into a wicked grin at his brother.

“Well? It seems I’ve interrupted something.”

Elijah awkwardly shifts from one foot to another, Elena observes. “Niklaus."

"Yes, brother, it is I." Klaus steps forward, the floorboard creaking underneath his shoes. "Have you come here to mourn my supposed death? Perhaps arrived here to celebrate? A pity, as you can see, I’m very much alive and kicking.” He beams at them, spreading his arms as if to make a point.

"Well, you've always had a flair for surprising those around you." Elijah makes a point to appear calm, but his voice—somewhat a mix of pleased and disbelief as he regards his brother curiously—fails him. “How had the others not noticed you were alive?”

Klaus looks as if he can’t wait to tell his story, excitement filling his gaze. “Let’s just say I have an accomplice.”

“You mean Elena?”

Elena’s ears perk up when she hears her name. She remains quiet throughout the whole exchange, not fully knowing what to say lest she interrupts them. And what is she even supposed to say in this situation? She still doesn’t fully understand everything that is happening right now. Just a few days ago, she tortured herself endlessly by the fact that Klaus is dead and that it is her fault. Two nights ago, a man let her into his home, gave her clothes, a meal, a journal, and this morning—compelled humans. And after everything, the same man just revealed himself to her as Klaus.

How is she going to wrap her head around all these occurrences?

Just then, Klaus peers in her direction, the corner of his mouth tugging into what might have passed for a smile.

Her breath hitches.

"It seems you've already seen my doppelganger." Klaus says, the phrase directed at his brother as he finally focuses his attention on her, electric blue eyes meeting her dark ones. It’s as if she is being pulled by those eyes, in which at first it seems like there are no emotions in them, but the more she stares, the more she feels that something is in there that she can’t quite put into words. Oddly enough, she feels at peace looking at them.

(“…He will be your salvation, only to remember at the end of the day, it was your fault he died.”)

She blinks.

Elena turns her gaze away, missing the frown that immediately appears on the other’s face.

For almost a second, she almost lets herself believe that everything’s going to be okay with Klaus finally being here. She doesn't want to fool herself by thinking she's in the clear now that she's seen Klaus alive in front of her. Thinking about it, there’s no way everything is just a coincidence—out of all the people, how is it him who found her first? All these days she had no place to stay, and he’s the one who provided her that exactly? She may not remember how he died, doesn’t know how he survived, but in her heart, she knows she’s still the reason for his supposed death. And she has an inkling that he knows that.

She scoffs silently. Of course, there’s no way he’d let go of his killer. Everything might have been planned after all.

Doppelganger, she repeats in her head. Whatever does he mean by that?

"Am I to assume you’re the one behind her missing memories?” Elijah surprises her when he asks his brother that question, a thought that hadn’t even occurred to her. She stops breathing altogether as she waits for Klaus’ answer to that.

“What do you think?”

Before Elijah can say anything back, she hears approaching footsteps and muffled noises. Both of them turn to the source of the noise: another vampire—no, someone similar to Klaus, but weaker—appears with a struggling man in tow. She frowns, as does Elijah, whereas Klaus can be seen amused by the whole situation.

“Ah, it seems my gift for you has arrived, my dear.”

“For me?”

Elena takes a moment to observe the human, who glares at her in return. He was trying to say something, but nothing is making any sense with the duct tape plastered on his mouth. She was about to take a step closer, but Klaus stops her. “Careful, that one’s dangerous.”

He then directs the vampire-like creature to remove the tape.

“Everyone thought you were dead.” the human spits as soon as he can speak, his eyes shooting daggers at everyone in the room, but mostly at Klaus.

Klaus ignores him. “How are you liking my present, sweetheart?”

She studies him, trying to see his intentions behind this but couldn’t find anything at all. “You’ve already left me these compelled humans in my room this morning; I don’t need another one.”

“Trust me, my dear, this one’s special.”

“What are you guys talking about? Since when were you and Katherine in league with each other?” Katherine. Is this perhaps the same Katerina that Elijah mistook her for a while ago? Do they really look so similar?

“It seems you’re mistaking her for another doppelganger, poor lad.”

Then Klaus repeats that word again. Is that what she thinks it is? Elena closes her eyes, her head aching from all the new questions forming in her head.

But Klaus knew it was her the moment they met. He called her Elena, not Katerina, not Katherine.

Something flutters in her chest with that sudden realization.

A gust of wind and someone groaning distract her from her thoughts. All at once she sees Klaus pinning the human on the floor, so fast that even as a vampire, Elena couldn’t help but gasp. “I suggest you not to do what you were thinking; I’m short on my hybrids already.” His hand was on his neck, while the other is holding some stake that Elena doesn’t know where it came from.

Elena was so focused on her thoughts that she doesn’t even notice what the human was planning on doing. He had a stake hidden in his clothing, apparently. He’s strong, she observes, so strong that he was able to break free from the rope tied to his hands. Even the hybrid, the creature similar to Klaus, was shaken by the sudden events. Had Klaus not known what he was about to do, the hybrid would probably be lying cold right now.

It seems Klaus was right, this one is special. But why would he bring this human to her, though?

“L-let me go, bastard!”

Elijah takes this as a moment to finally step in.

“Why did you bring Elena’s brother here, Niklaus?”

Elena freezes at the word. A brother. She had a brother. A newfound feeling emerges in her guts, something akin to what she can call a sudden urge of protectiveness for this brother she just met today. She tries to remember his name, imagines her life she had with him before her memory loss.

Only blankness greets her.

“Elena?”

Her brother finally looks at her, still choking from Klaus’ grasp, and Elena doesn’t know where she got the courage to push Klaus off of him and hiss a small, “Don’t touch him.”

This, of course, surprises Klaus, even Elijah, who’s watching silently on the sideline. There was a small moment where they were only exchanging glares, a flash of anger burning in Klaus’ eyes before this changes into a gleeful delight that catches her off guard. He finally eases his hold on her brother, and she immediately goes to help him.

“Elena… it’s you… but you seem different, almost like, almost like you’re—”

“A vampire?” Elijah cuts him off, “I would say your hunch is correct.” She doesn’t miss the horror in her brother’s eyes after this information was revealed. It's hard to ignore the pain that ripples through her chest as he immediately inches away from her. From the corner of her eyes, Elena sees Klaus signaling the hybrid to take the stake, probably to burn away.

When the hybrid's gone, he faces them again, but this time with a huge smile on his face. But his cold eyes and calculating countenance betray him, and Elena senses that he's plotting something big right now.

She shies away when their eyes meet for the second time.

“I'd say this is a lovely reunion, isn't it?"

In her mind, Elena couldn't help but agree. A lovely reunion it is.

Chapter Text

It was decided (by Klaus alone) that her brother was going to be locked up after that whole ordeal, causing her to make a big protest about keeping him beside her. She instantly withers when she takes notice of Klaus giving her a hard look. Gazing into his eyes, she never really got to process that everything before her eyes is real—that the Klaus she’s looking at is real.

"You don’t get a say in this, Elena dear. I wouldn't want to find you dead the next morning if I so much as leave you alone with the hunter,” he told her, appearing calm, but the warning in his voice is apparent.

The hunter? Whatever the hell that meant, Elena wasn't going to let someone she just met be taken away from her in front of her eyes, especially if that someone is her blood.

Klaus told her he was going to help her. Well, in his own way, he did. Not what she expected, but still, he did introduce her to her family, which she thought would even take quite a while. But is this the help Klaus was talking about when she talked to him on her very first day here? Or was it sort of an act of revenge for what she did the night before, going against his word of staying inside the manor?

What was the whole point of it anyway? Being introduced to her only family only to be separated again, as if Klaus is mocking her—

—she pauses. She almost laughed at her thoughts.

Of course, he’s mocking her.

She nearly forgot who Klaus really is.

She had this whole idea of Klaus in her head, of him whisking her away to give her that sweet death she craves the whole time. To give her at least that kind of peace.

She thought of him as her salvation.

(Because that’s what happens when you wake up to find yourself possessing no memories or anything, where the urge to kill yourself is big enough and yet the desire to live remains still. And conveniently, when hope is all lost, there is, after all, something you can grasp onto to keep yourself from losing it.)

That’s what Klaus is to her.

The Klaus before her eyes would do the very opposite to rile her, to elicit some sort of reaction from her for his own sick and twisted humor. Because that’s the Klaus that she tried so hard to bury in her mind. Not the one she dreamed of every night.

Any sort of thoughts formed in her mind vanish when she catches Klaus gesturing towards his hybrid to take her brother.

Oh no. No, no, no.

It was a moment of vulnerability for Elena. Just when she’s found someone else, someone dear to her, someone she can hold on to after nights of holding on to memories of Klaus, it’s taken away from her instantly.

She panicked, ready to lash out, and as if on cue, Elijah appears beside her and keeps her steady, his hands on her shoulders. It was both an act of concern and a warning to her. Do not do anything stupid, she could almost hear him tell her.

She keeps looking at her brother as he’s being dragged somewhere else by the hybrid. What was most surprising, the fight she sees in her brother’s eyes dissipated almost immediately the moment he was made aware of her immortality. She thinks she saw something akin to disgust in him.

As if surrendering to his fate, he gave her a sad glance, letting the hybrid take him wherever he is being taken to.

What he was sad about, she wasn’t sure of.

After the events that happened, her day was spent cooped up inside the room given to her. It felt suffocating with the compelled humans still there, but she could think there at least. She could just pretend they’re nonexistent. Klaus and Elijah, at least, had the decency to give her the needed space at the very best. Or perhaps they’re just far too busy with whatever conversation they were having downstairs to even remember she exists.

The only time she left the room was either to grab snacks from the kitchen from time to time to curb her thirst for blood, not wanting to use the gifts (read: compelled humans) Klaus gave her, or to eavesdrop on the two ancient vampires so she can have an idea of where to look for her brother in this large manor. But as if they knew what she was onto, they didn’t say anything relating to her brother.

Jerks.

She did catch Klaus’ other siblings being mentioned, of the possibility of one of them compelling her hence her lack of memories. When Elena heard that, she instantly went back to her room. She couldn't digest the fact that someone did this to her. For what exactly? Revenge? She was the reason why he died after all.... at least from what she knows the first time she woke up with no memories.

Doubts started to form then in her mind. Who’s to say that Klaus himself is not a part of that act? All this time she thought he was dead, and yet here he is, clearly alive. What if she’s being manipulated into his plans? That could’ve explained why he’s the only one she remembers.

She shakes her head. No. She saw his eyes when she met him in someone else’s body. The look of confusion when he sees her. He does not know. She’s sure of that.

She had the unfortunate event of bumping into Klaus one time she went back to the kitchen to grab another food she can snack on.

After that, Elena could feel Klaus’ eyes on her the whole day, keeping tabs on her every movement.

Aware that she’s being watched like prey under his scrutiny, she ignores him, still feeling resentful about what he did earlier. And yet.

Even if he’s not present in the room with her, she could still feel his gaze linger. And there’s something delightful about knowing that fact—she almost believes he’s going to abscond with her any moment, bring her to that site where that sacrifice happened, drink her to death once more.

She shudders at the thought, shaking her head. It’s not the time to think about that. She needs to think of a plan to get in contact with her brother.

But she’s only been here for three days, and she’s not yet familiar with the whole aspect of the manor. She didn’t exactly get to explore all areas inside because Elijah got in her way when she tried to do so this morning. When she thinks of Elijah, the burning sensation that had been cast unwelcome into her when he exposed her to sunlight instantly comes back to her. She groans at the memory.

She’s lucky if she ever finds her brother right away, but she has an inkling it’s never going to be that easy. She doesn’t know the extent of this manor, and the possibility of secret chambers existing remains. Well, it’s not even any more a possibility; someone like Klaus is sure to build something like that. Her brother is definitely in one of them.

Elena realizes at one moment that she didn’t get to ask what her brother's name was.

What kind of sister was she then, to have forgotten her family just like that? Even if she was compelled, she doubts anyone would just forget their loved ones the way she did. She didn’t even feel any connection with him until it was mentioned he is her brother. Would she even be thinking about him right now if, in any case, Elijah failed to mention that?

Her heart suddenly aches. She forces herself to remember, searching for the name in her memories only to be met with nothing.

Think, think, think!

Still, no name comes to her.

She forces back the tears that threaten to fall from her eyes.

But why is Klaus keeping him away from her, though?

He said her brother is a hunter, but never fully explained what that role entails. All she knows is it’s not the kind of hunter one would normally think of.

She wonders if he’s even been given food to eat wherever part of the manor he’s locked in. Or a space he could comfortably lie in. Anger rushes through her when she thinks about him being denied those things. She’ll have a talk with Klaus later about that.

She sighs, lying herself down on the bed. The ceiling that greets her is the color that reminds her of Klaus’ eyes. The hottest color of the stars, she muses. How hot is it though? Perhaps instead of waiting for Klaus to kill her, she could just fly across the sky and burn herself with those scorching flames. Stupid, vampires can't fly. Shaking her head, she then compares those flames to Klaus' temper. Although he tries to appear very noble on the outside, he's like a ticking time bomb that will explode any time soon. He’d be sure to burn anyone and anything who appears in his way. She thinks of the Klaus in her memories, the one that sacrificed her, and compares him to the Klaus that went scouring the entire forest in his rage to find her. She laughs humorlessly. There was no need to even compare. He's the same through and through.

With or without memories, Klaus needs her. Human or vampire, he wants her. For what reason, she doesn't think of it.

If he thinks she's going to run away, he need not separate her from her brother. Because any desire of leaving him didn’t even occur to her the moment he revealed who he truly is to her.

Not when her salvation is finally within her reach. She frowns at the many times she's said the word in her mind.

Her mind wanders again to another night, not the sacrifice this time, but of the night when she met him. Her, naked and all; him, in another’s body. Had she met him in his own body, would she have come with him?

(Yes. Without a doubt, yes. Even more willingly.)

Hours passed with her just staring mindlessly at the ceiling.

It was when Elena perceived the golden hue penetrating the room, an indication of the setting sun, that she decided the longer she spent locked up inside this room, the more off-track she would be with her thoughts. Heck, she’s not even sure where her priorities are. Whether it be this thing with Klaus or her brother's location, if she wants answers, she supposes she should get them from the one person who has them.

It took her almost an hour to find him. Klaus was not downstairs having his conversation with Elijah when she came looking for him. Elijah was also nowhere to be found like his brother. She thought they might have left, but something told Elena that that's not the case when she heard soft music playing somewhere in the manor.

She looked for the source of it, searching every nook and cranny and nearly giving up at the maze-like architecture of the place. Every time she thought she'd found the place, she discovered herself at a dead end. She’s not exactly the best at directions, and her patience started to thin with every empty room she came across. She also tried to go back to the gallery she went into this morning where she met Elijah, only to be disappointed to see no one in there. Grumbling, she glared at the stairs leading to the third floor. What was Klaus going to do with a house so big like this? It's not as if he's going to try settling in every room this place could offer him, right?

It was dark when she got to what seemed like the last floor upstairs, the silhouette of tall trees outside the window casting monster-like shadows as they danced against the wind. There's something dangerous around this part that sent shivers down her spine—it's as if every single fiber of her being were telling her to run away, to hide herself back in her room with the compelled humans. The mahogany floorboard creaked with every step she took, and then she saw it: a light escaping from a slightly opened room. It almost looked like she'd been expected to come in.

Taking a deep breath, she readied herself for any incoming danger she was about to plunge herself into.

The smell that greeted her when she stepped into what seemed like a study almost made her dizzy. Having taken no blood since morning, she was sure it was Klaus' another scheme to provoke her. She took in the sight of him seated on the chaise longue placed at the center of the room, casually taking a sip from his wine glass, his other arm slung over the head of the couch. He looked like a scene from a painting, appearing regal, almost like a noble from the olden days. Perhaps, he was. It didn't help how the luminescence of the blazing flame from the fireplace behind him highlighted part of his features, adding to his handsomeness, though Elena didn't say that out loud.

Elena averted her eyes when he finally looked up at her, a teasing smile plastered on his lips as he offered her the blood-filled wine glass he held between his fingers.

Oh.

It was for her. He must have sensed her lack of interest in the compelled humans he sent her this morning.

Crossing the room, she took it from him quietly, not wanting to say anything about his mouth on that glass beforehand. It was taking her quite an effort to resist the sweet temptation that had been offered to her, but Klaus was looking at her expectantly.

Elena gulped. She took a sip. She pretended she didn't see the pleased look on Klaus' face.

“Took you quite a while."

Elena didn't say anything, only stood awkwardly before him. He took notice of her unease and directed her to take a seat beside him. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she acquiesced, minding the distance between them. A moment of silence enveloped them, and Elena wanted so badly to escape the study all at once. But she can't. Not yet. Not until she gets what she wants from him.

But what does she want, exactly?

To help her? She already tried once, and his idea of help is not like hers.

What then, to kill her?

As if reading her mind, Klaus once again spoke. "I was prepared to answer any questions you have in your mind. Though, I implore you to keep them to a minimum."

That made her finally gaze up into his eyes. "Oh, but no questions about your brother's location. I can assure you he's safe." He told her in advance, as though he could sense her brooding over this the whole day.

Fine. She'll take that as an answer for now. But that doesn’t mean her search for her brother ends here.

"Are you even willing to tell me the truth this time?" She asks, testing the waters. Klaus chuckles, amused at her question. Never in her memories did Elena see Klaus chuckle before. It's not the same mock-like laugh that rings through her head the night of the sacrifice. This... it seems like Klaus is enamored by something. By what? Her?

"Depends on what you're willing to hear, my dear. Although..." Before she could even give meaning to Klaus' words, she was taken abruptly by the strong force that grabs her, and the next thing she knows, she's at the mercy of Klaus, trapped beneath his body, wrists pinned above her head so any plans of escaping are obviated.

She squirms underneath him, thrashing with all her might, but Klaus’ strength is incomparable to hers. Even as a vampire, she’s powerless. He growls, ceasing her attempts of getting away.

“What are you doing?!”

"You’re hiding something from me.”

“Elijah compelled the truth out of me this morning, I’m sure he already told you that.”

“He did,” he confirms, “But there’s still something you’re not telling me. I’ve seen the looks you’ve given me this morning, Gilbert. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

Elena freezes. What looks? “What do you mean?”

“Like you’ve known me for quite some time.” His grip on her wrists loosens for a bit, Elena takes that as a chance to kick him away. He does not falter.

Curse him and his monstrous strength.

“I don’t.” She lies through her teeth. No, she will never tell him he's the only one she can remember from her past.

“I don’t believe you.”

“If you doubt me so much, then why don’t you compel me the way your brother did?” She sees no point in trapping her like this when he could easily get the answer out of her. Though she prefers he doesn't. So what does Klaus really want? She's trying so hard to ignore the way their bodies touch like this, ignores her urges to ask him to bite her and drain her away. Klaus is not making anything easy for her, she hates it so much. She hates him so much. Her anger from earlier this morning had not dissipated completely yet.

"Believe me, I would have already."

Closing her eyes, Elena's patience is growing short each minute that passes with their position like this. "So why didn't you?"

"Oh, because it's fun seeing the Elena Gilbert I've known in the past so weak like this."

Forget the thing about wanting Klaus to give her peace, Elena will kill him instead.