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Chapter Text

At the Mystic Grill.
Elena, Caroline and Bonnie were sitting at a table all the way in the back. Damon and Stefan were at the bar. The girls ordered a bottle of Vodka. It was time for sorrow drowning. Elena, being forced into a life as a Vampire was delighted by the thought of testing out her new drinking ability. Caroline was mourning the loss of Tyler. He left Mystic Falls after he had gained the control of his body back. His last words to Caroline were a text message.

“Caroline, I am sorry, but as long as Klaus is in Mystic Falls I won’t be at rest. I need to get away from all of this. I know you won’t join me, since you will probably want to help Elena through her transition. I understand. Please accept my decision and don’t follow me. Maybe I will come back one day. Remember, I love you. Bye.”

Mayor Lockwood had told Caroline that Tyler left his phone on the kitchen counter. He was gone. And Caroline was sure as hell that she would drown her sadness with this bottle. And then there was Bonnie. Her last encounter with dark magic had inflicted a change deep within her and now she was constantly tempted to use dark magic just to feel that surge of power and independence again. It was as if she stood on the verge to become addicted to this kind of magic her mother had warned her of. The girls started downing one shot after the next. Soon the bottle was half-empty. Bonnie stopped right then and there being already very drunk. But the vampire girls made sure to empty that bottle. The Salvatore brothers were watching this, Damon with slight amusement and Stefan with growing sorrow. That was not the way he imagined Elena taking on her new life. But in his eyes she better got drunk than to run wild and kill random people because she felt like it.
In that very moment Klaus and Rebekah entered the grill. As they were spotted at the opposite side of the bar, Caroline felt the unbelievable urge to walk over there and attack Klaus.
“Caroline, you really shouldn’t do this. There are way too many wit…witeni...witnesses around here.” Elena managed to get out. Bonnie just laughed and started to cheer on Caroline. “Come on, SWEETHEART, go get that little bastard. Show him that he can’t just walk around as if he owns the place! He ain’t some big bad guy like he act he is.” For a second the girls looked at Bonnie, shocked that she could actually sound like a ghetto girl. Then they started laughing again and kept on drinking. Klaus and his sister were already forgotten. When they left an hour later, they had to pass the Mikaelson siblings. Klaus winked at Caroline, remembering her of the things he had done with her while he was in Tyler’s body. If it hadn’t been for Damon and Stefan she would have jumped across the table right onto Klaus’ face, but the brothers held her back and dragged her to her car. “You are in no shape of driving, Barbie.” Damon told her, taking the keys out of her hand. He forced her onto the passenger’s seat and drove her home. Stefan took care of Elena and Bonnie.

Meanwhile at the Grill… Klaus and Rebekah talked about their future in Mystic Falls. “Bekah, I am certainly not going to leave our home just because you are love sick. He is just a stupid human boy, now get over it.” Rebekah wanted to leave Mystic Falls until everyone they knew had died and they could start over again. But Klaus wouldn’t even consider this option.
After making this clear Rebekah wanted to go home again and knowing his sister, Klaus agreed because she wouldn’t be fun to be around now anyway.
Back at their house Rebekah stormed off to her room and turned the music on. She kept on listening to the same song over and over again. It was Ingrid Michelson’s ‘Are we there yet?’

xoxo

On his way home Damon saw a young woman standing next to a motorcycle at the side of the road. She waved at him frantically. He pulled over and got out of the car. She walked towards him and he had to admit though she wasn’t quite his type she was very pretty. She was about 5’3, dressed in black knee high leather boots, black leather hot pants, a white tank top and a black leather jacket. Her helmet lay on here Motorcycle. She had long black curls and her skin had the colour of milk and coffee. She smiled and her green eyes seemed to glow from deep within. “Hello I am so very sorry to bother you, but I got totally lost on my way.” Damon grinned. “Well then you are lucky that I have found you.” She laughed and it sounded divine. “My name is Liliana. And I am looking for a certain place. Are you a local in Mystic Falls?” “My name is Damon Salvatore and I am as local as can be.” She smiled at him again and two dimples appeared on her cheeks. She was really a beauty. But Damon thought something was odd about her. She seemed just too pretty. “What place are you looking for, Liliana?” “Please do call me Lana. I am looking for the Mikaelson Residence. Do you know where it is?” Damon was sure she was a vampire. His body tensed up, being aware of the threat any friend or minion of Klaus could be. Lana stopped smiling since she noticed the change of Damon’s posture. She had sensed that he was a vampire the moment she had seen him leaving the car. “Is there a problem?” Damon regained control of his facial expression again and smiled his most charming smile. “No not at all. The house is not far away from here. Just down the road and then turn left, through the forest for a couple of minutes and there it is. Can’t miss it. Visiting friends?” She focused on his eyes. He was nervous she could feel that. Lana smiled friendly and told him she was indeed visiting her best friend which she hadn’t seen in a long time. “I know you are a vampire, Damon Salvatore. I think I even heard of you and your brother, the ripper of Chicago. I am most certain I did. There is no need of fearing me. Thank you for your directions. I am sure we will see each other again since I am planning to stay here in Mystic Falls for a while.” She winked at him and then she turned around got on her motorcycle and drove away. Damon continued his drive home and somehow he couldn’t stop thinking about how adorable and beautiful Lana was. He thought about this more than he worried about the fact that there was a new vampire in town who obviously was a friend of the originals.

xoxo

Klaus just made his way upstairs to throw his sister’s complete hi-fi system including her Laptop and everything else that could play that song, out of the window, when he suddenly heard a motorcycle pulling into the driveway with screeching tires. He turned around and walked back downstairs to see who would dare to ruin his driveway. As he opened the door the driver, obviously a woman had gotten of the motorcycle and was taking off her helmet. When Klaus realized who it was his heart seemed to stop beating. His jar dropped and he wasn’t able to move or to say anything. She walked toward him; her eyes had an unreadable expression. When she stood right in front of him he could see her long eyelashes, she was so close he could have counted them. “Niky…” she whispered her special nickname for him, the one name only she was allowed to use. And then without a warning she lifted her knee and kicked him where it hurt the most. Klaus dropped to the floor his face twisted in pain. She stepped over him and entered the house.
Lana walked straight upstairs. She knew instinctively were her best friend for centuries, would have her room. She entered without knocking. When Rebekah saw her long lost friend she stormed towards her and the girls hugged each other tightly. “Lana! I missed you so much!” “I’ve missed you too Bekah. And since it’s your birthday coming up, I felt like it was time to come back.” Rebekah looked at her friend closely. “I know that even though I am most likely the best friend one can ever have, you are not here because of my birthday. Otherwise you wouldn’t have missed it about 200 times, right? Did you see Nik already?” Lana laughed. “Okay, okay, you got me. I was thinking about coming back for a while now. It is probably time to forgive him. But I chose today BECAUSE your birthday is next week. And yes, I saw him. I would say it knocked him of his feet to see me.” She laughed again, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “What have you done?” Rebekah had always known her friend to be very impulsive and sometimes very violent especially when it came to Klaus. But that was what made the thing they had so special. “Nothing.” Lana laughed again trying to look innocent. “But I do have to go back to him and… well we will see what happens.” Still laughing she disappeared. Rebekah knew both well enough to close her door and pretend she didn’t hear them. She turned the music back on but this time it was something happier. Florence + The Machine “Dog Days Are Over” was now to be heard in the entire house.

Klaus was still outside. He was lying on his back looking at a clear blue sky. Liliana was back. After 200 years of separation she had chosen to come back. His Lily. The only woman who had ever managed to actually stay with him and forgive him whatever he had done until… He heard a noise. She stood on the front porch looking at him. A soft smile on her lips. As mysterious as the Mona Lisa. In a flash she was there, sitting on top of him, holding his arms pinned to the ground her face just inches away from his, her hair surrounding him so that he couldn’t see anything but her face. The green eyes with the honey-coloured sparkles in it, that little button nose and her full, bright red lips, he took it all in like a man dying with thirst who sees a fountain. Her smile widened into a wicked grin. “Hi.” She just looked at him and he could tell she felt as happy as he did. Finally he managed to get out a hoarse “Hi.” She looked at him and wrinkles appeared on her forehead. She bit her lip but then she seemed to put whatever thought had bothered her aside and smiled at him. “Niky, you are a bloody bastard. I am still mad at you. But I’ve missed you and well here I am.” She kissed him. It took a while for him to get accustomed to the fact that HIS Lily had finally come back to him. But when she kept on kissing him he finally kissed her back with all he had, trying to say everything he wanted to tell her for the past two centuries with just that one kiss. When they separated she let go of him and he stood up. He took her hand and pulled her close. Klaus hold her tightly and whispered “I am sorry.” She knew he wouldn’t say more and he would say it only once. But that he apologized at all was enough for her to know that he had suffered enough. She pushed aside the memories of what he had done to her.
They went inside and when Lana wanted to call Rebekah to come downstairs Klaus shut her up with another kiss and picked her up. He carried her to his room and threw her on his bed. She acted shocked at his obvious plan and he grinned at her and then she saw his dimples. The one thing that made him even more attractive then he already was. He ripped her clothes apart while she tore his of his body. Then he sank his fangs into her neck while she did the same. They let go of everything human and just succumb to the animals they buried deep inside. It was rough. They didn’t even notice when the bed broke…

“Oh god, I have to get out of here.” Rebekah said, packed a bag and sent Klaus a text message. “Am gone for two days. Have fun. Love, Bekah” She had no intentions to listen to this growling, moaning and screaming also did she know when they got it on, it could happen that it would last more than just a couple of hours. And considering that they hadn’t seen each other for 200 years… She shuttered in disgust as she heard her brother moan loudly and in a flash she was a few miles away. The Mystic Inn would do for two nights.

xoxo

Damon sat in front of the fireplace and had the urge to drink. When Stefan came home he told him about Lana. He didn’t mention how mesmerizing her beauty had been. He realised that he had even stopped thinking about Elena for a few hours. When the thoughts about Lana grew too strong, he got up and went for a hunt in the streets.
At the town square he met Rebekah, doing the same.
“Oh see who we have here. Rebekah, what a pleasure to see you.” He said ironically. “Damon.” She said clearly annoyed. He couldn’t stop pestering her. “I wanted to ask you something. How does it feel to have almost killed the only person who actually liked you? Well I guess now Matt will never talk to you again, since he is now convinced that you are an evil bitch. Well you are so it was just a matter of time when he would realize it.” She growled and threw herself at him. They fought but Damon could tell she was only fighting half-hearted. The picture of Lana crossed his mind and he was distracted for a second. Rebekah threw him to the floor and pinned him down. “I could kill you, you know?” He cracked a smile and said “But you won’t.” Obviously frustrated she got up and stomped away. Damon got up and for no apparent reason he followed her. After a few yards she turned around. “Why are you following me?” she hissed.
“Rebekah come on, you are obviously pissed or whatever. You don’t have any friends. I have nothing to do tonight, considering that the only person I cared about decided to let me die alone. So why not get drunk?” Actually she hated Damon but his offer was better than anything else she could think of doing tonight. She agreed. They went to the Grill and sat at the bar drinking whisky. And as always when those two got drunk they ended up having sex at the Salvatore Mansion. But this time Damon asked her to stay till morning. He didn’t know why he did that, but having Rebekah’s company was far better than having no company at all. The next morning they got up and took a shower together. Even though they both didn’t really like each other there was this vast commonness of being misunderstand and left behind by the people they love. So they both felt sort of good not being alone and not needing to defend their actions or choices.
When they went downstairs they saw Elena standing in the doorway. She was shocked. She couldn’t believe Damon had betrayed her like this. Rebekah sneered at her and pushed past her. Damon just looked at her and she could remember the only time he had looked at her this way was when she had been still together with Stefan, all the way in the past when they had officially met for the first time. Back when Damon had still been searching for Katherine. He looked at her with the same cold eyes. Elena could sense that he had turned off most of his humanity again. In a second her anger had changed into sorrow and sadness. “Damon…” she wanted to say something but he just pushed her aside and followed Rebekah. They got in the car and drove off. As soon as the house was out of sight Damon let out a long sigh and in an attempt to be friendly Rebekah asked him “Are you okay?” He gave her a look and she felt stupid for thinking he could actually see more in her as a plaything and Klaus’ little sister. But after a moment of silence he spilled it. He told her how he had lost Rick and now Elena. He didn’t say how broken and alone he felt but she could understand it anyways. Stefan was always the one who got everything while Damon was always used and then deposited. She looked out the side window not able to face him and told him how she felt the same when it came to Klaus. “I love my brother but his ways have taken a lot away from me. My family, my first love and even my best friend.” They kept on driving in silence while listening to The Black Keys ‘Lonely Boy’. Neither of them knew where they where bound to go.

xoxo

Lana woke up naked on top of Klaus. She lifted her head from his chest and looked at him sleeping. He looked like a young boy, innocent almost. She remembered how everything had started. How he was the reason she was still here. She looked at him and once again the beginning of their story revealed in her head.

xoxo

It was 1000 years ago when there were no vampires. Lana was 16. She lived with her mother Ayanna. Lana had never met her father but her mother told her that he was dead. Killed himself when he realised that his wife and his daughter were witches. She grew up knowing her father had hated her. She knew Klaus since she was a little girl. His mother, Esther, and Ayanna had been close friends. Lana had always had a crush on Klaus. But he never seemed to really notice her as a woman; he only had eyes for Tatia. He only saw her as a little sister. He would try to talk her into liking Kol and when she told him she loved someone else, he was convinced that it was Elijah. But the truth was she never found a way to interact with Elijah since she feared he would immediately see how much she was in love with Klaus. And every time she refused to tell him who she was in love with he would pet her head and tell her “Oh Lily, wait and see how wonderful real love is. When you found it you will shout it out to the world. But please, tell me first. Promise me, Lily. Promise to tell your big brother first.” And she would smile at him “I promise, Niky.” And he would flinch and give her an evil look because she called him Niky. He never liked the name but he never told her to stop calling him that way. He only made her promise to never use it in front of someone else. And as always she kept the promises she gave him.
One full moon night she was outside collecting special herbs. It was dangerous because the werewolves were running wild that night. She was a great deal away from the village feeling safer with every mile she put behind her. In the middle of a flower field she looked for a certain flower that would only bloom at night. She needed its pollen for a portion. It was her mothers order. While she looked for the flower she thought about how she wanted to run away from her mother. She was only viewed as a disciple and not as a daughter. She didn’t know what motherly love and affection meant. Suddenly she heard a noise. She wanted to turn around and chant a defence spell but it was too late. A stranger hit her upside the head and she went unconscious. When she woke up her clothes were torn and there was dried blood between her legs. She limped home. Her mother looked at her with disgust not believing her story of rape. She locked her up for the time being. Klaus tried to visit her but Ayanna told him to stay away and that Lana was very sick and needed rest, no visitors were allowed. And then 9 months later she bore a daughter. Ayanna took the baby and gave it to a man who was supposed to bring the baby to her sister who had most recently come to the new land but had chosen to live far away from people in a hut in the forest. Lana was to never see her daughter again. She was allowed to give her necklace, the family charm, to her daughter. And they also told Lana her name. It was Elizabeth Bennett. The years past and Lana turned 20. She had stopped talking to people, since the village was populated by vampires and werewolves it wasn’t safe anymore. Lana hid herself inside the house. Since her mother thought Klaus had been the father of the baby she told Lana that if she ever spoke another word with a Mikaelson Elizabeth would die. Lana agreed to stay away from them after they had been turned into vampires. She was scared. She was scared of everything. Since that night she felt small and weak. Lana refused to leave the house at night but one night her mother forced her to go out. Shaking with fear she walked to the place were she had got ruined four years ago. She was to get that flower again. As soon as she found it she turned around to get back home. On the way she heard someone following her. She started to run. The attacker was fast and pulled her in a dark corner. She knew it had to be a vampire. But when she saw who was looking at her with blood red eyes her heart stopped for a second. It was Klaus. He didn’t seem to realize who she was. She had a scratch on the back of her hand from the rough way he had pushed her against the wall behind her. In an act of total desperation she pulled a dagger out of her belt and stabbed Klaus in the neck. His blood spilled on her hand and the wound healed immediately. She was fascinated and in that very moment he sank his fangs into her neck. When he felt her heart beating slower he realized he was about to kill, again. So he stopped. When he looked at her he notice her green eyes and realized who he was about to kill. Klaus was desperate and said over and over again that he didn’t mean to kill her. He didn’t want to be the monster his father accused him of being. With her last strength she put a finger to his lips and whispered “Your blood will save me.” He didn’t quite understand but he bit his wrist and forced her to drink his blood. He didn’t realize that she just wanted him to spill it on her wound. But she drank and felt better with each gulp. When the wound on her neck was almost healed she stopped drinking.
“Thank you.” She turned around and ran home. When she entered, her mother was already awaiting her. She just saw the blood on Lana’s neck and mouth. To her it was all clear. Lana had been turned into a vampire. For Ayanna her daughter was a disgrace: an abomination of nature. She ignored her and locked herself in her room. That night Ayanna planned how to kill her daughter. In the morning when Lana was still sleeping, Ayanna went and got a branch of the white oak. It was clear to her when this tree could kill a Mikaelson; it surely could kill her daughter. Ayanna went back inside and stood next to her daughter’s bed when Lana opened her eyes. “You are a vampire’s whore! You have always been a whore! You don’t deserve to walk this earth.” And then she staked her daughter.
Lana woke up a day later buried six feet deep. When she had finally managed to get out, she went straight inside the house. She was hungry for anything. When her mother saw her, she attacked her again. But this time Ayanna used a dagger. Lana overwhelmed her mother and accidentally rammed the dagger in Ayanna’s stomach. The smell of blood triggered the vampire inside her. She attacked her mother and ripped her throat out. Caught in this frenzy she went outside and started attacking the villagers. It was a coincident that just hours before, Mikael had killed Klaus’ real father and his family. The village was at war so no one really took notice of this other vampire killing people. When it was all over Lana hid herself in her backyard. Eventually a couple of werewolves found her and cornered her. She screamed for help when suddenly Klaus appeared in a flash. He killed the werewolves and saved Lana. When he asked her to join him and his siblings she refused and left. She wanted nothing more than to look for her daughter. But when she reached the forest in which Elisabeth was supposed to live she got worried of what might happen if her aunt and her daughter found out she was a vampire. Scared and desperate she left and basically fled to Europe.
xoxo

“What are you thinking about?” Lana hadn’t noticed that Klaus wasn’t asleep anymore. She smiled at him. “About you, me and how wonderful it is to be back in your arms.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m glad you have returned. And now let me ravish you. We have a lot to make up to.” He grinned at her his irresistible grin and she was feeling his excitement already building up.

xoxo

Rebekah and Damon were on the road for a couple of hours when she finally couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “Damon, what are we doing here?” He looked at her as if he had already forgotten that she was there. “I don’t know. You tell me.” They stared at each other for a moment in silence. Then they both cracked up and started laughing. “Where the hell are we anyway?” She asked him. “I have no clue. You tell me.” They laughed even harder and decided to turn around. The way back home was filled with laughter because both decided to share some stories about stupid things their siblings had done when they were little. When they reached Mystic Falls they decided to go get something to eat at the Grill. They chose a table in back, both not really wanting to be seen. But Matt saw them anyway. He called Elena and asked her what the hell was going on with Damon and why would he go out with Rebekah. Elena told him that she had seen them this morning leaving the house together. She also told him to leave them alone; Damon was probably on some weird revenge trip. Matt hung up and looked at them for a while. When Rebekah caught his eye and smiled he just shook his head and went back to work.
Damon noticed that Rebekah suddenly look sad and when he turned around to see who she was looking at he saw Matt disappearing in the kitchen. “Don’t worry. He will come around some time. He is not one to hold a grudge. His name is not Klaus.” He laughed and Rebekah joined in. They started drinking again. But this time it was a happy drinking. Rebekah suggested playing a game. “What game?” Damon asked. “How about ‘What if…?’?” She quickly explained how the game worked. Damon agreed but Rebekah had the first to answer. “So… What if you had never been changed?” She looked at him. Her smile froze on her faze and she thought about the question. “Well… I guess I would have gotten married, pregnant and old.” She laughed. “Thank you mother for sparing me this hell on earth.” She sighed and downed her drink in one gulp. “Now it’s your turn. What if you could go back and tell the human Damon what would happen if he gets involved with Katherine, would you change your mind or would you still have at her?” Damon looked at his glass and filled it up again. Then he looked up at Rebekah. “I probably would have her change me, but I wouldn’t have spent almost 150 years trying to find a way to rescue her.” With that he emptied his glass. “And you… what if someone had told you that Klaus would, after 900 years, take your first shot at real love. Would you still go with him?” She sighed. “I have to admit I probably wouldn’t have stuck with him as long as I did; even though the outcome of the situation would have been the same. This way I had a long life before I got daggered. What if you found someone who understood you better than Elena? Would you leave Mystic Falls and try to be happy with that person?” Damon eyed her very closely. Rebekah held his gaze. “Chances are pretty high that I might do something like that.” She smiled. He took her hand and pulled her up. “Let’s go.” They walked back to his car and as if it was quite natural he drove to the Salvatore Mansion. They walked upstairs holding hands, passing a surprised and amused Stefan and a very angry Elena with not more than a “Good night.” Elena couldn’t manage to keep a growl inside. Rebekah turned her head upstairs and stuck her tongue out to Elena.

Stefan tried to calm Elena but she wouldn’t listen to him. Angrily she stomped off already dialling Caroline’s number.

xoxo

Lana and Klaus had moved from his room to one of the guest rooms since in his room the bed was just a pile of wood, feathers and a blanket. They had slept through most of the night. Klaus lay awake and watched his lover sleep. She seemed at peace. He brushed her hair out of her face and she cuddled closer to him with a sudden, peaceful smile on her face. He breathed deeply. His face darkened when he thought back to 1806. When he had lost her…

xoxo

It was 20 years after they had burned the white oak. He was in London. Elijah had left them. Klaus had felt agitated for sometime now. Something was missing. But he couldn’t quite find out what it was. He had lots of women, blood and fun but it didn’t satisfy him. One day when he and Rebekah were at a party he saw her again. Liliana. Lily. His almost sister. But she looked different. Of course vampires don’t age but everything about her had changed. The way she walked, the way she looked at the people surrounding her was more self-confident than he could have ever imagined. The scared little girl that screamed for help was long forgotten it seemed. He walked towards her but his path was suddenly blocked by two tall servants. “The lady is not available for unworthy suitors.” Klaus was stunned. She had bodyguards. Impressive. “Tell your Lady it is Niklaus Mikaelson who wants to talk to her. That will change her mind.” Lana had heard his name and turned her head. “Leave him.” She ordered. Klaus walked towards her. Her once warm and sparkling eyes now where cold and her face had an arrogant expression. “I see you have found me.” She looked him up and down. Klaus almost felt uncomfortable but he knew how to work his charm. “Lily…” he whispered her name so that only she could hear it. “Why so cold. It is me: your beloved Niky.” Using that hated nickname caused her wall to break down. A real, warm smile lightened up her face and her eyes sparkled just as Klaus remembered. But something else happened, too. It seemed as if the whole world had lightened up. Klaus felt a wave of awe rolling over him. He couldn’t stop looking at her. She was angelic. He immediately wanted to draw her. He never had a muse, but she turned his world up side down with a smile that he had seen many times before. “What is it? Why are you just staring at me? Niky… people are staring!” her urgent whisper woke him from his trance. “Would you like to dance?” he offered her his arm. “It would be my pleasure, Nik.” They entered the dance floor and soon they were the only people dancing. “I didn’t know you were such a great dancer, Lily.”
“You are not that bad yourself:” She laughed. And again Klaus world brightened up. “I have missed you, Nik. I wanted to go and look for you, but leaving all this behind isn’t easy.” He looked around. Everyone was whispering. He could hear them wondering who this handsome young man was and why Lady Liliana was dancing with him. “You seem to be very popular.” She smiled and told him that when she had arrived 20 years ago she had lived in the streets of London. One day she was found by Lord Birmingham. He liked her exotic looks and took her in as a servant. But on the ride to his castle she compelled him to marry her. And thus she became Lady Birmingham. She told everyone she was only 16 so until she was 30 she could stay here. When her official 30th birthday came Lord Birmingham had an accident while he was hunting. Lana decided to leave London for sometime and went to France. But since she didn’t like the French mentality she came back to London as Lady Liliana. Her youth and her beauty where a result of a special diet and fountain water from the north of Russia where the Volga started. Most women in London couldn’t afford water from so far away so no one could proof her to be a liar. “You are lucky. This is supposed to be my last ball. I am preparing to move away from London.” Nik could understand her decision. Staying for too long could make things difficult. “Let’s leave together, Lily. I want to come with you.” She agreed. A month later they left London and a pile of nasty rumours behind. On there way to Paris Lana and Rebekah grew very close to each other. They soon called each other sister. Klaus was officially introduced as Lady Liliana’s bodyguard, while Rebekah became Lady Rebekah, a distant cousin of Liliana. Together they travelled through France, Spain and Italy. Klaus had drawn thousands of pictures of Lana, but never showed her one. Lana still kept her promise and had never told a soul about her feelings for Klaus. But Rebekah saw it. She asked Lana a couple of times but she refused to talk about that subject. When they were in Italy they met Elijah. Lana still was scared of Elijah finding out the truth and telling Klaus. She didn’t know why but it was hard for her to be herself around him. Klaus noticed how she tensed up and one day he pulled her aside and wanted clarity. “What is it between you and Elijah?” He thought they were having an affair. He was mad. Lily belonged to him. Just because he had never told her so didn’t mean she could wander off with his brother. Lana listened to him calling her a prostitute and then she exploded. “YOU were the one telling me over and over again that I should go after Elijah or Kol, why you even suggested Finn. You didn’t care as long as I was to be taken by one of your brothers! And now that you have the feeling that I MIGHT actually have done what you have told me YOU ARE MAD AT ME?!” She glared at him. “You made me promise to tell you first whenever I am in love. Did I tell you? NO! So I am NOT in love with Elijah! And now leave me alone you…you bloody bastard!” He was hurt. He left for almost a week. Lana stayed at their Italian residence and cried for almost 4 days. No one was allowed to talk to her. Not even Rebekah. On day 5 Lana came out and went out for a snack. She killed over 150 people within 12 hours. She should be known as the Italian heartbreaker since she ripped her victims’ hearts out and stomped on them. Klaus heard of this killing spree and fearing that something could happen to Lana or Rebekah he returned. He was shocked when Rebekah told him that Lana was the Italian Heartbreaker. He went after her and when he finally found her she was laying at the beach, her dress and skin bloody, her hair in tangles. She was a mess. “Lily… Why?” She didn’t look at him. “Are you so blind? Do you not know what it means if a woman yells at you and then goes on the most gruesome killing spree in history? Don’t you see what everybody else sees? Didn’t you notice how you ripped my heart out and threw in the dirt?” She was crying silently. He sat next to her. She finally looked at him. The sadness in her emerald green eyes was deeper than the sea. He wanted to drown himself in it for having caused her so much pain. “I love you, Niky. I always did. That is why I couldn’t tell you who it was. It was you. You were always the only one who had my heart in his hands.” He picked her up and carried her home. He cleaned her and carried her to bed. He didn’t say a word and neither did she. When he kissed her she let it happen and just very slowly she realised what he wanted to tell her with this kiss. Those words that he couldn’t get out. That night he marked her as his. And she didn’t want anyone else to ever have her like this. And neither did he.

1806
It was almost 800 years later when Klaus, Rebekah and Lana were back in there old home town. It was a cute little village by now. Nobody remembered the war between vampires and werewolves anymore. They lived there in peace. Lana had acted very strange since they had arrived. One day she told Klaus she had to leave to Salem, Massachusetts. She wouldn’t tell him why. In an act of jealousy he followed her. He saw her with a young man. They hugged and laughed and she seemed very relaxed and happy with him. Klaus was furious. He compelled a local to find out who this man was. It was one of the seldom seen rich black people. His name was Victor Bennett. That night Klaus waited until the Bennett family sat at the dinner table. He knocked and compelled the servant that opened the door to let him in. Once he was inside he unleashed the beast that had ceased inside him for the last centuries. He killed everyone. He tore them apart like puppets. The old woman sitting at the head of the table tried to defend herself with a spell but Klaus in his rage just threw a chair leg at her chest. She was pinned to the wall behind her. While she died she had to watch how this gone mad vampire killed her family.
Meanwhile in Virginia Rebekah had a bad conscience so she travelled to Salem and searched for Nik. As she couldn’t find him she looked for Lana. When she had finally found her she told her that Klaus was after her to find out what she was hiding. Lana feared that Klaus could have seen her with her greatgreatgreatgreatgreat(you get the point…)grandson and now would assume the wrong thing. She ran to the Bennett house as fast as she could. But when she entered it was too late. Klaus had killed them all. Her bloodline seemed to have ended at the hands of her lover. When suddenly she heard a scream from upstairs. It was Emilia, the youngest member of the family. She was only 16. Lana went upstairs and saw how Klaus stared at Emilia. “Niky… What are you doing?” She had tears in her eyes. He looked at her. “What is this? Who is she?” He saw the resemblance between Emilia and Lana. “Niklaus Mikaelson you have almost killed my entire bloodline.” He was totally bemused by now. She grabbed Emilia and fled the house. She fled Salem. When Klaus returned to Virginia he found a letter.

“Dear Niky,
I should have told you my story a long time ago. But I couldn’t. Now it is too late to undo the disaster. When I was 16 I was raped by a stranger. Ayanna forced me to give my daughter away. I was to tell nobody. You know I always keep my promises. I took Emilia to a place far away from you. Please understand that I can’t be with you now. I know you only did what you did out of love. But I am deeply hurt by your mistrust. After 800 years of loyalty you didn’t even bother to talk to me first. Maybe it is time that we separate. From now on I will watch over my descendants carefully. Don’t go looking for me. If you find me I will leave again. Tell Bekah I love her. I will miss both of you. Don’t forget me. Maybe I will come back one day.

Love, Lily.”

That was the last thing he had heard of her. From then on Klaus has never felt love again.

xoxo

Now she was back. Lana woke up and felt that he had dark thoughts. “I love you for who you will be in the future. I promise I will always love you like I do now.” He smiled, knowing she always kept her promises.
He hugged her tightly. “I love you too.” It was the first time ever that he told her.

xoxo

The next day Rebekah, Klaus and Lana went shopping. In Rebekah’s favourite store the girls started looking for new dresses. Klaus sat on a red couch watching them. Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Caroline. “Hello Klaus.” He was surprised that she would even talk to him. “Hello Caroline.” She looked at him as if she expected to say something else. When he didn’t she looked back at Elena and Bonnie, they were talking to a sales assistant. “I… uhm… I didn’t know that you and Rebekah were still in town. I thought you would leave now that you don’t have anything that holds you here.” “This is our home now, Caroline. You better get used to see us around. We will not leave.” Caroline was furious because he treated her so cold.
Lana was watching Klaus talk to a blond girl and asked Rebekah who she was. “That is Caroline. Klaus had a thing for her. But I guess now that you are back he doesn’t care about her anymore.”
Lana walked over to them. “Hey, my name is Lana and you are?” She looked Caroline up and down as if to find out whether she was a threat or not. “I am Caroline.” Caroline looked Lana over and was stunned by her beauty. She noticed how Lana grabbed Klaus’ hand. Before Caroline could say anything further Lana turned to Klaus. “Love, we are ready to try the dresses on. You know I need your opinion.” She laughed. Klaus seemed to have forgotten Caroline was even there. “I’ll be right with you.” Lana left not without smiling at Caroline sweetly. Klaus turned back to Caroline. “It was a pleasure to see you again Caroline. Goodbye.” With that he turned around and walked away. Caroline remained standing and watched him as he left. She was vexed. How dare he treat her like a stranger? Elena and Bonnie asked what happened they had just seen how Klaus had left Caroline standing. She didn’t get a word out. She just turned bright red and started shaking. She was boiling with anger. They decided to stop the shopping trip and meet up again later at Bonnie’s place.

XOXO

In the dressing room Rebekah and Klaus sat on a couch while Lana tried on the first dress. It was a red silk dress that ended above the knee. It had no cleavage but therefore the back was exposed completely. “Love, you look distressed. Does that have something to do with that girl, Clare?” He looked at her. “Her name is Caroline. And no it doesn’t.” He turned away and Lana knew that in this situation there was no talking to Klaus. That was how he was. Sometimes he could be very quiet, even with her. He soon left and the girls were to end their shopping trip alone.

XOXO

That night Bonnie, Elena and Caroline met up at Bonnie’s place. When Caroline arrived 1 hour late she was drunk. She brought a bottle of Patron with her. Soon the others were drunk too. They started dancing and laughing around the house. “Caroline, sing for us!” Elena urged her. It wouldn’t be Caroline if she didn’t love to have the spotlight all to herself. She started to sing a song that wouldn’t get out of her head all day. It was Ron Pope’s A Drop I The Ocean. After she had finished the song she had tears in her eyes. She sat down and started sobbing softly. When her friends asked her what her problem was she looked at them. “ I don’t know. I am so confused.” They assumed it was because of Tyler. But when they mentioned his name Caroline just shrugged. “No it is not him. We were over. It was too hard to keep it going. It’s…” Bonnie eyed her closely. “Is it because of Klaus?” At the mentioning of Klaus, Caroline started to cry again. “He is such an ass. How could he do that to me? He just lied to me. And now this Lana. Who is she anyway?” “Caroline, why are you so obsessed with Klaus? He is the bad guy. You shouldn’t be thinking about him and who he’s with. Or are you in love with him?” When Caroline didn’t say anything Elena exploded. “What comes next? You want to be Rebekah’s best friend? Caroline, I can’t believe this! After all he did to me, to us! He killed Jenna. He is evil! How can you even consider liking him?” Caroline looked hurt. “Elena, I didn’t mean to. I mean I don’t even know if I like him. It’s just…” She didn’t need to say more since Elena had packed her stuff and left without another word. Bonnie held Caroline close and told her to calm down and they could talk about everything in the morning. They soon fell asleep.
That night Caroline dreamed of Klaus for the first time. She woke up in the middle of the night, his name on her lips. She had to realize, she had feelings for him. “I need to stay away from him.” She told herself over and over again until she fell asleep again.

XOXO

When Lana woke up she went upstairs to wake up Rebekah. “Bekah! Get up! It’s your birthday. Come on! Shine and rise!” Rebekah turned over and looked at her grumpily. “What do you want? It is not even 11 o’clock. I don’t care.” She turned around again and Lana fell off of her. Lana pulled the blanket away and told her to get up and get ready. She had to get her hair done and then she had a massage appointment and and and… Then she left and walked back to Klaus’ bedroom. He was already in the shower. She took of her shirt and panties, threw them in a corner and also got into the shower. She hugged him tightly from behind and closed her eyes as the water ran down their bodies. “Why does she hate her birthday?” “Because we never celebrated it as a family. I always tried to make it nice for her. You know I love birthdays. But it always ends in tears.”
Lana thought about that and then she knew what to do about it. “I will make this her best birthday ever.” Klaus turned around. “But before that you have to make this the best shower ever.” She grinned and knew exactly what to do.

When she left the shower an hour later, she took Klaus’ phone and called Elijah and Kol. After she yelled at both of them for 10 minutes because they forgot Rebekah’s birthday they promised her to come by this evening for the surprise party.

Lana took her motorcycle and drove off to the grill. She asked where Matt Donovan was and the waiter told her he was off today. He also told her where he lived. “Humans… they trust a beautiful girl without hesitation.” She mumbled to herself when she got on her bike. She knocked on Matt’s door just a few minutes later. He opened the door just wearing boxer shorts. He looked still very sleepy. “Oh I am so sorry to have woken you up. Good morning. I am Lana.” She smiled and held her hand out. He grabbed it. “Matt Donovan. But I guess you know that already, don’t you? What can I do for you, Lana?” “Well I am a friend of Rebekah. I heard you and she had been friends.” “Yea we have been. We are not anymore.”
“That is sad. Because the truth is, she feels very bad for what she did to you. I am planning her birthday party. It is a surprise, so don’t tell anyone. I had planned to invite you.” “No.” “Please. She wants to apologize. I know it. She just needs a little sign that you would eventually consider forgiving her.” “What if I won’t even consider it?” “Then you wouldn’t be still standing in your underwear on your front porch listening to me.” He had to laugh. “Maybe.” She smiled her cutes smile, that smile where her dimples showed. And looked up through her eyelashes. “Thank you Matt. Tonight at 8 o’clock. At her house. Wear a tux.” She turned around and left a puzzled Matt behind.

Her next stop was the Salvatore Mansion. When she knocked Stefan opened the door. “Hello. My name is Lana.” “Klaus’ new friend.” “Old friend. You must be Stefan.” He nodded. “What do you want?” “ I actually want to talk to Damon. As soon as she mentioned his name, Damon appeared behind his brother. “Damon! What a pleasure to see you again.” He smiled at her. “I just thought the same. How do I deserve this Honour?” “Well, since you are acquainted with Rebekah I wanted to invite you to her surprise birthday party. Tonight. Please come and if you want bring a date. Stefan, of course you too are invited.” “We will come.” “Great! See you at 8! Mikaelson Mansion. Don’t be late! Oh, and it’s a ball.” Lana left on her bike before they had closed the door.

Damon had to convince Stefan almost all day until he agreed to go. “Alright. I will come. But I will take Elena with me.” Damon gave Stefan a look. “No you won’t.” But the discussion was abruptly ended when Stefan called Elena and asked her. But since Elena refused to even set a foot in that house, Stefan decided to not go either.

Chapter Text

Matt had asked Bonnie to join him as a friend, since he felt safer in a house full of vampires with a witch by his side. They were a little late because he had trouble getting a tux last minute since he spent all day looking for the right present for Rebekah. He was mad at her alright, but it was her birthday and he couldn’t come without at least a little present.

Lana was pleased to see that Kol and Elijah had arrived on time. Damon arrived at 8 o’clock sharp. Also she had invited a lot of vampires she and Rebekah knew from when they had travelled through Europe. Rebekah was still in her room getting ready. She was still grumpy and thought Lana would take her to a fancy party somewhere else. She had no idea that the party was downstairs. Lana walked up the stairs so that everyone could see her. She wore a green silk dress. The corsage was wrapped in black lace as well was the hemline. It was very tight up top and fell in soft waves around her legs with a train. She had a pinned-up hairstyle but a few curls fell on her back and around her face. She looked beautiful. When everybody was admiring her she spoke up. “I thank you all for coming. I will lead Rebekah out here in a few minutes. Please do applaud when you see her.” She laughed and when she continued going upstairs she saw how Matt entered with a girl. She would recognize a Bennett whenever she saw one. And this girl certainly was a Bennett. “Smart boy. Take a witch with you when you enter the vampire’s den.” She mumbled. But since there was to be no trouble tonight she put back on her smile and went to get Rebekah. She ordered Rebekah to close her eyes and leas her to the stairs. When Rebekah opened her eyes she just saw a lot of faces. It took her a few seconds to recognize most of them. She smiled and hugged Lana. “Your brothers are here. All three of them. Damon is here too. And Matt. You nee to talk to him.” Lana smiled at a teary-eyed Rebekah. They walked downstairs. Everyone thought how mesmerizing they looked. Rebekah had a sapphire blue dress in the style of a roman goddess. It had a golden belt and a long trail. Her hair was in a classic pin-up style.

First Elijah then Klaus and Kol hugged their sister. A dozen other vampires followed. “I feel as if I have already hugged 100 people.” Lana laughed. “You hugged only 80. And 120 are still missing. There is Matt.” She waved him to come over. The Bennett girl stood next to him. “Hey Rebekah. Happy birthday.” He gave a small box wrapped up in blue paper. “You two should go outside so you can open his gift in peace without 200 people wanting to talk to you. Go now before anyone notices.” Lana pushed them towards the garden. Then she went back to the Bennett girl. She now stood next to Damon. “Hey, I saw you coming with Matt. I am Lana.” “Hi. I hope this wasn’t a problem. He wasn’t really excited to be alone in a house full of vampires. I am Bonnie Bennett.” “No problem at all. Just make yourself feel home.” Lana wandered from group to group to make sure everyone was satisfied.

Rebekah and Matt sat outside in silence. Suddenly she turned to him. “Matt, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have done that to you.” Matt thought about what to say. Rebekah unwrapped his gift. It was a blue bracelet. It was clearly trinket but she knew he had probably thought about it for a while. She smiled at him. She was truly happy. “Thanks Matt. Could you…?” She held her arm out and the bracelet. He put it on her wrist. She got up and wasn’t sure whether to say or do something. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. Then she walked back inside. Smiling at her wrist. Matt needed a second to calm. He had felt his heartbeat speed up when she smiled at him. He could still feel her hand on his shoulder.

When Rebekah entered the ballroom she was greeted by everyone she passed. She felt someone putting his hand around her waist. It was Damon. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you happy birthday.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Happy birthday, Rebekah.” Before she could say something Lana told her it was time for the birthday girl dance. Rebekah was a little lost since she thought this dance belonged to her father and Mikael had died a long time ago and even if he would be alive he would have certainly not danced with her. Getting teary-eyed again she felt a hand pull her forward. It was Klaus. He pulled her in the centre of the dance floor. And winked at her. “Since I have looked out for you for the last 1000 years it is an honour for me to dance with you.” She smiled at him. Just a minute later she saw Elijah walking up behind Klaus. She was forwarded to Elijah. “I am your oldest brother so I should have my part in the birthday dance as well.” Rebekah was happy. Her family had come together because of her. Just as she wanted to thank Elijah for coming he let Kol have his try at dancing with his sister. She was surprised when she saw how serious he looked. “I know we never got along quite well, but I love you little sister.” She hugged him tightly and it was like a sign for the other couples to enter the dance floor.

Caroline sat in her room. She grabbed her phone and called Bonnie. When Bonnie picked up, Caroline heard many voices in the background. “Bonnie, where are you?” “I am at a party.” Bonnie hesitated. “What party?” Caroline was confused. If there was a party, she should have been invited. “I… I am at Rebekah’s birthday party. Matt wanted me to come with him.” Caroline was vexed. “What?! Seriously?” “Yes, Damon is here too. He said Stefan and Elena were invited but Elena didn’t want to come. Well we all know –“ Caroline had hung up. They were all invited, but her. How could Klaus do that to her? She walked up and down her living room. “He is such an ass. He does that to upset me. But it’s not working.” She sat down and turned the TV on. She turned it off. Caroline walked to the kitchen.
Opened the fridge.
Closed the fridge.
She took a book and started reading. After two sentences she threw the book against a wall. “I will crash that party. It will be boring anyway without me. Rebekah is lucky that I am so nice.” She walked back to her room. “No! What am I doing? I am not going.” She went to take a shower. Afterwards she stood only in a towel in her room. “I will put my pyjama on and go to sleep.” She opened her closet and saw a brown box on the floor. She knew what was in it. It was the dress, she had gotten from Klaus. “No.” She turned away and sat on her bed. She painted her nails in a dark blue. “Maybe I should go and support Matt and Bonnie.” She got up and walked to her closet. “What will I wear…?” Her gaze dropped to the box. “I can’t. But I don’t have anything else to wear.” She sighed and pulled the dress out. “Well I hope he won’t follow me around as he did the last time I wore this dress. I do look pretty stunning in it.” She styled her hair and got ready.
Soon she was in front of the Mikaelson Mansion. She walked up and down thinking about a logical explanation to enter. Suddenly, she saw someone leaving. Caroline thought about hiding, but it was too late. She remembered the guy. It was Kol. Klaus’ younger brother. He smiled at her. “What are you doing here?” “I… I… I was about to come to this party.” He looked her up and down. “I doubt that Rebekah invited you.” Caroline turned bright red. “Well, actually I am not invited.” Kol walked towards her. “Since you look really stunning, I will invite you. Would you give me this honour?” He offered his arm to her. They entered the Mansion and Kol introduced Caroline to many vampires. She felt good, when she noticed that they were all looking at her as if she was the most beautiful girl they had ever seen. When they entered the ball room, Rebekah noticed them.
Rebekah was stomping over to them furiously. “Kol, why do you have such a parasite on your arm?” she hissed. “She is not welcome!” Kol just laughed. “Oh sister, I invited her. She is my date for tonight.” Rebekah was about to explode. The people around them noticed their quarrel. “Who do you think you are? You little….” Lana stepped forward and put her arm around Rebekah. “Darling, why so distressed? Just enjoy your party. We are the Mikaelson family. We do not cause a scene in front of the whole vampire high society.” The last two sentences were only audible for Rebekah. Lana pulled her away and the party continued. When Elijah started to talk to Rebekah and taking care of her, Lana walked over to where Caroline and Kol were. The people watched her, partly hoping for a real cat fight now. “Caroline! I am so very sorry that you had to endure this scene. Please do feel at home. We, the whole Mikaelson family, welcome you. Enjoy yourself.” She handed her a glass of champagne. Klaus walked over to them and Caroline looked at him, silently hoping for him to recognize her. He looked at her for a second. “Hello Caroline.” Then his gaze wandered to Lana, and remained. “Lily, didn’t you want to bring out the cake now?” He grabbed her around the waist. “Caroline, Kol, would you excuse us.” He looked at Kol when he said that. And then they left. Caroline was humiliated. He didn’t even notice her dress. Nothing. Kol excused himself and followed his brother. Caroline went to look for Bonnie. She found her with Matt and Damon in a corner.
“Caroline. What are you doing here?” Bonnie was surprised. Caroline was bright red. This kind of attention was even for her too much. “I was invited. By Kol.” Bonnie gave that look that said “We are going to talk about this later.”

Klaus and Lana called everyone to come out to the backyard. When they entered it, they saw at least 10000 little lampions. There were several long tables with white tablecloths and candles. In the middle was a round table and on top of it was a gigantic cake. It was 4 layers high. A lemon-butter-crème cake with chocolate sprinkles and strawberries. When everyone had found a place to sit, 30 waitresses entered the garden. They were clad in white togas. On their arms they wore golden bracelets up to the elbow. Around their necks they had gold necklaces that covered their throats. It was a clear warning to all vampires. DO NOT BITE. The waitresses were compelled but Lana didn’t want this to end in frenzy. To ensure that no vampire would stay blood thirsty the waitresses brought goblets with blood-wine. The vampire’s could choose between human and animal blood. For the two humans Lana organized pure wine. They served a four-course meal. Afterwards Rebekah cut the first piece of cake and then everybody was served a piece.
Caroline had grown very quiet. She kept on looking over to Klaus, Lana and Rebekah who sat on the biggest table next to Kol and Elijah. Caroline saw how everyone was drawn to Lana. She was like the sun; she was at the centre of attention, even if it was Rebekah’s birthday. And it seemed as if Rebekah didn’t mind sharing the spotlight. She was smiling and laughing. Even Klaus seemed happy. He laughed a lot. Caroline had seen him laugh like that once or twice when she had been alone with him. Something inside her hurt every time she saw him smile at Lana. She felt on the verge of crying. Bonnie grabbed her hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. She could see, Caroline was heartbroken. Even Matt looked at Caroline once or twice with real sorrow. But he was occupied trying not to stare at Rebekah, while staring at Rebekah.

After the dinner an orchestra started playing outside. People gathered and started dancing. Caroline stood in a corner by herself. She felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around she looked at Klaus. “Hello Caroline.” He smiled at her and her stomach flipped. “Would you like to dance?” He offered her his hand. Caroline took it and enjoyed how everyone looked at them. They found a place among the other pairs and danced a soft waltz. “I see you are wearing the dress I picked out for you. And again you look fantastic.”

Lana saw how Klaus lead Caroline to the dance floor. It hurt her to watch him with someone else. She stared at them and didn’t notice that Damon was watching her. He walked over to her. “One dance?” She tore her gaze away from Klaus and looked at Damon. “Yes.” She smiled at him genuinely. They danced and Damon noticed that Lana was looking at Klaus, who was obviously concentrated on dancing with Caroline. “I know that look.” He simply said. Lana looked down, ashamed to have got caught. Damon leaned forward and whispered in her ear “Now you look like a six-year-old that has been caught stealing a cookie.” Lana lifted her gaze, he had his head leaning to the side his eyebrows raised, he looked so funny, and she had to laugh.
Klaus had watched when Damon leaned forward, as well had Caroline. “Oh, I see. Damon has a new sex kitten.” Klaus looked at her with disgust and anger. Then he turned around and left her standing in the middle of the dance floor. But Kol was there just a mere second after Klaus had turned around, continuing the dance. He smiled at Caroline. “Saved you again. You owe me twice now.” Caroline looked after Klaus and then back to Kol. “He seems not that bad after all.” She thought to herself and enjoyed the dance.
Damon and Lana had witnessed Klaus leaving. He knew she would want to follow Klaus, so he led her away from the dance floor. “Go.” He smiled at her and nodded towards the house. Lana walked away.

Lana found Klaus in the Library. He was pacing. When she closed the door behind her, he looked at her as if he was about to explode. “What are you doing with this Salvatore?” She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. “Oh, and what about that Caroline? What do YOU think you are doing, dancing with… with HER!?” “I forbid you to ever talk to him again!” Lana was shocked. Did he really see her as his property? “Are you serious? I can’t believe it. Do you know how I felt? I had to watch you with the girl you had a thing with. You said you fancied her. What is wrong with you? Doing that to me in front of everyone! You humiliated me. For what? For some fun? What is she to you?” Now it was Lana who was pacing. “This is not what we are discussing now.” She stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh yes Niklaus! This is what we are discussing!” He kept on yelling at her who she thought she was to behave like this and that he wouldn’t tolerate it and that this had nothing to do with Caroline. Lana was silent during his screamed monolog. She walked towards him. When she stood just inches away from him she looked him in the eyes. “Do you love her?” Klaus said nothing. After she stared at him for almost a minute her eyes turned dark. He turned away. Lana walked out and slammed the door shut behind her.
Furiously she walked outside. Kol was just walking in when he saw her leaving. Shortly after, he saw Damon Salvatore following her. He decided to eavesdrop.

Lana stood before her motorcycle, teary-eyed. In her dress and with those shoes even she, the queen of motorcycles, couldn’t ride. She turned around to go back and change, when she saw Damon stand behind her. She gave him a look that told him “If you talk to me, I will rip your head off.” Damon dangled his car keys in her face. “Need a ride?” She raised one eyebrow not knowing what to think of this.

Klaus had somewhat calm down and walked outside to look for Lana. She was nowhere to be found. Klaus was convinced that she had left him again. He felt broken. Elijah found him sitting in the library, his head in his hands. “She is not yet gone.” Klaus looked at him with a blank expression. “Her motorcycle is still there. You know she wouldn’t leave without it.” Klaus saw that Elijah was right. She would come back. And he would await her. But his relief only lasted a few seconds. “What if she does the same, as last time we argued like this?” “Well, then we will need to leave Mystic Falls by tomorrow.” Klaus called one of his Hybrids and told him to search Mystic Falls for freshly spilled blood. 30 minutes later the Hybrid told him that he had found nothing.
Klaus was desperate. He didn’t know what else she could be doing. Kol entered the room. “Did you find her?” He was clearly drunk. “No.” He laughed. “Checked everywhere?” Klaus gave him a dark looked. “I even searched Mystic Falls.” HE answered through clenched teeth. Kol leaned against the doorframe. “What if I knew where she was or better who she was with?” He grinned self-righteously. Klaus grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into a bookshelf. “Who?” He screamed at Kol, who was still laughing, sitting on the floor. “I bet that Damon Salvatore is a little more caressing than you are.” He chuckled. Klaus bent down and broke his neck. Elijah had watched this scene. “You had to see that one coming, Kol.” He shook his head. Klaus turned around and ran outside. He ran to the Salvatore Mansion.
He thought about knocking but then he just kicked the door in. It shattered to pieces and Klaus stormed in. He knocked over a table and threw a couch out of the window. “DAMON! Come out!” He heard someone speeding downstairs. But it was Stefan, followed by Elena. “Where is Damon?” Stefan looked at the chaos that had been a living room. “I don’t know. He is not here. I thought he was at your house!” Klaus listened carefully and he couldn’t here anyone else beside them in the house. Without another word he turned around and went back home. Stefan grabbed his phone and dialed Damon’s number.

Klaus sat in the library again and started to drink. After he emptied the first glass of scotch he threw the glass against the wall and took the bottle. Elijah watched him and when he sent him away, Elijah gave him a brotherly piece of advice. “Don’t do anything stupid that could get her to leave for good. Who knows if she will forgive you again?”

Chapter Text

Meanwhile in Richmond…
Lana had decided to let Damon give her a ride. They went to Richmond. Now they sat in a hotel bar and were drinking. He had actually managed to get her laughing. They talked about their past. “I personally loved Italy when Da Vinci was alive. The whole country was in an uproar. It was mesmerizing.” Damon looked her up and down. “I know other things that are truly mesmerizing.” She hit him playfully on the shoulder. “How did you get turned into a vampire?” He smiled. “I was turned by a wicked vampire. But I am over that. Life has so much to offer and I am on the verge of finding out.”
They felt very comfortable with each other. “I am glad we get along so well. It feels good to have a friend.” Damon glanced at her to see her reaction. She was about to answer, when his phone rang. Stefan.
Lana looked alarmed; Klaus had tried calling her a dozen times until she had turned her phone off. “It’s Stefan.” Damon picked up.
“What did you do?” Stefan asked.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Could you tell me then, why did Klaus just stormed in here, kicked our door in and threw the couch out of the window, screaming your name?”
Damon laughed. Lana was slowly turning pale.
“I am serious, Damon. Where are you anyway?”
“I am out with Lana we are in –“
“I don’t want to know. Seriously. When, IF you come back, watch your neck. Klaus wants to rip your head off.”
“Thanks for the warning, little brother.”
Stefan hung up. This time he would try to not get involved. Damon was old enough to know what risk he could take and he knew what kind of enemy he had chosen.

Lana shook her head. “I don’t want to go home.” Damon got up and went to the concierge. He looked back to Lana and told the concierge he needed two rooms for one night. When he returned, he gave Lana a key. “Come on, I will see you to your room, milady.” Lana smiled and let him take her upstairs.
When they reached her room, she opened the door and turned around. “Thank you, Damon. You were a friend, when I needed one.” Before he could say something, she kissed him on the cheek and closed the door.
Damon stood motionless for at least 30 seconds. Then he shook his head in order to get rid of the thought of her lips on his cheek. “What did you get yourself into? Klaus’ girlfriend. Seriously?” he mumbled to himself as he walked away.

XOXO

The next morning Elijah woke Klaus up to tell him that Lana had just returned and went strictly upstairs to take a shower. “Get up, brother. You don’t want her to see you in a dirty tux, surrounded by whiskey and scotch bottles, smelling like a dead animal. Go, do everyone and yourself a favor and take a shower.” Klaus said nothing but he got up and took a shower. Elijah cleaned the Library up. When he had emptied the trash, he saw Kol leaving. He knew Kol didn’t want to be there in case the situation escalated. “I bet he has enough of being killed, for a few days at least.” He shook his head. His brother was a self-righteous person. He had it coming that an impulsive person like Klaus would lose his temper with him.

When Lana walked downstairs to grab a blood bag, she walked into Klaus. “How was your night with Damon? Where did you two go?” He hissed. She looked at him coolly. “We were at a hotel in Richmond.” Klaus didn’t need to hear anything else. He turned around and went to his room, slamming the door behind him. Lana walked back upstairs and straight to Rebekah. “Sometimes, I hate your brother.” She said as she lay down on Rebekah’s bed. “Yes, Nik can be quite… hard to handle at times.” Lana gave her a look. “Hard to handle? Really, Bekah?” Rebekah laughed. “Okay, what did he do?” Lana told Rebekah everything. “What did you and Damon do in Richmond?” She could sense Rebekah didn’t like the thought of her being in Richmond with Damon getting drunk, alone. “Nothing happened. He even booked two rooms. I didm’t even know where his room was. He woke me up this morning and told me it was time to face home. And then he dropped me off. That’s it. There was nothing. Rebekah, you know when someone is lying. Tell me, am I lying?” Rebekah looked at her. “No. I believe you.” She smiled. “So let’s just calm down and relax a little.” Rebekah said as she turned up the music. Chance brought it about that ‘Psycho Killer’ by Talking Heads, one of Lana’s favorite songs, was playing.

In the evening when Klaus still hadn’t left his room and Lana couldn’t bare Rebekah and Elijah looking at her, as if she was the grown up and as if she had to be the reasonable person. She finally gave up and walked into his room. “Let’s go eat. I am hungry.” She turned back around and had to smile a little when she heard him sigh and get up to follow her.

An hour later they sat at the grill, at a table in the back. Their food had just been served. They hadn’t said a word. It was awkward. Damon walked in and was spotted by Lana. She waved him over and he smiled at her. “Hello Lana, how are you?” “Ugh, my head felt twice the size but a cup of blood and I felt like I was reborn. And what about you?” “I have a headache. My brother threw pieces of our door at me. Wonder why it was broken.” He smiled mischievously and looked at Klaus, who had his lips pressed together to a thin line and his hands were angry fists. They were shivering. It was a clear sign for his barely controlled rage. He looked at Damon, and Lana swore if looks could kill, Damon would have died the most gruesome death a dozen times in just one second. “I just want to eat, in peace.” Klaus didn’t say more. “Well, Lana it was nice to see you again. If you want to repeat last night, you have my number. Good evening, Klaus.” And with that he turned around and walked whistling to the bar.
“What is between you and Damon?” Klaus was still boiling with anger.
“Answer my question from last night and I will answer yours.”
They continued eating in silence. When dessert was served, Klaus looked at Lana. She was the only person, who could read his facial expression and especially his eyes, even when he tried to hide his real thoughts. She also knew he was very hurt. He was suffering. But she was also convinced that he needed to confess. “Between me and Caroline Forbes was nothing. And even that has ended.” Lana nodded. “Damon and I are friends. Nothing more. And nothing happened in Richmond. Niky, I promised you something. You know me, I keep my promises. I have only loved once and I am still very much in love with this person.”
They smiled at each other and ate their dessert.

XOXO

Three days later Lana talked Klaus into giving a dinner party. She decided to invite everyone.
When she told Rebekah that Caroline was invited, Rebekah gave her a look. “Why would you do that?” “Well, I want to know what Klaus really wants from this girl and I want to find out if he lied when he told me that what they had, which supposedly was nothing, is really over.” Rebekah smiled cruelly. “If she doesn’t behave I will simply rip her heart out.” “I know you hate her, but we are way too old to actually get involved in such trivial fights. This all has to stop. This is home now. We have to fit in with the locals.”
After she had handed the invitations to Bonnie, Damon, Stefan and Matt she went to Elena’s house and knocked.
When Elena opened the door Lana smiled her famous dimple-smile. “Hello Elena, I am Lana. I just wanted to invite you to our dinner party. I had hoped you would join us.” When Elena was about to refuse Lana interrupted her. “I know you and Klaus had your differences, but since the blood problem is now solved I hoped we could start all over.” Elena was caught off guard by Lana’s charming attitude. “Well, okay I guess I could come.” Lana handed her an invitation and left.
Next she stopped at Caroline’s house. When Caroline saw Lana she first didn’t want to open the door but since Lana had already seen her, she had no other option but to open the door.
“Hello Caroline. Klaus and I are giving a dinner party. We would gladly welcome you to our house. We just wanted to apologize for Bekah’s behavior at her birthday party. I hope you are not mad at us.” Caroline noticed that Lana had spoken of “We” as if she and Klaus were an unbreakable union. But since Klaus wanted her to come too, she agreed.
The dinner party should be two days from now. That was enough time to go and buy an outfit that would win Klaus’ attention and let Lana look like she was dressed in rags. Caroline smiled since she was convinced that she would have the upper hand at that dinner party. When Lana drove off on her motorcycle Caroline wondered what Klaus liked so much about this average looking vampire woman.
Lana had the same thoughts about Caroline. She asked herself how Klaus could have been so attracted to this girl, that he actually took over her boyfriend’s body and have sex with her. Pictures appeared in Lana’s had and she felt sick. But she had to find out what exactly was going on between the two of them and whether Caroline was to be counted as a threat or not. “There is just no chance that this little tramp is going to ruin my happy ending. Never.” She mumbled to herself while driving.
Lana was looking forward to this dinner party. She was sure that afterward there would be some changes around Mystic Falls.

XOXO
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Klaus asked Lana Saturday afternoon. “Yes why not?” She had an apron on and started getting the food out of the fridge. “We can just order something. Or compel a cook or something.” Klaus was not convinced of Lana’s housewife abilities. “Oh Niky, my dear, dear Niky, I can cook better than most humans. In 200 years of boredom, I had a lot of time to learn. Would you prefer, Italian, French or classic English?” Klaus was stunned; he had never seen her cook before. “Well, since I know you prefer the Italian kitchen, I’d say Italian.” She smiled at him. “I knew you would say that, which is why I bought everything I need for an Italian meal.” He laughed. “What will it be then?” “I will cook a meal you have eaten before. Do you remember when we were in Milan 1492? My dear friend Leonardo had invited us over for dinner.” Klaus remembered eating with the famous artist Leonardo DaVinci. “Well, I will cook what he served us. I will start with a classic risotto, continue with Veal Chops and end it all with different sorts of cheese and bread. It will be the most delicious meal, they have ever tasted.” She danced around and kissed Klaus on the cheek. She was very excited. “Do you want me to help you?” “Oh no, just sit there and look as handsome as you do.” He smiled at her and she felt a surge of love warm her.
At 8 o’clock the guests arrived except, Caroline and Lana everyone was seated. Klaus let them in. They had gathered around the round table. Lana was still upstairs getting ready. The last one to arrive was Caroline. When Klaus opened the door he was stunned by her looks. Her hair was in an up-do and she wore a light blue Marc Jacobs strapless cocktail dress. She looked fabulous. “Hello Klaus.” She smiled at him. He let her in unable to say anything. When Caroline was sat down between Klaus and Kol, Lana entered the room. Everyone had been admiring Caroline’s dress but she was soon forgotten when they saw Lana in a bright red neck holder dress that revealed most of her back. She wore her hair open so that it covered her back halfway. Damon and Klaus inhaled deeply when they took her in. She looked like a goddess. Lana took the last seat opposite of Klaus and between Damon and Bonnie. She looked around. To her right were Bonnie, Elena, Stefan, Kol and Caroline. To her left were Damon, Rebekah, Matt and Elijah. She was satisfied by this seating order. This way she had a perfect view on Klaus and Caroline. A compelled waitress brought them wine. “I want to make a toast.” Lana stood up and again everyone admired her looks. “I am very glad that everyone accepted the invitation. I hope you enjoy yourself tonight. Let us drink to newly gained friends,” her gaze wandered of to Damon and she returned his smile. “Buried feuds and undying love.” At her last words she looked at Klaus, who tilted his glass towards her. They all drank and the waitress brought out the 1st course.

“This is really good, Lana. Who did the cooking? And now don’t lie.” Damon asked and winked at her. “Believe it or not, I did.” She laughed when everyone but Klaus looked at her surprised. “I am over 1000 years old, I should know how to cook.” Everybody laughed, only Caroline was picking at her food. Klaus bend over to her. “Is something wrong, Caroline?” She looked up and was caught off guard to have his face so close to her. “No. Everything is fine. This risotto is really wonderful, Lana.” She smiled across the table and when she saw that Lana had a serious expression on her face, her smile widened.
Lana decided to just wait and see what might happen between Klaus and Caroline. With one ear she was eavesdropping on them with the other she listened to Bonnie, who just answered her question about how long she had lived in Mystic Falls. “I was born here. Actually my family lives here since 1692.” “Oh that is really great. A real local. Your family is really old. I knew a lot of you ancestors.” They kept on talking about the Bennett family and charmed by Lana and maybe also by the wine Bonnie told Lana a lot of stories from when she started to discover her powers. Bonnie felt she could trust Lana; she even caught herself wishing Lana would be her older sister.

Rebekah felt torn between giving her attention to Matt and to Damon. While Damon was the more talkative of them, Matt stared at his food as if it would tell him something very interesting. She had the feeling he was trying to avoid her gaze. “Rebekah, we should go out again. We always have a lot of fun, don’t we?” Damon winked at her. She felt a little embarrassed but also flattered.

Elena felt uncomfortable. She looked up and saw Elijah looking at her. He smiled. She returned his smile and felt a little bit better. Stefan asked Matt something about football and the guys started talking. Elena noticed Rebekah looking disturbed by Stefan’s attempt to get Matt involved in a conversation.

Meanwhile Kol tried to gain Caroline’s attention by asking her all kind of questions about herself and her life. “How is it to be Miss Mystic Falls, the officially best looking girl in town?” Both Lana and Rebekah rolled their eyes, which was only noticed by Damon who started laughing at them. Lana smiled ruefully while Rebekah took a great sip of wine.

It was time for the main course.
Lana now talked mainly to Damon, but she was still eavesdropping on Klaus, who was now in a deep conversation with Caroline about his paintings. Lana knew he enjoyed talking of his favorite passion. Caroline knew that as well. She had drawn Klaus attention completely to her, which didn’t go unnoticed by Kol. He seemed hurt in his pride to be left outside. Elena was talking to Bonnie and Stefan about school, while Matt and Rebekah and Elijah talked about the pros and cons of the 21st century. Lana was satisfied that everyone was obviously enjoying themselves, even if it bothered her that Klaus was only talking to Caroline.

When dessert was served everybody had drank at least three glasses of wine. The meal had been fantastic so far. After dessert Klaus stood up and lifted his glass. “To the fabulous cook, my dear Lily. It was an outstanding meal. If Leonardo would still be alive he would have said ‘Situato in una splendida cena e un bicchiere di buon vino italien vecchio, preparato da una bella donna è tutto un uomo ha bisogno di chiamare un posto casa sua’ and for all of those who do not speak Italian fluently ‘Enjoying a splendid dinner and a glass of good old Italian wine, prepared by a beautiful woman is all a man needs to call a place home.’ Here is to you, Lily. Cheers.” They all drank. He looked at her with so much love, it hurt her heart.
Afterward they decided to have a drink in the salon. Lana decided this was the time to talk to Elena.

Lana sat down next to Elena, ignoring the fact that Klaus and Caroline were talking in a corner. “Elena, we hadn’t had the chance to talk, yet.” Elena gave her a look. “Why would I want to talk to you? It’s alright that we don’t fight Klaus anymore, but that doesn’t mean I want to be friends with him.” Lana smiled patiently. “I think you misunderstood. I want to be your friend. Klaus just wants a truce. There is a difference. Look at Damon. He and I are friends while Klaus would love to rip his head of.” She laughed. Elena was still very skeptical.
Lana started small talk about life, school and the difficulties of being a vampire. “When you ever need help, advice or just someone who has been a vampire for 1000 years, you know where I live. Just come and talk to me.” “I have Stefan, if I want to talk to someone.” “Well, sometimes a girl needs a woman to talk to. Believe me, those moments will occur and as far as I am concerned there are not many female vampires in town.” She winked at her and left.

Lana talked to Damon for a bit, but soon her eyes wandered off to Klaus.

“Caroline, why did you show up at Rebekah’s birthday? And now don’t tell me Kol invited you.” Klaus looked at Caroline very seriously. “I was there to support Matt and Bonnie.” Caroline was prepared for all sorts of questions. But Klaus saw trough her lie. He smiled. “Is that so? Interesting, very interesting.”

Elena, Stefan and Bonnie left. Damon excused himself as if he could feel that Lana wanted to talk to Klaus, alone. Elijah said he had some issues to take care of and Kol left pouting over the fact that Caroline ignored him. It was down to Rebekah, Matt, Klaus, Caroline and Lana.

Rebekah and Matt had been talking since they entered the salon. Rebekah tried to just forget that she had tried to kill Matt. But when Matt asked her why she had done it, she was forced to confess. “It was because I thought Nik died. I was not myself. I was just so filled up with hate. In my eyes it was all Elena’s fault. And I wanted her to die. You were only collateral damage. I am sorry, Matt. I really am. I know that there is nothing that I can do to make it up to you, but I want you to know that I am very sorry and I am also very grateful that you came to my birthday party and that you joined us today.” She smiled at him. Matt wasn’t quite sure what to think of this. She had tried to kill him and Elena. Because of her Elena was now a vampire. He knew he shouldn’t forgive her like that. But then again, he thought, Elena had forgiven Stefan that he had killed Vicky. And then he thought about all the other things the Salvatore’s had done since they moved to Mystic Falls. No one was holding a grudge against them. Well maybe against Damon, but Stefan was above all criticism. He decided to not think of what everyone else might say about him forgiving Rebekah. She apologized and he felt that se was truly sorry. He smiled. “I wouldn’t say it’s O.K., but I think we are good.” Rebekah gave his hand a squeeze. “Thank you.” She simply said.
Suddenly they noticed that everyone had left and thus Matt excused himself, offering Caroline a ride. “Thanks, but no thanks. I drove here myself. See you tomorrow.” Rebekah brought Matt to the door and when he didn’t expect it, she kissed him on the cheek. Then she was gone. Matt drove home, confused but happy.
It was now down to Klaus, Lana and Caroline. Lana was annoyed by Caroline’s presence. She wanted her to leave and she did not care about what Klaus might think of her behavior. “Your dress is very beautiful, Caroline.” “Thank you. It is a Marc Jacobs.” Caroline said triumphantly. “I know. I saw it in the stores a couple of months ago. But I just thought it was too… tacky.” Lana gave her a sweet smile. Klaus watched as the girls kept on bickering. He was getting annoyed. He couldn’t understand why the girls were so aggressive towards each other. They were both beautiful in their own way. Both had a consuming personality. Klaus figured that this might be the problem. They were both so used to be the most enchanting personality around. But he had expected Lana to stand above this. But somehow the nasty looks, the mean comments and the tension between Lana and Caroline, amused him. He had the feeling that Caroline was jealous because he decided to stay away from her for a while. She was not his center of attention anymore. Could that really bother her? A jolt of happiness went through him. Did she really have feelings for him? Was there the possibility that Caroline had finally seen the truth? At the same time he was tortured by a feeling of guilt. He shouldn’t be happy. He should be annoyed. No, he should not even care. Caroline should not matter to him. Lana had been his mate for so long. She forgave him all the cruel things he had done in his past. She loved him, truly loved him. And he wouldn’t have to run after her to have her admit it. Caroline was interesting because he needed to chase her. But now that he had her, it should be boring to toy with her. But it wasn’t. Klaus was confused. He pushed his thoughts aside when Caroline stood up.
She felt as if she was about to lose against Lana, thus she decided to give in for now and leave. When Klaus showed her to the door, she turned around. “It was a wonderful night. Thank you for your invitation.” He smiled his genuine smile at her and she felt her stomach flip. “Goodnight, Klaus.” She turned around and walked away. She felt him stare at her back. When she stood in front of her car, she searched for her car keys. Suddenly she felt someone behind her. It was Klaus. She could feel it. His hands rested on her arms. He kept her from turning around. His mouth was close to her ear. She could feel his breath on her neck. Caroline felt a tingle running down her spine. “Goodnight, Sweetheart.” And then he was gone. Caroline drove home, feeling happy, delighted and triumphant. “I lost the battle, but guess who wins the war, Lana.”

Lana saw how Klaus bid Caroline goodnight. She was hurt. It was more serious than any of them would have thought. Lana thought to herself, that maybe even Klaus didn’t know how serious it was. She was about to lose him. But it would take more than a brief goodnight to make her, his mate for over 800 years, back down because of an 18 year-old baby vampire. She walked into Klaus’ room as if nothing had happened.
“Niky, this dinner was wonderful.” He hugged her. “Yes, I think we are truly home now.” And even though Lana had a strange feeling in her stomach, she managed to smile at him. And when he turned the music on and pulled her towards the bathroom, she knew she wouldn’t let him know a thing about what was in her head.
The good thing about being a vampire is that you can turn anything and everything off at will. And so she did. Klaus was far away with his thoughts. And she noticed it. However he didn’t notice that her eyes didn’t sparkle that night. And he didn’t notice that the sparkle wasn’t there in the morning either. It would take a long time to come back and until he finally realized it was gone, it would be too late, or wouldn’t it? ….