Chapter Three
ʜɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ
Depressing. That's the only word being used to describe this day.
Jenna and John's funerals.
Damon and Nora's impending deaths.
And the current problem; Katherine.
"Two days, I've been waiting," Katherine complained with her usual attitude. "I'm supposed to be free of Klaus' compulsion by now." If Klaus had died as originally planned, then she would be free. Of course, that's all she cares about.
Nora and Stefan had agreed to come and ask for a cure for Damon, and Nora too, not that Stefan knows. Klaus had been staying in Alaric's apartment, so that's the first place they went looking for him.
"Yup, great for you. Uh, where's Klaus." Nora's tone was demanding as she glanced around the apartment, not seeing a trace of the hybrid. Then she was slammed into a wall by Katherine, who heard Klaus and Elijah coming up the stairs. She held up a finger to her lips.
"Klaus, you're back." Katherine monotoned. "Look who decided to come for a visit." She grabbed Stefan and Nora and pulled them forward.
Nora gave an awkward smile and wave. This family has got some great genes, she thought.
"You just keep popping up, don't you?" Klaus asked Stefan rhetorically. "But you," he tilted his head towards Nora. "You've been lurking in the shadows," Klaus smirked, she kept surprising him, a mystery to be solved.
Nora just hummed, too dazed to retort with a snarky comeback.
"We need your help. For my brother." Stefan stepped out of Katherine's grasp. Nora looked down, not wanting to reveal her reason secondary reason for being there.
"Well, whatever it is it's gonna have to wait a tick." Klaus started. "You see, I have an obligation to my brother, that requires my immediate attention."
"You understand how important family is or you wouldn't be here-" Elijah says, trying to somewhat justify his betrayal.
Nora had barely spoken to the original, but she knew of his promise to kill Klaus.
Nora cut him off. "That's one crappy apology," she takes a steadying breath as all eyes snap to her. "I mean, I don't really mind Klaus not being dead. But you gave your word, Elijah. At least act somewhat sorry." Elijah shot her a glare for interrupting with a malicious jaw clench. But before he said anything back Klaus spun him around and stabbed him with a dagger in the heart, resulting in screams echoing around the room. Nora just blinked, he looked gross.
"Now what am I going to do with you?" Klaus questions as he steps over Elijah's fallen body. He speeds to Stefan, stabbing him with a knife. "That's scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement and you're dead." Stefan can definitely feel that, for he's groaning out in pain.
Nora is hesitant to do anything, not that she could. Katherine, faced with the same dilemma, looked troubled as she watched.
"Make me a deal. Just give me the cure, and I'll do whatever you want." Stefan groans out.
"Me too," Nora pipes in, still hesitant. Klaus looks at her over Stefan's shoulder with a small smirk, pulling the blade from Stefan's chest. Klaus looks to Nora for a reaction but is met with an unreadable expression.
"Trouble is, Stefan, I don't think you'd be of any use to me how you are now. You're just shy of useless." Klaus hints, making Nora groan. She knows exactly where he's going with this.
Klaus bends down to Stefan's level on the ground. "I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades. When he was off, he was magnificent." Klaus whispers.
"That does sound familiar. But Stefan likes being on the wagon, there's no need to stumble off." Nora defends Stefan as she helps him off the ground. Klaus only raises his eyebrows in amusement.
"Well, that's the vampire I can make a deal with. That's the kind of talent I can use when I leave this town." Klaus shrugs confidently.
He calls Katherine over just to bite her. Which shocks everybody, scaring the hell out of Katherine. Then, he feeds her his blood which heals the wound.
His blood is the cure.
"Gotta love Mother Nature." Klaus eyes Stefan trying to gauge a reaction.
"I think this is a great time to share this with you both," Nora grimaces as she rolls up her sleeve. "I'm going to need that cure as well." She turned so they could both see her shoulder clearly. Stefan frowns as Klaus smiles.
"The hell, Nora? Why didn't you tell me?" Stefan asked, Nora only shrugged.
"It's not like you could've done anything about it."
"How does a decade-long bender sound, Stefan? Nora will accompany us if that makes it better." Klaus suggests as he puts some of his blood in two vials.
"I'm not like that anymore." Stefan denies the offer. Which makes Klaus start pouring one of the vials down the drain. "Wait."
"Now that's more like it. How about you join me for a drink?" It's more a statement than a question. Klaus slides Stefan a blood bag.
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Stefan had made a mess all over the floor in blood and Nora was over it. She didn't want Stefan to become a ripper again, she knew from Damon what it did to Stefan. "Ok. I think that's enough for now." She weakly tried to sound scary, but it didn't work.
"But to me, it looks as if he's enjoying it." Klaus gestured toward Stefan from the bar stool he was sitting at.
"No more. Not until you give us the cure." Stefan finalized.
"Not until we make a deal." Klaus glanced at Nora.
"You both have yet to agree to anything. I say you both leave town with me and in exchange, you both get the cure respectively." Klaus smirked.
"Sounds fair enough to me." Nora shrugged. Klaus smiled as he handed Nora one of the vials containing his blood. She eagerly drank it, immediately her symptoms subdued and Klaus watched her the entire time.
He didn't know who this girl was, but he liked her, and there weren't many people he liked.
He offered Stefan a blood bag and he took it, accepting the deal. Klaus smirked as he gave Katherine another vile, compelling her to give it to Damon.
"She'll never take it to him," Stefan stated knowing that Damon had given Katherine vervain. She was impervious to compulsion.
"She'll never take it to him."