✗ | YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL

twelve

ELLE SAT AT THE MYSTIC GRILL BAR WITH ELIJAH AND KLAUS ON BOTH OF HER SIDES. She threw her head back, taking a shot as she noted a familiar presence now in the bar; her sister. When her and Damon came up near the bar, Damon tried to reach over Klaus for his order.

"Don't mind me." Klaus mused, sarcasm dripping in his tone.

Elena's facial expression fell as soon as she laid eyes on the hybrid and the soulmates. "Klaus.."

"You gonna do this at the grill? In front of everyone? It's a little beneath you. Don't you think?" Damon asked, his voice sounding threatening.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Klaus said as one of his hybrid friends, Tony, rejoined them. "I just came down to my local pub to grab a drink with my mates." he then looked over to Tony. "Get a round in, would you, Tony?" Klaus had a big grin on his face as he saw how shocked Elena looked.

"I'm surprised you stuck around town long enough for happy hour." he looked over at Elijah. "You too."

"Rebekah seems to be missing." Elijah shrugged. "We need to sort that out."

"Cute, blonde, bombshell, psycho." Damon listed of some descriptive words that he believed of her. "Shouldn't be that hard to find."

"Truth is, my family have grown to like this little town. Think I might fancy a home here. Oh, I imagine you're wondering how does this affect you? The answer is; not in the slightest." Klaus told them. "As long as I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves you can go on living your little lives however you choose. You have my word."

"What more could you possibly want?" Elena asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Well for starters, you can tell me where I can find Stefan." Klaus said, his tone almost instantly turning sour as the younger Salvatore was brought up.

Damon looked away for a second before looking back to the trio. "Stefan skipped town as soon as he saved your ass."

Elle slid down from the barstool as Klaus looked at her, signalling for her to take the stage. "Well, that's a shame. Stefan stole from us, and we want what he stole back." she said firmly. "And I'd like to beat the absolute shit out of him for what he did to me on the bridge."

"That sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem, not an Elle and Stefan problem." Elena told her sister.

Elle took a step forward, a slight smile on her face. Her smile widened as Damon took a step forward, standing closer to Elena. And as soon as he did that, Klaus and Elijah did the same for Elle. "You're telling me that what he did to me isn't my problem? You've got a lot to learn about me, Elena. You should get studying."

✧✧✧

Elle sat with Klaus as he ordered compelled workers around the house that he was building. Mindy, one of Klaus' hybrids, also sat with them. "Compel the men to open up this wall," he said as he motioned to a wall. "We need sun. I want a fortress. Not a dungeon." Tyler entered the room, and Klaus smiled. "Here comes the man of the hour!"

"So everything went okay?" Tyler asked him.

"Tony ran down Alaric instead of Jeremy—"

As soon as Elle heard those words, she was quick to cut Klaus off. "You tried to get my brother ran over?!" she shouted. "What the fuck, Klaus! Just because I'm not friends with Elena right now, doesn't mean you hurt my family." she said sternly. "What if I hurt Rebekah?"

"The thing is, love; your sister did hurt Rebekah. And revenge is key." he reminded her. "However, if it were you, I wouldn't have gotten Jeremy ran over." he sighed loudly. "Mindy! Call Tony off of the Gilbert boy!"

Her eyebrows furrowed. She was not expecting Klaus to give in to her. "Thanks..."

✧✧✧

Elena called Klaus, Elijah and Elle all over to the Salvatore house, which it led them to believe that she had news on Stefan. They knocked on the door, and Elena was quick to answer it.

She took a step aside. "Thank you for coming."

Klaus entered the house, Elle and Elijah then entering afterwards. "I trust you have news of Stefan?"

"I couldn't find him, but I have something else." she led them down to the cellar, and when she opened the door, Rebekah lay there with a red dress on, a dagger in her chest.

"Our poor sister," he looked at Elijah with a slight chuckle. "We can't turn our backs for a moment."

"You have Rebekah. A deal is a deal." Elena told him firmly.

Klaus acted as if he was thinking for a moment, even though he had already called his men off of Jeremy. "The life of my sister in exchange for your brother? Yeah, I'd say thats a bargain. Consider him spared."

"You should know I was the one who daggered her. When she wakes she'll come after me." Elena stated, and it was obvious she was nervous.

"I can control Rebekah." he told her with an obvious tone. "Besides, Elle and I still need your help finding Stefan."

"I told you, I don't know where he is." Elena said.

Elle narrowed her eyes on her sister. "Elena, I've always been able to tell when you're lying. And right now is one of those times. Fortunately, you have no shortage of people to threaten in the time being. Stefan? Damon? Alaric? We all know I've never really liked them, so this time you won't have my help in saving them."

"It's only a matter of time before Stefan gives me what I want." Klaus said.

Elena looked down at her feet, then back at Klaus. "He doesn't care about me anymore. You made sure of that. You turned him into a monster. Now he's your problem. And just so you know I'm not the only one that Rebekah wants dead. She knows what you did to your mother. She knows that you killed her. You can let yourself out."

✧✧✧

Klaus had Rebekah on a table, her skin still grey. "Here we are, Rebekah, home sweet home. Only took one thousand years. And to think I was counting on you being here with me. But that's all ruined now, isn't it?" he noted that one of her fingers were moving a bit and he grasped onto the silver dagger. "I'm so sorry." he stroked her cheek. "Sister, we'll meet again one day."

He daggered her again.