Helpful Hand (1)

Chapter 24

When they had gotten to the compound, their rooms were already ready. Stiles' closet was filled with clothes just as Klaus had promised when they were pursuing each other. He was happy that there was a T.V and a working A.C.

Stiles was taking a nap, catching up on the sleep he lost when babysitting Elijah. He heard a knock on his door but he ignored it, hoping that the person who was on the other side would take a hint that he didn't want to be bothered. The person behind the door knocked a few more times before Stiles gave up and got out of his bed.

"Who are you and what might you need?" Stiles groaned out as he saw a stranger on the other side of the door as he opened it.

"I'm Diego and Klaus is having a feast. He wants you to be there." The man stated annoyed, he would rather be anywhere else than being a messenger boy.

"And if I say no?" Stiles asked with a sigh as he rubbed his temples.

"I don't know and I don't want to know so why don't you go to save everyone the hassle," Diego stated with a gruff.

"Fine, I'll be down there in a couple of minutes. I am too tired to argue with anyone much less him." Stiles said and Diego nodded his head.

Diego was about to leave when he stopped in his tracks and faced Stiles to speak up, "I can tolerate you because of what you did for Thierry."

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked slightly confused.

"You warned Thierry to watch out for Klaus. Even though Thierry still fell victim to Klaus, I'm just trying to say I appreciate the gesture. Thierry is my friend and since he is not here then I'm going to be the one to say it for him." Diego explained and Stiles then remember what he said to the vampire musician.

"Thanks, I guess. I knew it was like to be in his position but things turn out differently for everyone." Stiles said with a nod and walked to his bathroom to freshen up.

In ten minutes he joined everyone downstairs for the feast. He sat in the middle of Hayley and Derek.

Klaus got up from his seat and lightly hit the side of his glass cup with his spoon to get everyone's attention.

"Let us begin with a toast to our shared gift-- immortality. After a thousand years, one might expect for life to be less keenly felt, for its beauties and its sorrows to diminish with time, but as vampires, we feel more deeply than humans could possibly imagine--insatiable need, exquisite pain... Our victories, and our defeats. In my city, my home again. May the blood never cease to flow." Klaus gives his speech as the waiters cut their wrist and let their blood flow to the cups of the vampires at the table.

"And the party never end," Marcel stated as he raised his drink.

"To New Orleans," Diego spoke up as he stopped glaring at Marcel, remembering their earlier conversation.

"To New Orleans." Everyone else cheered.

"I understand that some of you may have questions regarding the recent change in leadership, and I invited you here tonight to assure you that you are not defeated. No, my intentions moving forward are to celebrate what we have, what Marcel, in fact, took... and built into this. A true community of vampires." Klaus said with a clap of his hands and Stiles rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his champagne.

"What about her?" Diego asked as he pointed to Hayley.

"What about her?" Stiles asked with a glare. They might have had a mutual understanding but their conversation earlier did not make them friends so he wasn't afraid to eliminate Diego if he needed to.

"Had you let me finish, Diego, you would know that there is, of course, one further matter I would like to address," Klaus said as he gave Stiles a look of warning. He walked over to their side of the table and stood behind Hayley.