❝bedlam in the sixties❞

"IT'S GOT TO BE SOME SORT OF CAPITAL CRIME AGAINST ME THAT THIS MAN OWNS NOTHING FASHIONABLE."

Klaus rifled through the dresser drawers, frowning at the bland colors before him. He pushed a few shirts out of the way, his fingers hitting a wood panel that cut off nearly half the drawer. He furrowed his brows, lifting the panel up, surprised to find a practical vampire-hunting artillery hidden underneath it.

"Crossbows, wooden bullets, and automatics?" He pulled a spring-loaded crossbow out of the drawer and turned to face Rosemary with a frown on his face. "Who is this guy again?"

"According to Elijah, he's the local vampire hunter."

"Ah, well, that explains the clothing." He shakes his head in distaste again, earning an amused look from Rosemary.

Maddox spoke from behind them, interrupting their conversation. "All I could find," He offered a glass to Klaus as the man approached, that dangerous glint dark even in the eyes of someone else's body. "Guy likes his bourbon."

"I knew there was something about him I liked," Klaus sipped the liquor, washing it down easily as he leaned against the counter behind him. "There's a high school dance, and I'm gonna need you to take out witch bitch."

Maddox gave the hybrid a helpless look. "If she has that much power, she can sense me coming from a mile away. I won't be able to get near her, you'll have to do it."

Klaus scoffed, gesturing to himself. "In this body? I'm a haggard history teacher. She can easily hurt me. I mean, not me– Klaus me, but– you know what I mean."

Rosemary pursed her lips and looked at the two men. "No witch could handle channeling that much power. Human body or not, you're still an Original. It'll kill her."

Maddox nods, confirming her words. "It would kill me to do it. You just have to make her use it to the extent that it'll actually kill her."

"You mean like provoking her to death?"

"Won't take long, just keep attacking her until it kills her. His body, Alaric's, will last longer than hers will."

"How? He's human."

Maddox smirks at Rosemary, then at Klaus. "I can help in that department. I can do a spell to protect you."

Klaus nods, then points to Rosemary with a determined look. "Get ready. I'm not taking any risks that Stefan won't try something."

Rosemary looks at him disbelievingly, her eyes widening. "I'm going? Does that mean–"

"If I live, you can go."

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"God, I think my mom knows something," Caroline adjusted her black hat on her head, pinning it down with bobby pins so it'd stay in place throughout the night.

Katherine frowned, leaning over the sink right next to her to draw black eyeliner along the bottom of her eyes. "How could she? The only time you're home these days is to sleep."

"I know, but there was something off about how she acted tonight. I don't know, even if they know I'm working against them, you don't think Stefan and Elena would tell her about me, right?"

Katherine gave her a slightly sympathetic look that's more knowing than anything. "As much as I hate to admit it, Stefan is unpredictable. No matter how calm and collected he comes across, he'll always have that Ripper side of him. And, apparently, when it comes to Elena, he's willing to go the extra mile."

Caroline sighed shakily and stepped backwards, observing her costume in the mirror.

"Where's your Kennedy?"

Caroline shrugged. "It was supposed to be Matt, but I'm not going to drag him into anything else, it was too close of a call last time."

Katherine sighs heavily, giving Caroline a somewhat pitying look, as much as she can muster while she gets used to her slowly rising vat of emotion. "It's probably for the best. Klaus will use anyone he wants to get this done, and I doubt Matt will be excluded from that just because you asked."

Caroline gives her a curious look. "You've met Klaus, right?"

Katherine nods.

"What's he look like?"

She sighs wistfully, recalling her innocent days as a human who unknowingly fell in love with the most dangerous man to possibly ever exist. "Devastatingly handsome. And charming. All of the best things packed into the body of a thousand year old psychopath."

"He sounds like a bad idea,"

"Hey, are you two done crying in my bathroom, or are we going to be fashionably late to this thing?"

Katherine turns around and glares at Damon, who smirks, unperturbed. "We're ready. Right, Caroline?"

"Right." She sighs, forcing a smile, and lets Katherine hook their arms together as they follow Damon out.

"Oh, and don't forget, Katherine," Damon gives her a look over his shoulder. "Until we know what Bonnie's going to try, you're not to go anywhere near Stefan, alright? He's got some sort of trick up his sleeve, and I don't trust him."

"Fine, fine." She grumbled, rolling her eyes, though she can't help but feel a spark of warmth in her chest at his assertive, concerned words. If she tried hard enough, she could convince herself that he was actually worried about her, and not just saving her ass so he could kill her himself.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

"Hey, Ric. How's the compulsion?" Damon smirked as he approached the teacher standing behind the punch bowl that was probably already spiked with cheap booze.

Immediately he's met with a cocky smirk that looks out of place on his old friend's scruffy face. Damon narrows his eyes suspiciously, before he suddenly laughs.

"What? What's so funny?"

Damon shakes his head, his own smirk a genuine smile now. "It's been a long time, Klaus,"

Immediately his attempt at a facade drops and he groans, rolling his eyes. "You could tell?"

"Dude, Ric's my best friend, and he's pissed at me right now, and he certainly doesn't have that murderous intent about him like you do."

Klaus scoffs, though there's amusement in his tone. "Thirty years pass and you replace me with some vampire-hunting high school teacher? Truly a downgrade, Damon."

Damon mirrors his relaxed stance, observing the oblivious students around them. He's already seen Bonnie once, and he assumed she already told his brother and Elena about his presence. "So, the shoutout was a bit lame. What's your real plan?"

"You're familiar with Bonnie, right?" Klaus folds his arms, giving a dutiful smile to a student that looked his way.

"Yeah, about five foot two, super bitchy with deadly witch powers her ancestors gave her? We're familiar with one another."

"I'm going to kill her."

His words make Damon's smirk drop and he looks at Klaus in silent surprise. "How are you going to manage that? Because I was under the impression she had enough power to kill you."

Klaus shrugs cockily. "I have a witch of my own."

"Wait, so if you're here, where's–"

"Rosemary is with me."

Damon feels his heart stop and he stands in front of Klaus, eyes wide as he processes his words. "Where?"

"She's helping me at the moment. And if you help, as soon as Bonnie is dead, you can run off into the sunset together."

Damon claps his hands together, a pep in his step and a skip to his pulse. "Great. Let's kill Bonnie."

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

author's note; fun fact about this book, it was entirely inspired by adore you by harry styles (hence the soundtrack) and thought "damn what if damon just got to love someone unconditionally, and didn't have to have his brother's sloppy seconds again?? and here we are. 

coincedentally, as i edit this book, i am listening to keep driving by harry styles and having a crisis over the fact that when i first published this book, fine line had just come out :'(

edited and published; 11.1.22.

- liz