ACT TWO; TARGET IN SIGHT
SCENE NINE; UNITED IN BLOOD
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SALEM HURRIES TO HER FEET, SWINGING HER FRONT DOOR OPEN AS SHE HEARS FOOTSTEPS ECHO DOWN THE HALLWAY. Her abrupt movements into the hallway grab Alaric's attention, and he turns towards her with a tired smile that she mirrors.

"You didn't call,"

He shakes his head with a laugh, clothes beaten and worn from the day's events. "Guess I lost my phone in the accident."

She nods understandingly, and steps out into the hallway completely, letting her door shut behind her with a soft click. "So," She eyes Alaric up and down, her tired smile growing into a somewhat taunting one. "How does it feel to get hit by a car?"

He chuckles, then, tension bleeding from his shoulders as he sags in his doorway. Exhaustion is clear on his face, and Salem wants to playfully push him into his apartment and force him to go to bed at a somewhat decent hour like she used to, but she knows things are not how they used to be no matter what she thinks.

"It feels like every bone in your body is breaking all at once," He sighs. "It's not fun."

"But at least you're healed now," She shrugs, tucking her dark hair behind her ears. "Thank the ring for that, I guess. I actually thought you'd forgotten it at first until I saw you at Elena's."

"You were at Elena's?" He furrows his brows, staving away the alarming reminder that the ring had in fact not healed him, it was Damon's blood. "Why? When?"

Salem huffs a laugh, the sound uneasy in the tension that floats between them. "Why wouldn't I? You got hit by a car, Ric. You're the one who said we were still friends– I was worried about my friend."

Alaric seems to contemplate her words for a moment before he nods, the gleam in his eyes dimming ever so slightly for a reason unknown to her. But in a second it's gone and he sends her an easy, comforting look that makes her yearn for the ease of their friendship before everything changed. "Do you want to come in for a drink and complain about our lives for a little bit?"

Salem smiles and nods, already following Ric through his door. "That sounds really good, actually," 

He gestures for her to sit on the couch while he grabs the bourbon, not bothering to get glasses as he takes a large gulp off straight out of the bottle. "I'm surprised your evil hybrid boyfriend still lets you talk to me." 

"Klaus doesn't let me do anything, I wouldn't listen to him if he did anyways. And he's not my boyfriend." Salem rolls her eyes at the thought of the hybrid that had been responsible for her friend's near death experience yet again. "And I'm not really talking to him right now anyways."

Alaric raises an eyebrow at her, gesturing for her to continue as he takes another swig of bourbon with a wince as it slides down his throat and settles as a familiar warmth in his stomach.

Salem sighs and contemplates her thoughts for a moment before rolling her head along the back of the couch lazily. "Complete honesty?"

"Of course," He nods, eyes narrowing in curiosity.

"I think he wants me to move in with him,"

Alaric's sharp inhale is all that follows and for a moment they sit in silence. "What? What makes you think that? Didn't you just say you weren't dating?"

"Well, he's building a house here, and I've been... assisting with the process. He said something today about it being our house, but," 

"But?" 

She shrugs silently, declining the offered bottle. "I don't know. Like I said, we've never defined what's going on between us, but neither of us are seeing other people. And we, you know. We've slept together, but not since we got back to Mystic Falls."

"Really?"

She raises a brow at his shocked tone and he backtracks. "It's just– the way Stefan made it all sound, you two have been together all summer."

Salem tenses briefly before she lets out a long exhale. "I resented him a little at first, because of you. Because he used you so much."

"But I," She shakes her head. "It wasn't really my grief. I couldn't hold on to those emotions for you when I hadn't even seen you. And then Stefan distanced himself more and more, so Klaus and I spent more time together. And the more time I spent with him, the more I... understood him. We are shockingly similar. It's a little scary, honestly."

Silence settles for a moment before Salem sits up, her brows furrowing. "We aren't together, and he didn't even outright ask me to move in with him, but I– I'm not opposed to the idea. I don't know."

Alaric clears his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "You said you weren't talking right now, right? Why not?"

"Well, he almost killed you." 

Alaric sighs, his eyes softening. "Salem, come on. You can't do that." 

"What exactly am I doing, Ric?"

He narrows his eyes at her, seeing the willful ignorance coating her face as she pretends to not know exactly what he's talking about. "You said it yourself. You want to live with him, so why don't you? What's stopping you?"

Salem sits up as abruptly as he had, her eyes mirroring that wild and shocked look. "He almost killed you and you're siding with him?"

"No, he almost killed Jeremy," Alaric corrects, smugness coating his features for a moment. "I'm the one that jumped in front of the car, Salem. Klaus had nothing to do with that. And you're deflecting because you don't want to man up and admit that you like Klaus a lot more than you thought."

She deflates, because his words ring true and she can't argue with the truth as much as she wished to. "It wasn't supposed to be like this, Alaric. I wasn't supposed to feel like this for him."

"Like what?"

She picks at her nails, shaking her head. "Like I could fall in love with him."

"No one's ever supposed to fall in love, but we do anyways because we're human. Well, some of us are. But you can't hate yourself for how you feel about him, Salem. Some of us fall in love with the people we least expect to." Alaric huffs a wry laugh, taking a harsh gulp off the bottle.

"My mother would be disappointed in me," She huffs an empty laugh, dragging her fingers across her chin as she propped her head up. "She would freak out at the idea of me being with someone, let alone with someone like Klaus. I think it'd kill her all over again if she knew I traveled around the country for three months."

"Well," He sighs heavily. "Your mom wasn't exactly parent of the year."

She nods once in agreement, staring dazedly at his blank television screen. "She died almost five years ago and she still haunts me."

Alaric grunts, nudging her foot with his own. "Don't let your mom's bullshit stop you from doing what makes you happy. Even if it means you do have to be a little selfish." 

"I guess you're right," Salem sighs, giving him a wane smile as she relaxes against the couch again.

"Of course I'm right, it's my job to be right." 

Salem laughs incredulously and he smiles at the sound, watching her fondly. "So, are you going to go see Klaus?"

"No, I'm gonna let him think I'm mad at him," She smiles, small but devious. "Just to make him squirm a little bit."

Alaric grins, slapping a hand on her shoulder. "That's my girl,"

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅───── 

Salem held up the paint swatches, her two-toned eyes narrowing as she contemplated. "What do you think, Miles? Should it be Latte or Nomadic Desert?"

The clunky boy steps behind her, looking at the two swatches she holds up to the sunlight. "What's the difference?"

Her brows knit together on her forehead. "They're two different colors. Which one would look better in the kitchen?"

"Oh," He tilts his head, dark eyebrows furrowing in deep thought. "I like Nomadic Desert." 

Salem smiles, nodding in agreement. "Me too. I need three gallons of it, think you can handle that?" It was based on genuine concern– she didn't have much faith in the hybrid's ability to complete the simple task without some issue arising.

He nods, taking the swatch from her. His brown eyes shift, widening slightly when he sees the Original walk in with a look of confusion and irritation clear on his face. "Yeah, I'll be back, Salem."

She sighs to herself as Miles scurries off out of the kitchen, turning around as Klaus approaches her, his arm wrapping around her waist. She leans against his chest, a small smile on her face at the curious look on his.

"What are you doing?"

"Picking out a color for the kitchen," She raises an eyebrow at him, pointedly not answering his question the way she knows he wants it to be answered. "I figured if I'm moving in, I should help decorate, right?" 

His eyes widen slightly, and his hands tighten around her waist as she looks up at him.

"That is, if the offer still stands,"

He smirks softly. "You know it does,"

Salem smiles slightly and nods, resting her hand atop his on her stomach. Her eyes flicker down to his pink lips and she catches him doing the same to her. Almost impossibly slow, Klaus leans down, Salem's eyes instinctively fluttering.

Suddenly, a clatter comes from upstairs and they pull apart abruptly, and Salem laughs at the irritated look that crosses his face. "I should get going anyway, I need to get to work." 

Klaus rolls his eyes, the irritation in his eyes deepening. "Or you could stay with me today. I'm sure we could find more entertaining things to do than deal with a bunch of noisy children." 

"You can't keep stealing me from my job just because you get bored," Salem laughs slightly at his frustration, turning around in his hold and tapping her fingers on his chest. "Hear anything about Stefan?"

Klaus sighs, rolling his eyes at the reminder of their life outside of their short-lived bliss. "Elena knows where he is, but she won't say anything. No matter how terrible he is to her, she still clings to him." 

Salem fights a visible grimace with a short cough. "So, what are you gonna do? You can't terrorize Elena any more than you already do if you want her to stick around to be your blood bag." 

"She's got her fair share of personal bodyguards, I'm well aware," Klaus smirks knowingly. "She and Damon are certainly close nowadays."

"If you kill Damon, Stefan will never give you your family back. Emotionless or not, that's sort of unforgivable."

He scoffs. "Funny you say that– I found Rebekah."

Salem's eyes widen hopefully, having missed the blonde she befriended quickly. "Where is she?"

"Elena daggered her before the dance,"

Salem's eyes widen impossibly more and he gives her an agreeing look. "Elena gratefully returned her to me, but had the decency to inform me that Rebekah knows about my mother."

"She knows..."

Klaus nods slowly. "Hence why she is still daggered,"

Salem steps away from him slightly, her eyes narrowing. "Why wouldn't you just undagger her and explain why you killed Esther?"

"Have you met my sister? There is no explaining things. She's going to kill first and ask questions later, and I can't have her going after Elena before I get more blood from the infuriating girl– who, by the way, has grown quite sure of herself recently." 

Salem rolls her eyes, shoving his arm. "Rebekah's still going to be pissed off when she's undaggered, you understand that, right?"

He sighs, nodding through his frustration. "Yes, of course. But I'm sure she'll be less angry if I wait it out a few hundred years."

Salem shakes her head exasperatedly and then stiffens, her eyes shifting into a hard glare as she looks over Klaus's shoulder, meeting Stefan's emptily amused gaze. "I should get going."

He looks behind him, eyes falling into the same glare that Salem is wearing. "Yes, we wouldn't want your students to suffer from your absence." 

She ignores his sarcastic remark and kisses his cheek, grabbing her bags and jacket as she slips by him through the nearly finished mansion. Her eyes flicker over Stefan's nonchalant positioning and she tilts her head, giving him a mocking look.

"I can't imagine you think you'll get away with all of this forever, Stefan,"

He smirks knowingly, and Salem eyes him closely. "Don't worry about me, Salem. I'll be alright."

She raises an eyebrow, disbelief coating her tone. "I'm not worried, Stefan. Just warning you. What you put out into the universe always comes back." 

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅───── 

Salem resented the fact that the only way she could even hope to get more funding for the art classes at the school was to parade around the Founder's Council and kiss ass.

Her heels clicked on the stone steps outside the building and she sent the doorman a knowing smile of pain that he mirrored with a tired sigh as he swung the door open for her.

Her hand shoots out to grab a glass of bubbly champagne and she takes a sip of it, her stomach instantly rolling with discomfort. She grimaces, pressing a hand to her stomach, and drops the drink on a passing waiter's tray.

Salem stiffens when a hand wraps around her waist, but Klaus's familiar scent burns in her nostrils and she relaxes against his chest with a soft sigh.

"I wasn't aware you'd be in attendance tonight, love," His voice is a soft murmur against her ear and she stifles her shivers from the low scratch of it. "Or that you'd be looking so delectable. This is new."

His fingers trail along the neckline of her silk dress and she smirks into her drink. "I had money to spare, now that I don't have to pay rent."

"How convenient," He drags the pads of his fingers along her collarbone and kisses her cheek, a small huff of a laugh drifting between them. "Why have you joined the high society for the evening?"

"Work," She rolls her eyes. "Sucking up to Carol Lockwood is the only way I can get money for the supplies I need for classes."

Klaus frowns, his eyes drifting around the stuffy party as he spins Salem in his arms, finally meeting her glittering eyes with his cool gaze. "If you needed money, you could've asked." 

"I don't need money," She smiles softly, shaking her head. "The kids do. My life revolves around them." 

He smiles, eyes flashing with something hesitant before they settle with their cool shade again. "You're good with them,"

"I'm mediocre with them," She huffs. "I'll be surprised if I don't go gray at twenty-two from stressing about them." 

Klaus seems to ponder something for a moment before he heaves a sigh, eyes shifting out to the crowd once more. "Since you're not the only one with a need to please Carol Lockwood, what do you say we take her down together?"

Salem dips her head in a nod, allowing him to take her hand. "Lead the way,"

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Salem's brows knit together into a frown when she steps outside, seeing Klaus frantically talking on the phone before Damon. "What's going on?"

Damon gives her a panicked but wry look. "Stefan's done playing nice. He's gonna drive Elena off of Wickery Bridge if your boyfriend doesn't send his hybrids out of town."

Her eyes widen almost comically fast and she turns, facing Klaus. "Is it even a debate, Klaus?"

At the hesitance the hybrid shows, she scoffs incredulously and steps forward. "If you let Elena die, you won't even be able to make any more hybrids. Just send them away, Klaus!"

Klaus turns away from her, shaking his head stubbornly. "You won't do it,"

"Really? Try me, because your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to your family, Klaus."

"Stefan, slow down! Stefan! Stefan, stop it!" Elena's screams echo through the tiny speaker and Salem glares at Klaus, swiping a frustrated hand out at him.

"Fine, I'll send them away. You win."

"Stefan! Stefan, stop!"

"Stop the car, Stefan!" Klaus's frustration boils, his voice breaking through the stiff tension that had settled amongst the trio. He hangs up the phone, knuckles going white with how hard he clenches his hand around the weak piece of technology.

Salem lets out a shaky sigh, the sound echoed from behind her by Damon who was relieved for an entirely different reason. "Why did you hesitate? Why wouldn't you just send your hybrids away when he killed Mindy?"

"I can't let him win, Salem. If he kills my hybrids, he's asking for a fight."

"So you risk the only thing able to give you hybrids?" Salem questions, dubiety obvious in her voice. "It doesn't make sense to me, Klaus."

"It doesn't need to make sense to you," He shakes his head stubbornly, glaring at her. "I can handle this on my own." 

Salem scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Just like you can handle everything else by yourself, right? You're the big, bad hybrid, after all. Why haven't you just tracked Stefan down with the plethora of witches at your disposal and ripped his head off of his shoulders?" 

She spins, meeting Damon's defensive gaze with another scoff. "Face it, this is just one giant pissing contest between you three, and it's only going to get people killed."

She turns on her heel to walk away but Klaus calls her name and stops her in her tracks. "Where are you going?"

She shrugs, giving him a passive aggressive smile. "I'm going home. I don't feel well, and you obviously don't need my help anymore. Goodnight, Damon, it's always such a pleasure."

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Salem pretends to be asleep when the door to the bedroom opens and light from the hallway spills into the dark room, but she knows it's no use.

The bed dips with Klaus's weight and she hears the shuffling of him sliding his leather boots off and dropping them haphazardly by the end of the bed like he always did. She rolls her eyes in the darkness, mentally grumbling as she flips around to look at him. "Your shoes don't go there." 

Klaus's slight smile is hidden from her, but he's silently relieved that she's not completely ignoring him. "Of course, sweetheart."

Salem's eyes adjust to the bleak lighting, briefly flashing bright yellow as they do so while Klaus gets up and takes his boots into the walk-in closet.

"Where were you?" It's a bland question, but she'd arrived at the house at a quarter past ten, and it was nearly midnight now.

"I was at Caroline's,"

That makes her sit up, reaching for the lamp beside her side of the bed. The sudden light makes Klaus turn to face her and he lets out a quiet sigh at the frown on her face. "Why were you at Caroline's at eleven o'clock at night?"

He rolls his head on his shoulders, tension bleeding from his shoulders as his joints ache and pop from the day's stress. "I told Tyler to bite her, to get a message across." 

She scoffs, pooling the duvet around her hips as she sits up further. "Oh, you mean like the message of almost getting Elena killed because your ego was bruised?"

He laughs humorlessly, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it in the basket in the closet. "Whatever you want to think, Salem."

"No, it's not whatever I want to think, it's what actually happened." She gets to her knees, sliding across the mattress towards him. "Because I think that you used the sire bond to make Tyler bite  Caroline so they would owe you something."

Klaus's eyes flashed defensively and she ignored the slight warning in his gaze. "It worked, didn't it?" 

"I'm hoping, given Caroline is alive and well now that you healed her to ensure your debt was owed."

"Everything worked out, Salem. Elena is alive and so is Caroline. They're fine, albeit a little shaken from their near-death experiences." 

Salem furrows her brows, lines creasing her olive skin. "What exactly do you want from them? You could've killed Stefan by now, and bled Elena dry, and he would have no leverage besides the coffins, which you also could've gotten from Bonnie at this point. If you want me to be here and be a part of this, I have to have all of the details, Klaus. I can't just go in blind."

"Salem,"

"It makes me look stupid when I'm with you and don't know what you're planning to do." She cuts him off, biting the inside of her cheek as her emotions crash around her stomach in waves of nerves. "It makes me feel like you don't trust me.""

"You know that I trust you, Salem."

"Do I?"

He meets her gaze head on, stifled emotions trying their hardest to get to the surface. "I've given you no reason to think otherwise,"

She smacks her tongue against her teeth, the noise passive aggressive. "If that was true, I wouldn't feel like this right now."

"What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say?" He holds his arms out, desperate frustration swimming in his gravelly voice. "What could I do that would make you believe me?"

Salem searches his face, her speckled eyes shining with bitten back tears. "Tell me the truth. About everything– about the entire situation. There's something you're not telling me, Klaus, I know you." 

Klaus blinks and looks away fleetingly, and Salem lets out a defeated sigh. She rubs her tired features with her hands, and reaches for the pillows lying untouched on the bed.

Her movements are rushed as she gets up from the bed and pushes the pillows at Klaus's chest, making him stumble back slightly in surprise. "What are you doing, Salem?"

She laughs, the sound thick around the lump in her throat. "I'm not sharing a bed with someone who doesn't trust me with things that our lives depend on." 

"I never said–"

"You didn't say anything, Klaus!" She scoffs, chucking a blanket at him that he catches off-handedly. "That's the problem. You didn't say anything. You never do."

He bites out a long sigh, throwing his head back as irritation bubbles in his chest. "So where am I to sleep if I'm not allowed to sleep in my bed?"

"You built an entire fortress, Klaus. I'm sure you can find a bed."

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Salem stiffens when she hears Klaus shuffle into the kitchen, and she rolls her shoulders back as her muscles go taut. She grabs the steaming pot of coffee off the base of the elaborate and overpriced coffee maker Klaus insisted on getting and fills her to-go cup with it, grabbing the sugar and creamer to add in.

Klaus clears his throat, drawing a look from Salem over her shoulder that pins him to the spot. "Would you care to pour me a cup, sweetheart?"

Salem grabs the pot and holds it over the sink, maintaining eye contact with him as she tips it over and dumps the fresh coffee down the drain.

When it's empty, she sits it down on the counter with a pointed thunk and gives him an apologetic look. "Sorry, sweetheart, there's none left." 

Klaus grits his teeth, all efforts of forgetting last night gone in the blink of an eye at her petty actions. Instead of verbally responding, he simply walks over to her and yanks the pot from her hands, determined to make a new one in absolute silence.

Salem watches, amusement swimming in her eyes along with the satisfaction of knowing that she's effectively ruined the beginning of his day.

The new pot coffee has just begun to brew when Salem leans a hip against the counter, smirking at the frustrated glare on his face. "If I'd known you wanted coffee, I would've saved you some." 

Klaus scoffs, eyes filled with chagrin at her passive aggressiveness. "Well, I wasn't aware I had to inform you I wanted a cup of coffee when I woke up considering I have one every morning."  He shifts, planting his hands on the marble counters. "Perhaps that's my mistake, trusting you to know that."

Salem's eyes flicker with heat at his snarky rebuttal, but she doubles down and knits her brows together in an apologetic frown. "Well, I'm sorry, Klaus, but I guess I just don't know you well enough to know what you want. I mean, it's not like we live together. You don't tell the woman you live with when you're gone until midnight, doing god knows what with a student who you almost killed, all because you used your sired minions to do your bidding."

The Original inhales sharply, a flurry of emotions crashing through him before he settles on his fallback; anger. "Tyler is the only hybrid left in this town for me to use– I might as well give him something to do."

"Right, but you can't tell me about any of it. I get it. We just... don't tell each other when we're doing things anymore." Salem shrugs, feigning nonchalance as she grabs her things off the counter. "I'm going to work– but I guess I shouldn't tell you that." 

"You can't just make passive aggressive comments every time you speak to me, Salem,"

A sound of disbelief echoes through the mansion as she walks out the front door. "Oh, says the patron saint of communication. Goodbye, Klaus." 

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Salem huffs an annoyed breath, her eyebrows furrowing as she stares at Ric. "Are you almost done? I'm bored."

Alaric sighs, briefly stopping his weight-lifting. "Just because you're fighting with Klaus doesn't mean you can come over here and sulk."

"I'm not sulking, I'm taking a vow of silence because I don't want to talk to him."

"Shouldn't a vow of silence stretch to everyone in your life?"

A cocky laugh comes from the doorway, and Salem glares as Damon strolls leisurely into the apartment. "If only she would be so considerate as to not speak anymore." He looks pointedly at Salem, who flips him off from her place on the couch.

"As if anyone wants to hear your mouth, Damon," 

"If I recall, you wanted my mouth–"

"That's enough," Alaric stops, sitting up on his bench. "What are you doing here, Damon?"

Damon turns, glancing around the apartment. "Uh, looking for a bunny. You're good, for now."

Alaric rolls his eyes, shaking his head exasperatedly. "Are you still obsessed over Meredith?" He grabs a towel, patting off his sweaty face. "Don't you have an Original to worry about?"

Damon makes an affronted noise, gesturing incredulously to Salem, who rolls her eyes. He points to the weights, shaking his finger in between them and Alaric. "Do ten more of those. You're gonna want to buff up if you start dating this one. Self-defense and all."

Salem sits up on the couch, looking at Alaric in disbelief. "You're seeing someone? Why didn't you tell me?"

Alaric shifts his gaze to Salem and it flashes with something that's gone before she can really register it. "It's not serious yet. Trust me, I'll let you know if there's wedding bells in the future."  He drags his gaze back to Damon, defensiveness filling his features. "What is your problem?"

Damon sighs, put upon. "Your doctor vervained me and then she blood-jacked me." 

Salem snorts a laugh, but there's curiosity in her eyes at the prospect of this evil doctor. "You really know how to pick 'em, Ric." 

"Shut up," He scolds her briefly, turning his attention back to Damon. "When did you even see her?"

"When I went to the hospital, to accuse her of killing her ex-boyfriend," Damon says obviously, smirking at the humor on Salem's face. "Which, by the way– very sensitive subject."

"Damon, what the hell are you doing?"

The vampire scoffs, looking at his friend in disbelief. "Why are you mad at me?"

Alaric resists a groan, frustration seeping into his weary muscles. "I told you I'd handle this!"

Damon shakes his head, willingly ignoring Alaric's outrage. "I proved your theory, diagnosed psycho case. You're welcome."

Salem sighs as Damon leaves, turning her swirling gaze of concern and curiosity to her best friend. "You always get the crazy ones, Ric."

He scoffs, wiping a hand down his face. "Says you,"

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Salem rolls her eyes as she stomps down the stairs of the house, her hands clenched into fists at her side as she comes to a stop in front of the downstairs study. "What the hell are you doing down here, Klaus? We just got this room done– shit." 

The hybrid comes to an abrupt stop in the doorway, her eyes going wide at the sight of the suited Original. "This is.... unexpected." 

Her eyes take in the damage around them, the broken coffee table and the books that have been knocked from their shelves. Her eyes land on Klaus, who's got dried blood staining his jawline and an almost frightful look in his eyes.

"Salem?" Elijah looks at her in surprise, his eyes shifting between Klaus and Salem. "What are you doing here?" 

She shifts, pulling at her pajama shirt– which only consisted of one of Klaus's shirts and a pair of shorts from college that she should've probably gotten rid of two years ago. "I, uh," She clears her throat, eyeing Klaus's tense posture. "I live here."

Elijah's eyes widen impossibly more, and he wipes a speck of nonexistent dirt off his chin. "You live here with Niklaus?" 

"Yeah, it's, um," She scratches her head, pushing her hair over her shoulders. "It's a thing, I guess. How are you undaggered? And why are you here?" 

She shifts, regaining her bearings as the shock from Elijah's presence dissipates. "And why is my house destroyed?" She gives Klaus a scolding look that he has the decency to look a little timid at. "It hasn't even been two full weeks and there's already blood on the furniture." 

"Blame my brother," Klaus sniffed, turning his nose upwards at Elijah. "He came in here and knocked things over–"

"You daggered me after promising to reunite me with our siblings!"

"Technically, you were reunited with them!" Klaus shoots back, unperturbed at Elijah's incredulity. "You were all daggered together. And then Rebekah, the daft girl, she went and got herself daggered by Elena–"

Elijah furrowed his brows, cutting his brother off. "Elena is alive?"

Salem looks between them, a long sigh leaving her lips that catches their attention. "I'm going to bed,"

"What a wonderful idea, sweetheart. We should go to–"

She slaps his outstretched hand away, stepping away from the brothers. "No," She points to both of them, irritation seeping into her tone. "You two are going to fix the mess you made, and on top of that, you're still not sleeping with me."  

Klaus looks at her in disbelief and Elijah hides a laugh behind his hand, immediately earning a glare from Salem which silenced him. "If you two are going to argue, take it outside. Anywhere but the house I've spent weeks making perfect."

Klaus heaves a sigh, watching as she turns on her heel and heads back towards the stairs.

"Goodnight, Klaus!"

He rolls his eyes fondly, but exasperatedly, unaware of the curious look that Elijah gives him at the look that crosses his brother's face. "Goodnight, Salem."

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

"So what, you think your new girlfriend is a psycho killer?" Salem frowns as she listens to Ric talk, concern flooding through her voice.

"That's what it looks like. Elena just left to take the knife back to the police station so she can tell Liz what's going on."

Salem nods to herself, stepping into the closet and skimming through clothes. She takes the phone from her ear and puts it on speaker, setting it on the island of drawers in the middle of the closet.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm staying at Elena's, waiting to hear from her about the knife," Alaric runs a hand through his hair, glancing around the empty Gilbert residence. "What are you doing tonight?"

She sighs to herself as she pulls out a few different shirts for Klaus before deciding on a darker one. "I'm having dinner with Klaus and Elijah." 

"I think Damon mentioned something about that earlier. Supposedly you're making a new deal?"

Salem snorts a humorless laugh. "I'm not making a deal, I'm going to eat and restrain myself from throttling Stefan." 

Alaric chuckles knowingly. "I'm sure it'll be a fun night,"

Salem looks up as Klaus walks into the closet and she silently gestures to where she's laid his clothes out for the night. "I'm hoping Stefan will put aside his bitterness for the night, but I have a feeling that's not going to happen." 

Klaus huffs a silent laugh in agreement, grabbing the clothes and walking them into the bathroom where he starts the shower.

"You're probably right." Alaric heaves a tired sigh, scrubbing a hand down his scruffy face.

"I'll let you know how tonight goes," She leans over her phone where it lays, trailing her eyes from the closet to the open door of the bathroom Klaus is standing in, suddenly shirtless. "Uh,"

"Salem? Are you alright?"

"I'm– I'm fine, Ric, just lost my train of thought. Keep me updated on the crazy girlfriend situation, I have to go–"

"Salem–"

"We'll talk later!" She quickly hangs up, giving Klaus a flushed glare that he smirks at. "What the hell are you doing?"

He shrugs, smirk growing in smugness. "Well, I'm not allowed to sleep in our bed, but that doesn't mean I'm banished from the shower as well, does it?"

She huffs, narrowing her eyes. "I guess not. But I was talking to Ric, and it was actually important–"

"You and I have different concepts of importance."

She throws her head back, rolling her eyes. "Get in the shower before I drown you in it."

"Would you care to join me– ow!" Klaus exclaims, looking at her scandalously. "You threw a shoe at me."

"I'm going to throw a stiletto next if you don't get in the shower right now,"

"Fine, fine! My god, you're violent."

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

"Niklaus, Salem, our guests have arrived."

Salem's heels click as she joins the brothers at the door, her eyes alight with mischief as she takes in Stefan's obvious irritation and Damon's exacerbation from his brother's attitude.

"Damon. Stefan. Elijah tells me you seek an audience. Very bold." Klaus smirks, though it's anything but welcoming. "Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men and women, shall we?"

Salem turns on her heel, leading the four men into the made-up dining room for the evening. She gestures to the cleanly set table, giving the men a look over her shoulder. "It's better to indulge him," 

"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus. In fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told I had to, 'cause you wouldn't hear us out." 

Klaus nods as a sharp look glints in his blue eyes. "Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours,"

Damon gives his brother a sharp look, and Stefan concedes with a barely hidden look of vexation.

A woman comes over and fills their glasses with wine, and Damon quietly thanks the woman with a charming smirk.

Salem cuts into her steak easily, sliding the knife through the meat with precision and steady hands. She plucks a piece of the steak into her mouth, silently relishing in the taste as she immediately goes for more.

Klaus smirks at her knowingly, and turns his attention to Stefan. "You've lost your appetite,"

Damon frowns, looking at his brother. "Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave grumpy Stefan at home." 

"That's the spirit," Klaus feigns an upbeat tone, watching as Stefan's bitterness visibly grows. "Isn't it nice, the five of us dining together? Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?" 

"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier," Damon's voice has a hidden intent to it, and Salem watches with narrowed eyes as the raven-haired vampire gives Elijah a sly wink.

Klaus waves him off, oblivious to the sudden suspicion rising in Salem. "Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century. But we always make it through." 

Stefan nods, a presumptuous look crossing his face. "Kind of like you and Rebekah, right? Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."

Salem lays a hand atop Klaus's when his knuckles clench white around his silverware, and she sends Damon a sharp look that has him straightening his spine and turning to his brother.

"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad? Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert."

"We're here to make a deal, Damon. Doesn't mean we have to kiss his ass for seven courses." 

Damon gives him a fake smile, irritation seeping into his icy eyes. "I'm just saying, we have a long night ahead of us. Pace yourself." 

Elijah sighs, laying his silverware down for a moment. "Stefan. Where is the lovely Elena?"

"I don't know, ask Damon."

Salem huffs a laugh, sharing the expression with Klaus who hides his grin with his hand. Elijah gives them a curious look, making Salem wave her hand at him nonchalantly. "You've missed so much," She leans on her elbows, facing Elijah with a humorous look on her face. "Trouble in paradise, if you can believe it,"

Elijah nods knowingly, catching onto the devilry in her eyes.

"One more word about Elena and this dinner's over," Stefan gestures to the three of them, his hard gaze landing on Klaus and Salem, who simply laugh amongst each other again.

Klaus holds a finger up to his lips, giving Elijah a forcefully scolding look that only makes Elijah hide his own laughter behind his hand.

Damon grimaces at his brother's growing disdain. "You know what, probably just best to keep Elena in the do-not-discuss pile."

"You're probably right," Klaus nods in agreement, his eyebrows knitting together for a moment as Damon agrees.

"It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Shall we tell them about Tatia?" 

Salem's eyebrows raise in curiosity, and she looks in between Elijah's hesitant gaze and Klaus's ever-amused one.

"Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?"

Klaus shrugs Elijah off easily. "Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line."

"Well, we're not going anywhere, Elijah. Please, do tell." Damon takes a sip of his wine, gesturing for Elijah to go on.

"Please, I'd like to hear about this lovely woman." Salem's tone had something sharp and defensive to it, but she folded her hands in her lap and sat back against her chair, raising a defined brow at the Original.

Elijah sighs, relinquishing with a nod. "When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia. She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus."

Klaus hummed, tilting his head slightly. "I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much,"

Stefan smirked, looking between the brothers. "Wait a minute. So you both loved the same girl?"

Elijah nodded. "Our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood we consumed in the wine the night where our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires. Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us, so for a time Niklaus and I grew estranged. Harsh words were traded, we even came to blows, didn't we brother?"

Klaus turned his head slightly in agreement with Elijah's short retelling. "But in the end, we realized the sacred bond of family."

"Family above all,"

The brothers raise their glasses and Klaus echoes sentiment. "Family above all," Their glasses clink together and they drink, and Salem watches the glint shine in Elijah's eyes, disguised by the candlelight surrounding the five of them.

Damon's phone vibrates, and Salem catches a slight glimmer of annoyance shining in his eyes alongside anticipation.

"So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?"

Damon sighs, leaning his elbows onto the table. "That's very simple. Klaus gets his coffins back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, and Elena live happily ever after. No grudges,"

"The deal sounds fair, brother."

Klaus smirks, a hum dying low in his throat. "I don't think you understand. Elena's doppelgänger blood ensures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind."

Klaus stands from his chair, unaware of the flash of Salem's bright eyes that caught the attention of the others at the table quickly.

"Let's say I do leave her here, under your protection, what then? How long before one of you turns her into a vampire? Or worse, how long before she dies caught between your feuding? You see, each one of you truly believes that you're the one that protects her, and that is simply a delusion."

The Original hybrid looks between the brothers, eyes hardened with the prospect of Damon's proposal. "Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is the two of you."

The small, somewhat pitiful smile that twitches on Damon's lips lets them all know that he is well aware of how right Klaus's words are, no matter how much he wants to deny it. "I'm gonna get some air,"

"Let me deal with this," Elijah follows after Damon, giving his brother a scolding look that Klaus purposefully ignores.

"All this talk has made me thirsty," Klaus gestures for a compelled girl to come over, and repoints a smirk at Stefan. "What do you say, Stefan? Can I interest you in an after-dinner drink?"

"Excuse me," Salem pushes herself out of her chair, straightening her dress. She gives Klaus a distant look as she steps out of the room, craving something stronger than the wine she'd been sipping on.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

author's note; sorry for not updating i'm hyperfixating on succession right now

edited and published; 4.27.23.

- liz