𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 ━━ KLAUS MIKAELSON

13

EMERY RECEIVED A text from Stefan telling her to meet him in Alaric's apartment after he told her that Klaus might be the solution to their problem.

The witch wasted no time in going there where Stefan was waiting for her in front of the door. Once she arrived, they opened the door and stepped inside only to find Katherine still there, sitting on the bed.

"Hello Katherine," upon hearing Stefan's voice, she stood up, looking rather pissed, "two days, I've been waiting. I'm supposed to be free of Klaus' compulsion by now. He's supposed to be dead!"

"We ran into complications," Stefan mumbled earning a frown from the older vampire, "complications?"

"Doesn't really matter," Stefan brushed it off, "I just need to find him. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"No–" she paused, her eyes falling on Emery, "– why, hello there."

"Hi," Enery mumbled as Katherine smiled at her. The witch couldn't tell whether it was fake or not as she spoke, "you know, he asked questions about you."

"What?"

"Klaus," Katherine specified, "he asked me about you. If I did not know any better, I'd say he's into you."

"Jokes aside, Katherine," Stefan rolled his eyes while Emery widened hers, trying to ignore the vampire's words. "Where is he?"

As if on cue, Katherine vamp-sped towards Stefan and pushed him against the wall just as Klaus walked through the door with Elijah.

"Klaus," Katherine began, letting go of Stefan to look at him, "you're back. Look who decided to come for a visit."

Klaus looked at Stefan, "you just keep popping up, don't you—" he cut himself off when his eyes fell on Emery who was standing a few feet away from them and a smile automatically reached his lips, "— oh. Hello there."

Emery ignored him, flickering her eyes to Elijah who gave her a small smile with a look that she could not quite decipher in his eyes.

"I need your help," Stefan began, drawing Klaus's attention back to him, "for my brother."

"Well, whatever it is, it's gonna have to wait a tick. You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention." Klaus replied which made Elijah look at Stefan, "you understand how important family is, or you wouldn't be here. My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own."

"And so I shall," with that, Klaus stabbed Elijah with a dagger and a small gasp left Emery at the sight. "What was that for?"

"I fulfilled my promise." Klaus shrugged, letting go of Elijah's body that was now grey before he turned to Stefan, vamp-speeding towards him then pushed him against the wall, "now, what am I gonna do with you?"

Klaus pushed a stake through Stefan who groaned and struggled in his hold, "do you feel that? It's scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement and you're dead."

"Stop–" Emery's voice made Klaus clench his jaw, pausing his action momentarily as he turned to look at her. "He's just trying to help."

"The witches said you had a cure–" Stefan spoke up, "make me a deal. Just give me the cure, and I'll do whatever you want."

Klaus then removed the stake, allowing Stefan to fall on the floor. He walked over to the counter and poured himself a glass of blood. "Trouble is I don't know if you'd be any good to me the way you are now. You are just shy of useless."

With the glass in his hands, he bent down to speak to Stefan who was still on the floor, "I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades. When he was off, he was magnificent. 1917, he went into Monterrey and wiped out an entire migrant village— A true ripper. Sound familiar?"

"I haven't been that way in a very long time."

"Well, that's the vampire I can make a deal with," Klaus stood up, "that is the kind of talent that I can use when I leave this town." He turned to the other vampire, "Katerina, come here."

Confused, Katherine walked closer. He grabbed her arm and his hybrid face appeared before he lowered his head her arm and bit her.

Katherine's eyes widened as she screamed in panic, shaking her head, "no, no—" she cut herself off when she saw Klaus bit on his own wrist before making her drink his blood.

They all watched as the bite healed. Klaus smirked, glancing at Stefan, "you want your cure? There it is."

"Your blood is the cure," Stefan stated more to himself than anyone. Emery let out a small sigh as she gave herself the permission to go sit on one of the stools near the counter, facing the others.

"Gotta love Mother Nature." Klaus placed a hand on Stefan's shoulders, "now, let's talk, you and I."

"Want a drink?" Katherine asked the witch who nodded in response. The vanpire grabbed a glass and poured her a glass of bourbon, Emery wasn't surprised that Alaric kept those in his place.

She slid the glass over to Emery who wrapped her fingers around it and brought it to her lips, taking a small sip as she stared at Katherine, "is there any reason why you've always been nice to me?"

"You're a Grant witch—" Katherine shrugged, glancing at Klaus who was busy talking to Stefan and not paying attention to their conversation, "I knew your ancestors. They've always helped me when I needed. I never got the chance to repay them but– here you are."

Klaus began squeezing a knife blade tightly making blood fall from his hand into a vial, grabbing both Emery's and Katherine's attention while Stefan was already looking at him.

"There it is," Klaus held the vial in between his fingers, "you want to save your brother? How about a decade–long bender? And I have big plans for you when we leave this town."

"I'm not like that anymore." Stefan mumbled, shaking his head as Klaus sigh dramatically, walking over towards the sink, "well, that's too bad. You would have made a hell of a wingman." He then started to empty the vial but Stefan was quick to speak up, "wait!"

Klaus stopped pouring the blood and turned to look at him with a smirk, "now that's more like it. I want you to join me for a drink." He threw him a blood bag along the counter and Stefan hesitantly took it. Klaus watched while drinking his glass of blood as Stefan took a sip from the bag, his face scrunching up at the taste.

"Finish it. All of it. You do everything I say, and I save your brother. That's the deal," Klaus said to Stefan who drank it all before he threw him another blood bag, "again."

The hybrid then looked at Emery who had her eyes fixed on Stefan and he smirked, "now while he's busy, let's talk about you."

"Me?" Emery frowned, "what could you possibly want from me?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "like I said, you're a witch and you could be useful for my little trip."

"Klaus, no–" Stefan was cut off by him, "— less talking, more drinking." Stefan opened his mouth to say something but after receiving a look from Emery, he decided against it, leaving her to it.