Empath ‣ Klaus Mikaelson [1]

Ten

Talia rolled over and grabbed her ringing cell phone, grumbling, "For fuck's sake," as she answered. "Hello?"

"Rose and I are headed to Slater's apartment," Elena informed.

"Good morning to you, too."

"We want information on the moonstone. You up for coming with us to his apartment?"

"Sure, but why is investigating a morning thing? Why can't it be a late-afternoon-before-I-have-to-go-to-work deal?"

"Talia, please. I don't trust Rose."

"I'm a vampire, Elena," said Rose on the other end. "I can hear you and snap your neck if you piss me off enough."

"Please, Tal?"

"Text me the address and I'll be there as soon as I can, but I swear you and your Salvatores owe me and Caroline," Talia grumbled.

"You and Caroline?"

"I trade my precious time and mental stability for you guys and Caroline traded her human life. A $20 bill would just be a decent gesture. Your rich Salvatore boy toys can probably get us the rest."

"Alright. Get ready."

"I've been awake for hours," she lied. "No problem."

"I'll text you the address. Bye."

"Bye, doppelicious."

She shut her phone off and laid her face on her pillow, grumbling about how she wasn't a morning person, then rolled to the side of her bed to sit up. She rolled too far and ended on the floor, the small amount of breath she had knocked out of her lungs.

"Why?" she asked herself. "Why must I be an adult?"

Complaining for a solid five minutes is what Talia did before dressing herself and pouring herself a rather large cup of coffee. She nursed it for a while, prolonging the process, before hopping into her car. It was still a little worse for wear, but it was at least running and would probably stay running.

She then checked her phone and wrote the address on her arm in pen, deciding it was better than looking at her phone while driving. Revving up her car, she was on her way. She was extremely tired and ready to sleep, so it was fortunate the trip was shorter than expected.

"Remember that I owe you nothing but I still come running at your beck and call because, hopefully, I'll get something nice in return," she greeted the doppelganger and the vampire with a bold hairstyle as they entered the apartment complex.

"And I'll give you a $20 bill when we get back," Elena bribed. "Right now, we have a plan."

Rose approached the double doors first, knocking on the wood. "Slater?" She shouted. "Slater, it's Rose. Open up." She sighed. "He's not home. Sorry."

"Mm-mm," Elena hummed in disagreement. "No. We didn't come all the way out here for nothing."

"Where would he even go in broad daylight?" Talia pressed. "Try again."

Rose then opened the doors and spread an arm out in sarcastic welcome as she told the humans, "After you."

The three entered the threshold and noticed how dark it seemed inside.

"Slater?" Rose called before treading into the home further, rounding a corner and sighing as she said, "I don't think he's going to be much help."

Elena and Talia joined Rose only to see Slater's body with a wooden leg of a chair stuck in his heart.

After a moment, Rose began to drag Slater's body away and Elena searches through his things, Talia wondering about and noticing his awful choice in decor, not that her apartment looked any better.