Midnight Rising

Storytimes Over

"Where's Rebekah," Gloria all but demands as we enter the bar. The three of us get disapproving glances as we sink into stools.

Klaus lifts a hand, silencing any further questions. After waiting around for Rebekah to reanimate, Klaus is in one of his moods. If only the whole world could move at his time, maybe it'd be a better place. "She'll be here. I can't conjure her on demand." The vampire shoots a look at Stefan who sulks on his stool, forehead resting on the bar top. "What's with you? I thought Chicago was your playground."

"So this is why you asked me to be your wingman?" Stefan rolls his head lazily to the side, cheek squished as he talks, "Because you like the way I torture innocent people?"

Ugh. I'm so tired of moping and the back and forth. If there's a point to this Klaus needs to get to it. All this toying with Stefan's memories is bullshit.

"Well, that's certainly half of it."

Stefan lets out a long sigh, lifting his head from the bar to take a sip of the beer sitting in front of him, "What's the other half?"

"The other half, Stefan—" Klaus reaches over the bar, grabbing three shot glasses. He screws the lid off a bottle of Jack, pouring some into each glass "—is that you used to want to be my wingman." Klaus slides the shot glass down the bar to Stefan.

1922

"They're jealous. Your family wants you dead because they can never be what you are," Stefan explains to Klaus, shaking his glass around as he talks with his hands.

"What?" Klaus scoffs, "An abomination?"

Stefan sets his glass down, clapping his hands on Klaus' shoulders, "No, a king."

"Don't buy into this mopey façade, Stefan," I lounge against the man's arm, running my nails through the hair at the nape of his neck. "He's just trying to get you to stroke his enlarged ego."

Klaus chuckles, tapping his finger to the tip of my nose, "You'd know all about enlarged egos, wouldn't you, Diana? Yours is big enough to fill up ten rooms this size or larger."

"Well," I give the vampire a nonchalant shrug, glancing around at the group of people that seems to constantly surround us. "At least I've earned mine."

Klaus lifts his glass, giving me a nod of the chin, "No one likes a woman who's full of themselves."

"No one but Stefan Salvatore," I beam up at the vampire, crinkling my nose as he plants a kiss on my forehead, pulling me closer to his side.

"Ah yes, well, he is a different breed, isn't he?"

Rolling my eyes, I pluck the glass from Klaus' hand, finishing it before handing it back, "Now you're stroking his ego."

"Which I appreciate very much," Stefan replaces Klaus' now empty glass with his own. "You're a good friend, Nik. I'm glad I met you."

Patting my fingertips against my lips, I fake a yawn. These two would stand here all day and swap compliments if I let them. "If you two are done flirting, Stefan—" I hold out my hand, wiggling my fingers as I wait for him to take it "—come dance with me."

"To friendship," Klaus lifts his shot glass; Stefan and I following suit. Klaus appreciates the feeling of being close to people. It's his worst kept secret. Despite killing all his family, the concept of having people close is something he loves.

Letting out a chuckle, I tap my glass to Klaus and Stefan's before downing the liquid inside. My tongue and throat burn, a reminder I'm still here, still alive, still fighting. "Friendship."