chapter 14

Show you the harder the battle
The harder I fight
I've come too far to quit
Step back I'm goin' in

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Klaus in Alaric's body forcefully opened the teacher's closet, pulling out two shirts, wincing at the sight of them. "Oh." He grimaced. "Who is this guy, Safari Sam?" He scoffed, flashing his eyebrows up and down in distaste. "Okay, bad or badder?" He asked, placing both shirts over his body. That is, to the historian's body.

"Dark colors suit you better." Katherine replied with reluctance, absolutely not amused by her oppressor's antics. Her voice lacking the usual self-confidence and cockiness. 

"Oh, thank you, honey." He replied in a mocking tone, to which the younger vampire only rolled her eyes. Discreetly, of course. Katherine had a survival instinct like few others, she knew when not to add oil to the fire. 

"Okay, pop quiz. The dagger and white ash are in the Salvatore's possession, correct?" He asked, putting on the shirt chosen by his prisoner.

"The dagger was used to kill Elijah." She quickly replied, her sharp eyes scanning his every move. "You'll find him in the basement of the Salvatore house." She added much more quietly, sighing in the meantime.

"Okay, that dagger needs to stay right where it is." Klaus responded, buttoning up the dark shirt. "The last thing I need to do is resurrect Elijah." He snorted, rolling his eyes. Teacher's eyes? "That guy is such a buzz kill." He murmured, the first thought coming through the almost-hybrid's head was how Elijah forbade him to slaughter their servant's village, who gave his favourite horse the wrong feed. Can you believe it? Buttercup could have died! Well, maybe not, but punishment was due.

Klaus stuffed the fodder down his throat and enclosed a rat in a metal bucket, which he tied to his stomach. 

Why medieval torture had gone out of fashion, Klaus had no idea. 

And he would like to point out that it was Rebekah who chose the name, not him. 

"Don't forget you're on the outs with your girlfriend, Jenna." Katherine's voice snapped him out of his musings.

Klaus sighed deeply. "Right. Elena's aunt, for, uh, all the lies about Isobel." He replied, as if he was actually on some kind of quiz show, his finger pointing at the vampire. "What else?"

Katherine sighed deeply, her chocolate eyes focused on the floor instead of him. If she were human, her mouth would've been bleeding long ago, because of how hard she was biting it.

"Katerina." He drawled, raising his eyebrows in anticipation. "What else?" He echoed himself, taking few predatory steps towards the scared vampire.

"They were trying to see if the Bennet witch could find a way to kill an Original without a dagger." She replied without looking at him. She figured that lying and withholding answers didn't make much sense when she didn't have vervain in her system. If Klaus hasn't killed Isobel yet, that will be her number one task when she finally gets out of there. If she gets out of there.

The corners of Klaus' lips jumped up. Good girl. "Bonnie, the best friend?" He asked, narrowing his eyes a little. "I thought you said she doesn't have her powers anymore." He crossed his arms over his chest, eyes piercing hers.

"She doesn't. Or didn't. I-I don't know." The vampire stuttered under his hard gaze. Klaus looked at her, amusement dancing in his ancient eyes. "You kidnapped me, remember? I'm kinda out of the loop." She added, mustering a fake smile.

"Well, we'll have to get to the bottom of that." He said, looking in the distance in thought. "What else?" He continued his questioning, looking down at her.

Katherine avoided his gaze again, digging her sharp nails into her palm. "That's it." She said quietly, a certain blonde woman in her mind.

Klaus took another dangerous step toward the vampire, reaching out his hand and running it through her hair. Katherine flinched, closing her eyes in fear.

"Oh, so jumpy." He murmured, a small sadistic smirk on his lips. He lowered himself to her eye level, piercing her with his sharp eyes. His hand slipped from her hair, and his fingers gripped her chin tightly, forcing her to look at him. "What else, Katerina?" He asked, his pupils dilated, unleashing the power of compulsion.

Katherine felt her body lose control, and her eyes could not tear away from his. She did not miss that. "Jade Forbes, older sister of the vampire I turned for you." She breathed, her eyes locked with his. Klaus furrowed his eyebrows, not expecting her hiding that. Katherine cursed herself in her mind, and added. "You always train on Fridays. In a few hours she'll be banging on your door." She finished, relaxing when he turned his gaze away from her. "Well, on Alaric's door." She added, rubbing her hand on her forehead. 

Jade's gonna be pissed.

Or Jade's gonna be dead.

She didn't know which was worse.

Klaus looked at her with curious eyes, tilting his head when he saw her body language. "Huh." He muttered under his breath. When she turned to him with a raised eyebrow, the Original added. "You care about her. How utterly perplexing."

Katherine's jaw clenched. "She has nothing to do with this." She said through gritted teeth.

Klaus hummed, an amused expression decorating his face. "Maybe she doesn't, maybe she does." He snickered, a cruel smile on his lips that made her shiver. "Let me be the judge of that, alright, sweetheart?"

Katherine turned her eyes away from his again. Her face showing fear for herself and for Jade. Their whole plan just went to hell. "Please, just kill me. I've told you everything that I know." She pleaded.

"And show you kindness?" Klaus breathed. "Katerina, dear." He murmured patronizingly, lowering his body to the vampire. "I've been following you for 500 years. My breath, constantly on your neck for five centuries." His blank face transformed into a malicious smile, that sent a shiver down Katherine's spine. "Don't you think it will be quite poetic that your death will last at least half of that?" The almost-hybrid murmured, his voice half a whisper, breath fanning over her face.

"Well, and if I'm being honest, I wasn't looking for you that much." He said, sighing and caressing her face. Katherine's eyes widened in a flash at his words. "But I really enjoyed having my people come back to me with the fact that you don't stay in one place for more than a few days. Truly amusing, love. Like my own, personal telenovela." He barked a menacing laugh, eyeing the tear that was rolling down her face with triumph and wiping it off for her.

Katherine averted her defeated eyes, focusing them back to the floor. "Now, I want you to take this knife." He trailed off, pulling a knife from his pocket and presenting it to her. "And stab yourself." A small, completely wicked smile started to form on his face. 

The vampire's eyes momentarily shot up to his, lingering for a second. She brought one of her trembling hands to the knife, grabbing it. Taking a deep breath and fixing her eyes ahead, she stabbed her thigh, a small noise of pain escaping her lips. She didn't scream, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "Now take it out." He said calmly, as if he was talking about pulling a tea bag out of a mug. 

Katherine did as she was told, her fingers tightening on the handle of the knife and in one swift motion, she pulled the blade from her leg. Klaus smiled. "Now, while I'm gone, I want you to do that over and over and over again." He taunted, his smile menacing. "And if you'll get bored, switch legs." He said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

Katherine let out a large breath, her hand pressing the wound that would soon close by itself. "Where are you going?" 

Klaus huffed with a smile, resting his hands on the sides of her seat, his face right into hers. "I'm gonna go and lay eyes on my doppelgänger." Katherine angled her face, avoiding any contact with him. Or the teacher? Nevermind, they were both gross. Klaus' smile only grew wider, seeing her reaction. "And that precious, only friend of yours, of course." He added, and Katherine's eyes immediately connected with his in a frightened gesture. "Oh, don't look so glum, Katerina." He cooed, caressing the side of her face with his thumb. "The fun's only beginning." He added with a smirk, that looked absolutely disturbing on the teacher's face. 

He pushed back from her chair, finally giving her space. He began to head toward the exit, Katherine's slightly watery eyes never leaving the back of his head. "Again!" He exclaimed, without bothering to turn around. 

The sound of the slamming door was mixed with a loud grunt of pain.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"What the fuck━!" Jade's voice echoed through almost the entire Salvatore household. "Is so important that I couldn't finish packing?!" She shouted, walking furiously to the group in the living room, the sound of her burgundy patformed heels bouncing off the walls.

"You're late." Damon chirped, smirking down at her, to which she only frowned. The audacity.

"I don't give a single fuck!" She threw her hands up, passing a slightly bewildered Alaric and throwing herself onto the couch where her sister was sitting. "What's the matter?" She asked into the air, her hand instinctively searching for the pack of cigarettes in her pocket.

"Klaus made his first move." Stefan spoke up, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jade's eyes shot to his in a flash, pained expression on her face. "Noo!" She whined, throwing her head back on the couch. "Why, oh, why do the universe hate me so much?" She exasperated, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, as if she was talking to God himself.

"I'm sorry, did he get in the way of your plans?" Damon asked mockingly, his face contorted in a grimace.

"As a matter of fact, yes, he did." She scoffed, pulling out one of her Marlboros and placing it in her mouth. "I was supposed to devour a freshly made gumbo in a few hours." She grumbled, the cigarette dangling from her mouth as she talked. "Oh, Cami will be piiissed." She drawled as she lit it up, a disguisted expression crossing her sister's face, her hands swatting the smoke away. 

"Cami?" Damon echoed, turning to a very confused Alaric, who just shrugged his shoulders. As soon as the vampire tore his gaze away from the teacher, Klaus bore his eyes into the blonde, scanning her from top to bottom. So that was Katerina's friend?

One thing was certain, she was absolutely beautiful. 

And very loud.

"Klaus. Made his first move. How?" The woman went straight to the point, crossing her legs and driving her inquisitive gaze into the Salvatore brothers. 

"He compelled someone at school." Stefan answered, flashing his eyebrows up and down. Jade raised her own, taking a drag of her cigarette and exhaling it upwards. "Asked our dear Elena do save him a last dance." Damon added as he poured himself a glass of bourbon, at the same time looking at the doppelgänger with his usual half smirk, to which she only rolled her eyes.

"Aw, that's so cute!" Jade cooed, flickering the ash to a nearby ashtray. When she raised her gaze, she saw that everyone was looking at her with a look that lacked any amusement. 

"Sorry." She muttered, widening her eyes for a quick second. "There's another dance at that damned school?" She turned to her sister, who just gave her a nod. "Where do they get the money..." Jade murmured to herself, taking another drag.

"Yes, and our Ric here must put us as chaperones." Damon said, ignoring her last remark and clasping his hands together, head twisting in the teacher's direction.

"Ha!" Jade's amused voice stopped Klaus from the possibility of any response, making him snap his gaze towards her. "No chance in hell that my foot will stand among those pimply brats." She grumbled. "No offense." She said with a smile, eyeing said brats in the room. Caroline just slapped her thigh in response, to which Jade snorted with a smirk on her face. "Tell Klaus that he owes me money for the plane ticket." She falsely chirped, waving her hand in Alaric and Damon's direction.

"Your precious sister will be there." Damon crooned, taking a sip from his glass, and Jade let out a pained groan.

"Do you have to?" She questioned the blonde beside her, her lips formed in a pleading pout.

"Guess." Caroline said, arching one of her eyebrows.

"Ugh, fine." Jade grumbled, laying down on the couch, putting her legs on her sister's lap. "Maybe I'll spike the punch." She said mockingly, faking a gasp. 

"Okay." Elena's voice brought everyone back to reality. "So, we find him. Then what, hm? What's our plan of attack?"

"Me." Bonnie immediately responded, bringing all eyes to herself. "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you find him, I can kill him." 

Klaus tilted his head in surprise, discreetly eyeing the young witch. 

Oh, sweetheart. Pride is a very deadly sin.

"I know that you have imbibed about a hundred dead hags, but..." Jade trailed off, kissing her teeth. "Isn't he a thousand-year-old freaky vampire king? Is it just me, or does that sounds too fucking easy?" She eyed the group sceptically, gesturing with the hand that held the cigarette gracefully, one of her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah." Klaus said, looking pointingly at Jade. "He's supposed to be the biggest, baddest vampire around." He pointed out with an amused huff, his eyes flicking over everyone in the group.

"They have a point." Damon agreed with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, what if he━" He didn't finish, as he dashed toward the witch in surprise, using his vampire speed.

However, Bonnie didn't even let him get close, raising one of her hands and throwing him to the other end of the room with a powerful magical force.

Jade widened her eyes, following the vampire's trajectory with her eyes.

"Well, I was impressed." Stefan admitted, looking at Bonnie with raised eyebrows, his mouth twisted.

"Nice, Bon." Jade murmured, copying Stefan's expression and looking at bewildered Damon on the floor. Then, she relaxed and leaned her head back on the backrest of the couch, taking another puff from her cigarette and watching the scheming teenagers. Her eyes lingered on Alaric, looking at him in puzzlement. 

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original, I can take down anyone who comes at me." Bonnie mused, as she walked up to her best friends. "Elena, Care... I can kill him. I know I can." She said in a low voice, a warm smile spreading on her lips. The two girls look between themselves, also smiling slightly.

Jade didn't really listen to them, her eyes were focused on her teacher, watching his every move. Klaus felt her eyes on him, but didn't look at her, guessing that the teacher wouldn't be as perceptive. 

"Is it just me, or Ric's looking kinda hot today?" Jade asked in the distance, her head cocking to the side in thought. When she didn't hear any answers, she unglued her eyes from the historian and realized that everyone is staring at her with sour expressions. 

Klaus raised an eyebrow, imitating Alaric's small smile on his face. Well, maybe it was a little bit real, but he wouldn't admit that. 

She shrugged, taking a final drag of the cigarette and putting it out in the ashtray. "Just me? Alrighty then..." She trailed off, getting up from the leather couch. "Well, I'm off." She said, already walking to the front door of the house. She stopped midway, and turned her head around. "What's the decade?"

"60's. I already picked out your outfit." Caroline answered, and Jade nodded with a pout.

"Groovy." She flashed her eyebrows up and down, making peace signs with her hands, to which the blonde rolled her eyes. She resumed her stride with an amused smile, stopping again when she was about to pass the teacher. "And you better be ready in an hour." She said with a mocking threatning tone, pointing her manicured finger in his face. 

Klaus looked down at the fiery woman and nodded, amusement dancing in his ancient eyes. "Wouldn't dare otherwise." He said with a small, maybe too-Klaus-like smirk, to which she playfully narrowed her eyes and nodded, completely unaware she wasn't talking to her friend.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade slammed the door to her childhood bedroom, tying her hair into a ponytail. Her attention was caught by an outfit spread on her bed, and the woman snorted to herself with amusement. Walking over to the bed, she grabbed her old dress, which she bought when she attended the dacade dance herself, couple of years ago. It was a latex loose mini dress with a chunky checkerboard print, no sleeves and a small turtleneck. Next to the bed stood a pair of black vintage-style go-go boots.

"Not bad, Carrie." She mumbled to herself, putting the dress back down on the bed. Well, she did buy it herself, but she nonetheless thanked Caroline in her mind for looking for it, she wouldn't have bothered.

Pulling a pair of black sweatpants from her closet and a black sports bra, she sat on the bed, slowly changing clothes, her head spinning with thoughts.

She had already called Cami, trying to explain to her in some sensible way that her coming home wouldn't happen after all.

Let me tell you, her reaction wasn't pretty. 

Jade wasn't either, like, what the hell!  As she said, there wasn't a moment of peace here. Klaus was already in town, or his minions━Jade had no idea━and she just knew it wouldn't end well. Oh, and it was quite the coincidence that the moment Katherine disappeared without a trace, Klaus made himself known in town.

Coincidence, indeed.

Jade must've now have eyes and ears around her head, even more than before. It was no longer a joke, Klaus was breathing down their necks, meaning that the clock counting down to the ritual was ticking louder and louder.

Meaning, she needed to wake up her undead friend. 

Maybe during that cursed dance, if Klaus doesn't show up after all? Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. The Salvatores will be too focused ogling the Gilbert girl, and Jade will quickly swing by and steal the corpse from their basement.

She didn't expect that such a thought would ever cross her mind.

The sound of her phone interrupted the packing of her workout bag. She furrowed her eyebrows and picked it up from the bed, raising her eyebrows at the sight of the caller's ID.

"Well, well, well." She began, her voice dripping with a mocking tone. "Isn't that the lying bastard of New Orleans."

"First of all, hello to you too." Marcel sighed from the other end of the line. "Second of all, I'm standing here, waiting for you at the airport. Where the hell are you?" He asked in frustration, the sound of people rumbling around him could be heard.

"Did I forgot to tell that you I'm not coming? Oops." She replied with fake concern, pouting her lips. Then, she remembered that Gerard couldn't see her anyway.

Did she really forget? No, but it was the least she could do to get back at him.

"What? Why? What's going on?" The man inquired, real concern lacing his words. 

"Do you really care, or is it just an another lie?" She taunted while looking into the distance with a cold smile on her face.

"Of course I care. Among other things, that's why I kept it from you." He tried to soothe her anger.

"Na-ah." She sang, waving her finger at nothingness. "I've heard it all before, and I doubt you want to annoy me now." She said as she clenched her jaw.

"I thought we'd sort it all out when you would get here. What happened?"

Jade sighed, sitting down on her bed and rubbing her face with her palm in evaporation. "Nothing, Marcel. There's nothing you can do about it." She mumbled in a defeated tone.

"Try me." 

"Ugh, you're so annoying." She grumbled, mostly to herself, her eyes shooting upwards. "Does the name Klaus tell you anything?" She asked monotonously, as if she already knew the answer.

The silence stretched for so long that Jade thought Marcel had hung up on her.

"Marcel?" She called out, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Did you just say Klaus?" He echoed, his tone much lower and serious than before. 

"Don't even fucking tell me that you know him." She spat, letting out a shuddered breath full of frustration, her eyes closing. 

A beat of silence. "I wish I could." He said quietly. "Is he after you? What's going on?"

"Just so you know, I'm so pissed at you right now." She sneered, glowering at the floor. "And no. Not me. My sister, he wants to sacrifice her in his freaky ritual."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

"You need to be really careful, Jade. That guy's a menace, and the ritual was his obsession for almost an entire millennium." Marcel informed her, his tone absolutely serious, lacking any kind of amusement. "He'll be extra cautious, so if you don't act wisely, he will kill not only Caroline, but also you and your whole damn family. Believe me, I know what I'm saying."

Jade let out a large breath, running her hand through her face. Then, she snapped her gaze upwards, one of her eyebrows arched in suspicion. "How do you know so much about him, huh?"

"It's hard to not to hear about him, when you're part of the supernatural world." He said with a sigh.

Jade fixed her gaze on the floor again, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "How old are you, Marcel?"

A few, long second of silence passed. "...I turned 200 this year."

Jade's eyebrows disappeared under her bangs. "Well." She scoffed, slightly stunned. "Happy fucking birthday."

"J, I'm sorry." Marcel said in a lower tone, his voice filled with sincerity.

Jade snorted, shaking her head a little. "I can't count how many times I've heard this recently." She mumbled, rubbing her hand through her face and looking at the clock on her nightstand. "I need to go. Training."

"Don't kill the guy." 

"You pissed me off, so I'm not promising anything."

"I'm really sorry, J." Marcel breathed, a small sigh escaping his lips. When Jade didn't respond, he added. "And if they're trying to kill Klaus... let me just tell you, they won't succeed. Many tried over those thousand years and failed." 

"Thanks for those inspiring words." She quipped.

"I'm just telling you the truth. Just━" Another sigh. "Just take Caroline and come to NOLA with her. I'll protect you here."

"I'll... think about it." It was now Jade's turn to sigh. "I need to try my own plan first."

"And what is it?" He asked, his tone a little sceptical.

"If I live through it, I'll tell you." She huffed, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Bye, baldie. Ass beating awaits."

"Take care, kiddo. Don't die." A smile could be heard in his words.

"I'll try." 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Open up, you lazy drunk!" Jade shouted, her fist pounding on the door of the teacher's apartment. Klaus rolled his eyes on the other side and approached his trapped vampire, quietly compelling her not to move or utter any sound. Katherine, unable to answer, only threw him a look full of hatred, to which he smirked in satisfaction.

As he approached the door, he took a deep breath, preparing himself for the exhausting encounter. "You're late." He stated as he swung the door open, covering the open space with his body, keeping Jade from looking inside. 

Jade raised one of her eyebrows, her body leaning against the doorframe. "And this is relevant to this conversation because...?" She trailed off, slightly shaking her head in anticipation.

"Let me just grab my bag." Klaus muttered as he leaned slightly to the side. Jade snorted with amusement and took a step forward, trying to enter the apartament.

Although, Klaus quickly straightened up, preventing her from entering. "What?" She barked, her face scrunching in confusion. After a quick second, she widened her eyes and tried to peak behind his shoulder. "Don't tell me you have a lady in there." She muttered with a slight shock on her face. When he arched his eyebrow, she slapped him on his shoulder. "Saltzman, you wild dog! Is that why you were out of reach yesterday? Oh, my God, I've been actually worried about you!" She slapped him some more. Then, she gasped and lowered her voice. "What about Jenna?"

Klaus rolled his eyes, mimicking the teacher's mannerisms. "No ladies. Just, uh, a giant mess." He said with a hint of a smile, a small sigh escaping his lips. 

"You're a giant mess." She grumbled, looking up at him and crossing her arms.

"I'm not denying that." Klaus replied with a slight tilt of his head and stepped out of the teacher's apartament, closing the door behind him and locking it. 

Jade snorted and spun on her heel, heading for the elevator. "Let's just go, I'm pissed and I need to kick something." She huffed with annoyance. After a second, she twisted her head in his direction. "Or someone." She added cheekily and Klaus gave her a curious look.

"What happened?" He asked once they entered the elevator, pushing the ground floor button. When he lifted his gaze and saw the look on her face, he pursed his lips with a nod. "Right."

"Seriously, he couldn't wait a fucking day or two? Would sky crash on his head? No." She answered herself, crossing her arms and leaning on the elevator's wall. "But I would be happy and full of New Orleans food."

"New Orleans? Why there?" He asked almost immediately, whipping his head down at the girl, the name of the city triggering something in him. He cursed himself in his mind.

"Because I live there, you dumb fuck." She grumbled with raised eyebrows, but when she saw the slight confusion crossing his face, she tilted her head in her own. "What? I thought I━" She started, looking at him puzzingly. Didn't she tell him? "━Ah, nevermind." She dissmised with a little shake of her head and Klaus exhaled silently in relief. "I was supposed to come and deal with some shit. Supernatural shit, of course, 'cause lately it seems to always be the reason."

"Good choice." Klaus said, smiling down at her. When she shot him a confused look, he elaborated. "New Orleans, I mean. It's a... kick ass city." He almost choked saying those words. Why did people forsake correct speech?  "I'm jealous." He added, huffing a fake laugh.

Jade snorted and started to exit the elevator when they reached the ground floor. "Almost every place on Earth is better than Mystic Falls." She mused, rolling her eyes and heading to her car. "But NOLA is just so... lively, you know? The people, food, culture, music, art..." She trailed off, unlocking her car with a small, nostalgic smile on her face.

Klaus shot his gaze to her, curiously watching her face as she spoke. He didn't expect that this loud and insufferable woman could have anything in common with him, he could agree with her every word about the city, maybe even add a little. That intrigued him a bit. But only a bit, after all, his main purpose of this meeting was to find out if the woman would be a threat.

When she finally started the car and pressed on the gas, she cleared her throat. "So, how's you and Sommers?" She asked casually, crossing the speed limit and putting the cigarette between her lips with her free hand.

Klaus' eyes flicked between the speedometer and her relaxed face. If he had been himself, he would have even laughed, but he had a feeling the teacher would find no amusement in this. He took a deep breath, his hand tightening on the seat belt. "She decided to live on campus now."

"Ouch." She crunched her face, flickering the ash out the window. "As you sow, so shall you reap." She said cheekily, leaning her face to him with a grin. Klaus just pointed at the road and she rolled her eyes, taking a drag of her cigarette. "But in all seriousness, it's for for the better. She'll be far away from Klaus and his stupid ritual." She said in much more serious tone.

"True." Klaus muttered, eyeing the speedometer once again. "I'm just━Can you slow down?" 

"Aw, Riccy. Did I ever crash?" Jade asked with a pout on her lips. When she saw his unamused and slightly scared face, she took her foot of the gas pedal. "Okay, okay." She mumbled with a sigh. "Pussy." She side-eyed him with a smirk. 

Klaus took a large breath, trying to stifle his exasperation. "I just wanted to say that feel like an idiot." He said with false regret in his tone.

"As you should." She said as she put out the cigarette bud in the car ashtray. "Secrets are good, but not when you're hiding the fact that your dead ex-wife isn't so dead and that she is the real mother of your girlfriend's niece." She summarized in a mocking tone. "Oh, and that she's a vamp." She added as she put the car in park, looking at him with a wicked grin. 

"Fair point." Klaus muttered with a sigh and got out of the car. Jade snorted to herself with amusement and slammed her own door, heading to their training spot.

Some time later, they arrived at the place of their training, Klaus walking a little behind Jade to avoid letting her know that he had no idea where they were supposed to go. He let her speak on their little walk, occasionally nodding at her few times. He didn't have a clue what she was talking about, the only words he managed to remember were 'Klaus owes me money,' 'Damon's pain in the ass' and that someone named Snooki looked hot in a bunny costume. 

He wanted to rip out her tongue and feed it to her, but somehow held back.

Jade threw her bag on the ground, pulling off her black hoodie and throwing it into the bag. Klaus looked at her from the corner of his eye, watching her every move like a predator, and when he saw her body without the sweatshirt, he turned his head completely. He raised one of his eyebrows, his head tilting slightly as he scanned her arms and the back with which she was turned to him. They were all covered in tattoos. 

Two huge fern leaves peeked out from behind her athletic top, ending at her neck. At her lower back, the head of a huge snake could be seen, which evidently ended at her covered legs. Yet Klaus' attention was most interested in the wolf skull above her elbow, open as if to attack, its hollow eyes glowing with white ink. She was a sheer horror, and Klaus couldn't stop his thoughts but to compare her to her preppy sister, wondering what must have happened that they were so different.

He tore his gaze away from the girl as she began to turn toward him. 

No matter, he didn't care. Certainly not about humans.

When he returned his gaze to the girl, he saw that she was smiling ominously at him. Yet before he could ask, all he could feel was pain.

With lightning speed, she executed a powerful roundhouse kick that caught Klaus off guard, sending him stumbling backward. Before he could recover, Jade closed the distance between them and threw him to the forest ground by his shirt, her knee pressing against his airways.

Klaus grunted in surprise and looked up at her, a clear astonishment in his eyes. 

"Focus." She muttered, her hard eyes piercing his. Or the teacher's. Who knows. 

Wait a bloody minute, who was training who here? 

Klaus was convinced that the historian/vampire hunter was here to teach survival. 

Huh. Interesting.

In a swift move, Klaus shifted his weight, catching Jade off balance. Tapping slightly in his thousand years of experience, he flipped her over, reversing their positions. Now, it was he who had her pinned to the ground. He smirked at her in triumph, and Jade only rolled her eyes.

"I see you're not hangover anymore." She muttered, flashing her eyebrows up and down. With a quick twist of her body, she managed to break free from Klaus's hold, rolling away and springing back to her feet in one fluid motion. Klaus barked a laugh, slowly raising to a standing position as well. "Hair of the dog." He smirked at her knowingly.

Jade snorted, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face. "I could've guessed." As soon as she uttered those words, she launched herself into the air, aiming a flying kick at the teacher. He caught her foot just in time, but she used his hold to flip backward, landing a solid kick to his side.

Klaus let out a pained groan, grabbing his aching muscle. As he watched Jade confidently move around, he couldn't help but be shocked at her skills. He had initially underestimated her, seeing her as just another powerless human, but now he realized there was so much more to her than he had assumed. Not bad. Too bad he couldn't show her how it was really done.

Well, he couldn't show her now.

Klaus lunged forward, striking at Jade with his fists. She easily dodged his attack, spinning around and using his momentum to her advantage. She grabbed his wrists and twisted her body, using her weight to throw him against a nearby tree. Klaus grunted in pain as he hit the trunk, and before he could react, Jade had him in a headlock. She tightened her grip, squeezing his neck until he winced in pain. His face was red, and he was struggling to break free from Jade's hold. With a smirk on her face, Jade released him, pushing him away with a shove. Klaus stumbled backwards, glaring at Jade in disbelief. He had underestimated her yet again.

"C'mon, Saltzman! I'm bored over here." She exclaimed, faking a yawn. When she saw his determined face, she braced herself for his attack, a cocky smirk creeping on her face. As Jade focused intently on Alaric's movements, trying to anticipate his next move, she studied his feet and body language, looking for any hint of his intentions. Jade smiled to herself, already knowing his next move, Alaric was right-handed, his attacks were always with the━

In a split second, Klaus shifted his weight, feigning a move to the right before pivoting to the left. Jade, caught off guard by the unexpected change, left herself momentarily exposed. Before she could react, Klaus landed a powerful punch directly into her stomach.

Jade grunted, the impact knocking the wind out of her lungs. What the fuck? She stumbled backward, clutching her abdomen, trying to regain her breath. "Oh, you asshole." She uttered, grabbing her pulsing abdomen, or rather the forming scar from the werewolves.

Klaus took a deep breath and put on the most remorseful face he could feign. He approached her, his sorrowful eyes trying to convince her of his sincerity. "Oh, shit. Sorry, Jade." 

Once again, Klaus wanted tohurl at the forced choice of words. 

"No, it's good. You're getting good. I just... didn't expect that." She said, huffing a laugh. 

What the hell? That wasn't his fighting style. And certainly not hers. Did he watch a YouTube tutorial?

Klaus looked at her abdomen and at her arms, his ancient eyes noticing the multitude of scars hidden under the ink. He furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed that she had them almost all over her body. "Where did they come from?" He asked softly, reaching out to her right arm. 

She quickly moved her hand away from his touch, as if it was burning. She arched her eyebrow. "From 'none of your business' land, Riccy." She said firmly, absolutely not amused, her eyes slightly narrowed. He just pursed his lips and nodded, his palms raised in a defensive gesture.  

Jade snorted, tilting her head slightly back, blowing away the hair strands that got into her eyes. Her narrowed into slits, eyes. 

What the fuck was with Ric today? They have trained dozens of times, and only now has he noticed her scars? 

Was something up? Or was she paranoid?

"Hey..." Jade began, putting on a forced smile. "We've still got some time before that dumb dance, wanna drop by the Grill for a drink?" She asked casually.

No, of course she had no ulterior motive, why would you think that?

Klaus lingered his gaze on the girl, somewhat curious about her secretiveness. Also about her sudden change of behaviour. He flashed his eyebrows up and down, a small smile forming on his lips. "Like you had to ask." 

Jade shot him a wicked smile, that dropped instantly when he turned around. 

Klaus' disappeared, too.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade sat next to the history teacher, hey eyes focused on the alcohol behind the bartender. Klaus watched her from the angle of his gaze, curious about her behavior. Could it be that she had seen through him? Should he wring her neck now, or only after they left the foul smelling place?

"Okay! Knob Creek or WL Weller?" She asked, looking up at him with a mischivious smirk on her lips. 

That was a test if he ever seen one. 

Klaus quickly calculated the value of the liquor, Knob Creek being the cheaper alcohol. Not cheap, but definitely cheaper than WL Weller. As we are talking about a high school teacher and... who the bloody hell knows who, the answer was simple.

"Please." He muttered, giving her a deadpanned look. "A double Knob for me." He told her as if it was the only right answer. Jade looked at him with a slight suspicion in her stormy eyes, but nodded nonetheless. As she turned to the bartender to order their drinks, Klaus burnt a hole in the side of her face, smirking inwardly in triumph. 

It was a smart move, love. But he was smarter.

Jade sighed when she finished ordering, resting her head on her hand, her elbow bent on the bar top. Maybe she was wrong, and nothing was happening to Ric. He chose the right drink, but she couldn't stop thinking about his strange body language, his odd demeanor, as if something possessed him today.  

"You okay?" Klaus asked with false concern, placing his hand on her shoulder. She instantly tensed up, and he furrowed his eyebrows, taking it back. 

See? That's what she was talking about! What the fuck was he doing? He never did something like that.

She was getting paranoid again.

Or was she?

She was having a whiplash.

Jade sighed again and rubbed her hand on her forehead. "No." She muttered, chuckling humorlessly. "I'm fucking far from being okay." 

Klaus pursed his lips and took a small sip from his drink, swallowing the disguist that threatened to cross his face. It was a straight-up piss, how could anyone drink that? "We have Bonnie, Caroline will be okay. Don't worry." He tried to reassure her, blinking away an eyeroll.

Jade snorted, also taking a gulp from her glass. "Yeah." She mumbled, kissing her teeth. "Why doesn't this feel comforting to me?" She asked without wanting an answer. "Someone's gonna die at that fucking dance, mark my words." 

"Nobody's dying. You and I will make sure of that." He said, mustering his best acting skills. 

"You know what... astonishes me the most? To not use the word saddens, God forbid." She snorted into her glass, an amused smirk on her lips. "I understand, as if it was all between us. Adults, I mean. But they're just fucking kids... it pisses me off." 

"I know you are worried about them... But they'll be fine. It's probably just a ploy, Klaus wants to play with our fears." He said, looking at her with a small, compassionate, Alaric-style smile. 

"Yeah, you're right..." She trailed off, looking at him, forcing the same smile, but inside she was screaming.

What. The absolute. Fuck. Did he just say that she was afraid for all of them? Did he just meet her? Jade's instincts were ringing loudly, and that wasn't a good sign. 

When she looked deeply into his eyes, chilling goosebumps developed on her arms. No... it wasn't possible, was it?

This would explain his weird attitude and the fact that he acted like a different person.

Or a different fucking vampire. 

"I just feel so sorry for Elena, she's just a young girl. She didn't deserve any of this. Let's hope nothing happens to her and it's all just a ploy, as you said." She said, letting fake tears flow into her eyes. Ultimate test. He would either ask if she was crazy or start comforting her. If it's the latter... May Satan save us all.

He took her hand in his, looking deeply into her eyes. "Jade, listen to me. No one is going to die. Neither Elena nor your sister. No one. We won't let that happen, okay?" He said, circling his thumb on the back of her hand. 

She nodded rapidly, wiping away the tears with her other hand. "Okay." She whispered, exhaling a large breath, smiling sadly at him. "Fuck. I've gotta go. Need to glam myself up." 

He barked a laugh with a nod, eyeing the hand that he was still holding. "See you soon." He said as he let go of her hand, to which she smirked and threw a bill on the counter and turned on her heel, aiming for the exit. 

Klaus smirked to himself, his gaze focused in the back of the girl's head. He snorted as he took a final sip of his drink, thinking of the tattoo on her knuckles. 

"That, you are, love." He mumbled under his breath.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

As the moon hung low, Jade approached the imposing Salvatore mansion with practiced stealth. She had done her homework well, making sure that the brothers were already at school with their precious doppelgänger, thanks to her loving sister. Never one to be too cautious, she surreptitiously looked out the windows of the house and smiled when she saw no living (or not living) soul. 

She entered through the front door, because, of course, for some reason, if you're a vampire, you don't lock the door. With a quick step she found the basement, running downstairs and locating her target for the evening. 

The cell. 

Pulling open the brass dungeon door, the gray body of a powerful vampire appeared to her eyes. She contorted her face as she saw his ashen clothes. They hadn't even covered him with any blankets or anything! Oh, Elijah will be furious.

Approaching the dormant Original, Jade's gaze softened briefly. "Don't worry, 'Lijah. I'm here." She whispered, as she crouched down, brushing away the ash on his face. Then, she pursed her lips, not thinking through how she would transfer him to the car. She sighed, and got on her feet.

"Sorry." She whispered and grabbed him by his leg, pulling it from the cell. Gritting her teeth, she began dragging him up the stairs, his head hitting each step. "Sorry, sorry." She kept mumbeling.

Finally reaching the ground floor, the girl waited a moment to catch her breath, her gaze focused in the dirty body on the ground. She pulled it away and focused it upwards, returning to the Original in a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face. 

She ran quickly to the second floor, her go-go boots the only sound echoing through the Salvatore house. She ran into some room, looking around for a closet. When she saw that the bedroom had a bathtub, she guessed it belonged to Damon, and rolled her eyes as she approached the closet.

Pulling out some kind of black suit, guessing it was Elijah's size, she took it from the rack and ran downstairs. She threw it into the car through the open window and returned to retrieve the Original's body. Once she packed him into her car, she got into the driver seat and slammed the door, her breathing loud and heavy. "I need to hit the gym." She murmured as she started the car, speeding away from the mansion. 

The girl reached her house, quickly getting out of the car. When she opened the back door, she stopped. 

Wait a fucking minute.

He needed a fucking invitation. 

Jade threw her head back and groaned. 

But in a moment, she got an idea. It didn't take much for Elijah to wake up lately, did it? Her mom would be back in six hours, he should wake up by then, right? She tilted her head with a sigh and, in one firm motion, pulled the dagger from his chest, placing it on his stomach. 

Then, she climbed into the passenger seat and opened the glove box, pulling out a notebook and pen from it. She wrote a small note on it and turned around in the seat, slipping it into the pocket of his new suit. "I kept my end of the deal, 'Lijah. Your turn." She murmured as she got out of the car, slamming the door shut.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Klaus was in Alaric's body. 

Her first thought was that he was being compelled, but compelled people don't behave like that. They don't change their behavior, their personality, their way of being. He was... in him. Jade pulled a disguisted face as she strode through the High School's corridor. Once she reached the gym, she pushed the door and widened her eyes at the sight. 

That many people have no life outside of school?

She blinked and shook her head, more important topic's swirling in her head. 

She began scanning the anthill of people with her eyes, looking for her sister and her gang. When she found her favorite blonde head, Jackie O style, she breathed a sigh of relief and started pushing her way through. 

"May I cut in?" She commanded more than asked, her sharp eyes focused on young Donovan. The boy only tightened his lips and nodded, getting lost in the crowd. 

Caroline looked around to see if anyone was paying attention, and then leaned over to her sister. "How's the package?" She asked.

Jade barked a laugh, to which Caroline only gave her a look. She mumbled a quiet 'sorry' and cleared her throat. "Secured, miss Kennedy." She said with a wink, and her sister nodded with a serious face, still looking around. 

Jade's amusement faltered when she saw a glimpse of the historian. "Look. When I don't come back to check in fifteen minutes, call your gang and start looking for me." She said in a low voice, spinning her sister around. 

Caroline scrunched her face in confusion. "What?" 

"I need to test a theory." She mumbled, pursing her lips innocently.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound ominous at all." Caroline grumbled with a deadpanned look. "What's going on?" She questioned, her tone firm and lacking any kind of amusement.

"Nothing, if I'm wrong." She murmured, already looking at the Saltzman man. She took a step back from her sister, her eyes piercing hers with deadly seriousness. "Fifteen minutes, Carrie. Start the clock."

By some miracle, she managed to make her way across the hall to the buffet where the teacher was standing. She smiled mischievously at him when their gazes met. "How do I look?" She spun around, displaying her outfit.

Alaric barked a laugh, looking down at her with amusement. "Groovy." He said as he made a peace sign with his hand. She smirked, puffing up her Pattie Boyd's styled hair. Then, she stole his cup and took a sip from it. She scrunched her face, looking up at him. "Soda, really?" She raised her eyebrows.

"I'm a teacher, Jade." He reminded her, tilting his head in her direction.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Like that would've stop you." She cocked her head to the side, pointing at the exit door. "Come, I have something better in Caroline's locker." She said cheekily, grabbing his arm and starting to drag him. 

Klaus exhaled through his nose, looking around himself. "Wait." He stopped, and the blonde turned around, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow. "What if something happens?" He gave her a knowing look, to which she sighed. 

"It was probably a ploy to get us to shit our pants. Your words, Ric." She said with a slight amusement in her eyes. "Now, come." She started to drag him again. Klaus, closed his eyes for a second, already exhausted from being around her the whole day. 

As Jade led him to the lockers, her face changed completely. Her usual amusement and cockiness was missing, only determination and anger visible.

When they were about to pass some classroom, Jade turned and pushed him inside, his body breaking the lock on the door. 

Before he could fall, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, throwing him against the wall. She quickly retrived her dagger from her boot and pressed it to his throat, driving her blazing eyes into his surprised ones.

"You're not Alaric." She hissed through gritted teeth, her breath fanning over his face.

Klaus froze for a second, his eyes narrowing in response to the sudden threat. He could feel the edge of the dagger pressing against his throat, and smell a few drops of blood that begin to flow out.

But after a few moments, a sly smirk curled at the corner of his lips, amusement dancing in his ancient eyes. Then, Jade noticed something changing in Alaric's face━a malicious expression that Jade had never seen before on his kind and gentle features.

"Well, love." He started, his voice a low, confident murmur. Jade scrunched her face at the endearment, but neither her eyes, nor her hand didn't leave the teacher  for a second. "It seems I've been discovered." 

In a one swift motion, he reached up and grabbed Jade's wrist, easily overpowering her grip on the dagger. He deftly twisted her arm, the weapon clattering to the floor, and pulled her closer until their bodies were only inches apart.

"Now, now, Jade." He whispered, his warm breath caressing her face. "You're rather perceptive. I must admit, I'm not who I appear to be." He taunted into the side of her face. "But then again, who is, really?" He said maliciously in a low voice once he reached her ear. 

Jade hissed in pain because of his iron grip on her arms, his voice only fueling her anger even more. Once he lifted his head from her neck, their gazes connected. Danger and intrigue swirled in his eyes. Only pure rage stormed in hers. "The question is, my dear, what are you going to do now?"

Once he uttered the question, she smirked to herself. In a heartbeat, she tilted her head back and with a sickening thud, Jade's head collided with Klaus', and the impact reverberated throughout the classroom. In a fast moment of his daze, the girl quickly picked up a dagger from the floor, and swirled on her knees with her arm extended, resulting in her slashing his ankles. 

As he groaned in pain, that turned into a laughter in a second, she rose and looked down at him, her eyes wary of his every move. "Where's Alaric, Niklaus?" She asked, accenting his name like a curse. 

His eyes momentarily shot to hers, and whatever amusement was in them, vanished completely. They darkened and his face contorted with a mix of rage and slight vulnerability. In that moment, the mask of charm and amusement slipped away, revealing the raw power and darkness that lay beneath. Klaus' eyes narrowed, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "You weren't on my hit list tonight, but it seems you'd love to be." Klaus almost growled, his voice low and dangerous. 

Klaus grabbed Jade by her hair, pulling her back to him with a force that made her gasp in pain. He then hurled her against the school desks, her body crashing into them with an excruciating thud. He stalked closer to her, his face contorted in a sinister smirk. "As for Alaric, let's just say he's currently taking an extended vacation. A well-deserved break, you might say." He taunted, lowering his body to hers.

She huffed, her eyes blazing with defiance. In a surge of adrenaline, she summoned all her strength and kicked upward with all her might, catching Klaus square in the face.

Sorry, Ric.

A sickening crunch echoed through the air as her boot connected with his nose, breaking it with a satisfying snap. He recoiled in pain, momentarily disoriented by the unexpected counterattack. Jade seized the opportunity and scrambled to her feet. Blood dripped from her forehead and her breathing was labored, but her resolve remained unwavering. She was about to say something, but his maniacial laughter interrupted her.

"You're fucking enjoying this, aren't you?" Jade seethed, her eyes blazing with fury.

Klaus chuckled, his dark amusement evident in every gesture. "Oh, immensely." He replied, a hint of mischief in his eyes as he wiped the dripping blood from his nose. "There's something rather exhilarating about being in a fight with someone who knows how to put up a good struggle." He said, shooting her a malicious smirk. "I didn't have a chance to prove myself in the forest earlier, so━" 

With that, he lunged at her, moving with uncanny speed. Jade's instincts kicked in, and she dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding his attack. She tried to make a run for the door, but Klaus was faster. He grabbed her arm, yanking her back towards him. As she let out a pained hiss, he grabbed her by her throat and in a blink of an eye, pinned her to the wall, his hand blocking her airways.

His eyes bore into hers, a mix of intensity and something more playful lurking within their depths. He spoke, his voice a low, seductive murmur. "You know, I must admit, as much as we seem to be at odds, there's something undeniably alluring about your tenacity, love." He whispered into her face, to which Jade pulled a disguisted face, hearing those words from the teacher's mouth. "I'm begining to understand Katerina's likeness in you."

Jade's only response was to spit in his face.

Klaus's eyes darkened, and he took an aggressive step closer to Jade, as he wiped his face with his free hand. "It's a shame." He hissed, invading her personal space, a dangerous edge to his voice. "You won't live long enough for us to meet in person."

Her body felt heavy and weak. Her breathing became labored, and her vision blurred at the edges. She knew she was on the brink of passing out. Shit.

"Fuck you." She managed to say, though her voice came out a little strained, the only reason she was standing up was because he was forcing her to, keeping her steady by her throat.

Klaus' lips curled into a smirk, and an amused glint danced in his eyes. He found her audacity quite entertaining. His laughter rang through the room, a rich and slightly mocking sound. 

Suddenly, his menacing laughter turned into agonizing scream. Bonnie burst into the room, her eyes wide and her face filled with rage. She shouted a spell, and Klaus was immediately overtaken by immense pain. He howled in agony, clutching his head as he collapsed to the ground. 

As soon as he let go of her throat, Jade sank to her knees, her energy completely depleted. Her head swam, darkness consuming her vision more and more with each passing second, She felt her strength quickly fading away. With one last glance at Bonnie, she crumpled to the floor completely, her eyes closing, the witch's and Alaric's screams lulling her to unconsciousness.

a/n: omg klaus?? in the story??? interacting with jade??? its a miracle, people!!! 

arent they just dreamy, beating the shit out of each other? (≧◡≦) ♡

also, what would their ship name be? kade? jaus? lmao