"Was it really as fun as you say?" asked Marilyn looking sideways at Klaus before her eyes settled yet again on the school building.

Klaus wrapped his hand around Marilyn's waist and pulled her close. "You would have outshined every single flapper, love. The drinking and dancing never ended."

Marilyn hummed, "clearly you enjoyed the party."

"Then let me take you back in time tonight." Klaus smiled and ignited the engine to drive to the Mystic Falls High school.

"Tell me about the twenties." Marilyn turned her head to look at Klaus who smirked at her curiosity.

"It was a time to be in. Booze and dance. Parties went on till early mornings. Women...flappers would dance till their feet ached. They were quite bold. Fashion was about comfort more than seduction like everyone keeps assuming. Music was at its prime with Jazz. There was this time when Rebekah and I were in Chicago and──" she listened actively to Klaus tell stories from the decade. Klaus was a curious man, having lived many adventurous moments and thrills he had far too many memories he loved to relive.

Marilyn never stopped him when he would tell stories from "back in the day" like he would say before beginning to narrate the incident.

"Did you really compel an entire parade for your──his birthday? Marcel did you say?" Marilyn spoke in between her laughs.

"We were returning from attending a funeral in New Orleans when I came across a man beating a ten year old boy. I named him Marcellus and decided to treat him like a son." Klaus told her. He grew comfortable around Marilyn after a year and a half, to divulge one too many memories; only those he cherished the most.

"You were sweet to give him a life out of slavery. Where is he now?"

Marilyn could see, Klaus was reticent to reply to her question. "Don't answer if you're not ready."

"It was in New Orleans. Mikael, my father had somehow found us. He compelled an opera show to act out my death. When the opera house caught fire, Marcel died in it." Klaus narrated the incident, his eyes zoning out from the balcony where they sat.

"That's shitty." Marilyn grimaced.

"Vixen?" Klaus snapped his fingers pulling Marilyn out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, what?"

"We're here." Klaus told her. "Where were you?"

"Shut up. Don't use my tricks on me." She playfully hit his shoulder getting out of the car.

The two walked inside the high school hand in hand. The gym was decorated as nicely as they could in the small budget that was provided for the dance. Every single student had made strong attempts at recreating the fashion of the decade of twenties. Marilyn scanned the crowd before he eyes fell on Elena and Stefan dancing together in the crowd.

"I guess you were wrong?" Klaus whispered to Marilyn, gesturing with his eyes to the couple.

"I hardly think, I am. Look." she replied, looking past the dancing couple at the older Salvatore making his way to the duo.

"It's amusing to watch them squirm and fall for another doppelganger. Again." Klaus confessed. Marilyn giggled and nodded agreeing with him.

"Marilyn?" they heard Caroline's confused voice from behind them. She stood wearing a silver headband and a red dress.

"Caroline. You look beautiful." Klaus complimented.

"I must say little ray of sunshine. Red is your colour." Marilyn added on making Caroline blush.

"I thought you wouldn't come."

"I couldn't say no when Rebekah asked me to come and this one threatened me." Klaus spoke truthfully.

"Hey! I am not that bad." Marilyn gasped placing a hand on her chest. "Come on, Caroline let's dance." Marilyn locked her hand with hers and led them to the dance floor leaving Klaus to figure out what it was that went sideways.

"When did you fall for him?" Caroline asked as soon as they were a bit out of earshot from Klaus.

"When we started to become each other's confidant. It didn't happen right off the bat. It actually took us about three years before we confessed our feelings."

"Friends to lovers. Interesting. I thought it'd be enemies to lovers." Caroline told her.

"It seems to be a common assumption." Marilyn laughed. The two continued dancing until a slow song came along.

"Where's Tyler?" Marilyn asked her.

"He left town with the other hybrids." Caroline told her.

"I see. I apologise for how things have worked around here."

Caroline hummed. "It's fine, I guess. Uncle Arthur was telling me about you."

"Artie always was the babble mouth." laughed Marilyn. "Pure hearted babble mouth."

"He told me about you looking after him a lot."

"Artie was about five years old when we first met. I was somewhere in my teen years." Both swayed to the rhythm loving the way the evening was turning out to be. "Excuse me," begrudgingly Marilyn turned to see Tyler standing to their side wearing a black suit and a fedora like cap.

"Ah it's the Lockwood wolf. I'll leave you two alone." she walked away quickly skipping over to Klaus who stood in a corner.

Marilyn held back a laugh seeing Klaus's bored look. "Someone's bored." She teased approaching him by the drinks stand.

"The crowd is a bunch of horny teenagers, the drinks are either tasteless or I just killed my tastebuds with how awful they are and Rebekah is nowhere to be found." Klaus complained crushing the paper cup in hand.

"Then let's go. We don't have to stay." She tugged at his hand and both quickly made their way out of the gym.

Klaus pulled out his phone and called Rebekah. "Rebekah, call me back immediately! I only came to this ridiculous dance because you begged me to and now you're nowhere to be found."

Marilyn walked a few steps behind him oblivious to anything. In her own thoughts she stumbled back when a barrier stopped her suddenly. "What in the──" she used her hand to analyse whatever it was before Klaus tapped her shoulder drawing her attention to the salt line on the ground.

She gritted her teeth at a particular thought making its way to her consciousness. "I do not like the intuition I am getting."

Stefan approached the couple. His one look was enough to confirm her suspicions. "Your mother is back." He informed Klaus.

Inside one of the many classrooms in the high school, Bonnie stood surrounded by many candles. Jeremy, Stefan and Damon and Marilyn with a very impatient Klaus stood hovering around the Bennett witch.

"She does this all the time, right?" asked the stranger in the room.

"What's taking so long? All boundary spells have a loop hole." enraged Klaus.

Matt Donovan entered the room taking a quick scan before he began to say, "People are walking right out of the dance, past the barrier."

"Matt and I can leave, we can stop Esther ourselves. We just gotta find out where she is."

"It's suicide, Jeremy." Stefan told him.

Klaus speeded to the stranger named Jamie and held him into a headlock. "Suicide would be disappointing me! Now work your magic, witch, or I'll start killing people you fancy." He threatened.

"Let him go." Bonnie shouted at him.

"Not until you get us out of here." Klaus answered back.

"Ah, don't be stupid, Klaus. Bonnie doesn't give a damn about us. The only reason she's helping us right now is to save Caroline and Tyler. You start killing the people she cares about, she'll tell us all to go to hell." Klaus let go of Jamie and retreated a few steps back. Marilyn wrapped her arms around his.

"Come on, we'll wait outside." she dragged Klaus outside of the classroom.

"She was close to breaking it! She just needed a persuasion." Klaus raged on glaring at Nyx who pushed him into the hallway.

"Think about it, Nik! Your mother must have taken precautions to not let anyone track her." she tried reasoning with him.

"The longer we wait, more time she gets to end me." Klaus shot back in a low tone with taking a step closer to her.

Marilyn took a sharp breath looking up at his eyes. She looked at him to try and find answers inside of her. "I have an idea." She blurted out before walking back inside the classroom.

"Bonnie! Try a locator spell. Use blood." She informed him.

Bonnie looked thoughtful of her suggestion. "It could work."

Klaus stood with his fiancee with the Salvatore brothers outside of the entrance to Gym and closer to the barrier. "You know this is your fault. You set us on this path when you released my mother. I wonder if revenge will prove worth the cost." Klaus told Stefan.

"Oh, I'm done with revenge. As far as Esther; we've stopped her before, we'll stop her again." Stefan replied.

"We're strange bedfellows, you and I. You know, all of this, reminds me of our time together in the Twenties."

Stefan forced a smile by looking at Klaus. "You say that like I'm supposed to have happy memories about it."

"Well, there were moments. Real friendship. Brotherhood."

"Well, he already has a brother. Not to be, you know, territorial or anything." Damon quickly interrupted.

"Oh no, of course, the Salvatores. And their unshakeable bond. I wonder what'll happen when Elena finally makes her choice. Will we see you shake just a little bit?"

Bonnie walked in just in time before a brawl could break out. "It's done. Esther's not fighting me any more. The boundary spell is broken."

Marilyn turned to walk through the barrier. When she could without any trouble, Klaus speeded away where they knew Esther could be performing her spell.

"Thanks for everything, Bonnie " Marilyn thanked the witch with a warm smile.

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Hello beautiful people!

Sorry for the sporadic updates! I started a new job which takes up my time a lot and leaves me less time to update. I have scheduled to give time on Weekends now but not sure how much that will work but won't disappoint you all much.

Thank you so much to everyone who stuck around despite how far apart the updates are! Love you all a lot! Those who like the chapter and comment! Keep em coming!

Take care everyone!

Raven :)