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𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 - 𝐂𝐡. 26
"do me a favor and stop trying
to save me. I'm already gone."

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— "SO A HYBRID WALKS INTO A BAR, says to the bartender..." Skyler called humorously as she entered Gloria's bar, spotting Klaus and Stefan in front of her.

"Stop." Gloria, the owner of the bar, responded, "You may be hot but that doesn't make you funny."

"Aww come on, Gloria, I thought we had something." Skyler whined with a grin. She hadn't been to the bar with Stefan before however she and Kol had come here a few decades after that at the suggestion of Klaus. After meeting the owner, Skyler figured he just wanted to annoy the witch. She was right.

Gloria rolled her eyes before looking over at Stefan, "I remember you." She commented.

"Yeah. You're Gloria. Shouldn't you be..." Stefan trailed off.

"Old and dead?" She replied, "Now if I die, who's going to run this place huh?"

"I could take it over for ya." She grinned, sliding into a bar stool.

Gloria glared at the woman in response, "Over my dead body, child."

"I'm older than you." She pointed out.

Gloria shook her head in exasperation as Klaus told Stefan, "Gloria's a very powerful witch."

"I can slow the aging down some. Herbs and spells." She told him, "But don't worry it'll catch up to me someday."

Klaus looked at his latest minion, "Stefan, why don't you go and fix us up a little something from behind the bar?"

"Yeah, sure thing." He agreed, obediently going over to the bar while Klaus looked at Gloria, "You look ravishing by the way."

Skyler coughed into her hand, "Kiss ass."

"Don't." Gloria told the man as he glared at Skyler, "I know why you're here. A hybrid out to make more hybrids? That kind of news travels."

"So what am I doing wrong?" He asked, "I broke the curse."

"Obviously you did something wrong." Gloria said casually, he narrowed his eyes as she continued, "Look, every spell has a loophole but a curse that old... we'd have to contact the witch who created it."

Skyler snorted, yeah not happening. She had never met her mother-in-law and she certainly didn't want to after hearing all the lovely stories about her. "Well, that would be the original witch." He told Gloria, pausing for a moment before he continued, "She's very dead."

"I know. And for me to contact her, I'll need help." She responded carefully, "Bring me Rebekah."

"That's gonna be a bit of a problem." Skyler replied with a wince. "Rebekah is a bit preoccupied." Klaus told her, glancing at Skyler.

"She has what I need. Bring her to me." She demanded stubbornly while Stefan looked up from a photo he found, looking over at them with his brows furrowed in confusion, "What is this?"

"Well, I told you, Stefan. Chicago's a magical place." Klaus smirked.

"But this is me. With you." Stefan frowned, showing him the photo. Skyler looked over, narrowing her eyes she found the picture was one of her brother and Klaus in this very bar in the 1920s. She hummed, a thought coming to mind.

"We still have it on the wall." Gloria told her as if reading her mind, Skyler grinned and went over to the wall of photos. She grabbed one particular photo off the wall of her and Kol when they came here for their second — or tenth — honeymoon in the 1990s. "I always loved this picture." Skyler mused, "I look hot in it."

Stefan glanced at his sister however he was still stuck in place, staring at the photo of him and Klaus. He asked her, "Did you know about this?"

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       "THIS doesn't make any sense." Stefan continued later while he, Klaus, and Skyler walked through a warehouse, "Why don't I remember you?"

Skyler groaned, glancing at her twin, "You're still on this?" She asked in exasperation.

Without a glance back, Klaus replied, "You said it yourself: that time had a lot of dark holes."

"No, if you knew me then why haven't you said anything?" He questioned.

Skyler glanced over at her brother again, she teased, "Where's the fun in that?"

"I'm a little busy right now." Klaus told them, "Memory lane will have to wait."

Stefan scowled, his frown deepening, "What the hell is going on? Answer me."

"Let's just say we didn't get off to a brilliant start." Klaus began nonchalantly, unbothered by Stefan's anger, "To be honest, I hated you."

Skyler snorted in amusement, "Don't we all?"

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       APPARENTLY, Klaus did have time for a trip down memory lane cause here they were — rehashing the past like little boys telling stories around the campfire except there were no marshmallows and no campfire. Just two grown men in a warehouse talking about the past. "Your sister. So I knew another original vampire." Stefan pointed out, Skyler tuned back in as she looked up from her phone. She wondered absentmindedly what part she'd tuned out during, but ultimately she shrugged it off.

"If you can't handle it, then don't ask." Klaus responded as he walked over to where his sibling's coffins resided, only one remained empty: Kol's. It was a dark reminder for Skyler of what could happen if Klaus snapped one day or if she and Kol weren't connected like they were. Her heart ached at the image her mind portrayed of her husband in one of those coffins as Klaus opened Rebekah's, the woman lay there with a dagger stabbed into her chest.

"I don't recognize her." Stefan commented confused as he gazed down at her, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, trying to find lost memories in an unfamiliar face.

"Well, don't tell her that." Skyler told him, "Yes, Rebekah's temper is worse than mine." Klaus agreed.

Stefan frowned over at his sister, "Wait you know her?"

"Of course I do." Skyler responded, looking over at Rebekah, "She's my sister-in-law after all." She smirked, "She was at the wedding."

Stefan gaped at his sister, perhaps if his humanity was on he would've felt upset at the idea that a stranger was at his twin's wedding, and he hadn't even known she was married. Still, he wondered what the day looked like, who was there, and what she looked like, walking down the aisle. Did someone walk with her or did she walk alone? He remembered a time from before when Damon told her he would walk her down the aisle.

"That's a lie." Klaus told him, brushing it off with ease, it didn't help make Stefan feel better though he could be bothered so much without his humanity, "None of us were invited. They eloped." He said before looking back at his sister, he smiled down at her while he pulled the dagger out of her chest, "Time to wake up, little sister."

Klaus must've expected her to wake up immediately however she still lay there, dead. "Any day now, Rebekah." He glanced at Stefan, "She's being dramatic."

"Or enjoying her beauty sleep." Skyler commented with a shrug.

"Look, why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on?" Stefan asked Klaus, getting tired of the game the hybrid was playing, "I mean you obviously want me here for a reason, right?"

"Well, you have many useful talents." Klaus replied.

"Do I?" Stefan asked at the same time Skyler said, "Does he?"

"In fact, I learned some of my favorite tricks from you." Skyler groaned at the words. Great, more warehouse storytime. And there wasn't even s'mores, just her snores. She snickered at the joke, tuning out the boys.

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       "I was your number one fan." Klaus commented as they walked towards the exit of the warehouse.

"Why should I believe any of this?" Stefan questioned.

The hybrid stilled to a stop in front of a bodyguard and compelled him without hesitance, "When she wakes up, tell her to meet us at Gloria's bar. Then volunteer your carotid artery and let her feed until you die." The bodyguard nodded obediently.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"Gloria's bar." Skyler deadpanned, "He just said that."

"You think I'm lying, Stefan." He stated looking back at him, "You and I knew each other. You trusted me with one of your secrets and now I'm going to prove it to you."

"How?"

"We're going to your old apartment." He responded simply with an almost fond look like he was going back to a happy place and not where thousands of people died at the hands of one of the world's most prolific serial killers to this day— The Ripper.

(Skyler still believed the name was stolen, as she was called The Ripper first, but that was a matter for another day)

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        "HOW charming." Skyler commented sarcastically as they made their way over the door Klaus had just broken down.

"Do you feel that?" Klaus asked them before he called out to the seemingly abandoned apartment, "Is anybody here?"

"It's been vacant for decades." Stefan told him, "People must break in all the time. Why'd you bring me here?"

"Your friend, Liam Grant, the one who drank his wife's blood..." Klaus began, "I never could figure out why you wanted his name. And then you told me your little secret. It was all part of your special little ritual." Stefan responded knowingly and obediently, "To write it down." Klaus nodded with a smile, "And relive the kill... over and over again."

Skyler whistled, "Damn. Is it bad I'm kind of proud?"

Klaus smirked but ignored her comment, "You believe me now?"

Stefan looked into the closet, motionless before being startled when Klaus walked back into the apartment. "Look what I found." He called as Skyler looked around his apartment, she turned curiously to find him holding out a bottle, giving it to Klaus. "1918, single malt."

"My favorite." He commented as he took it, "Let's go and find someone to pair it with."

"Ooo yes please." Skyler replied with a sadistic grin as Stefan closed the door, "I'm starved."

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       "WHERE'S Rebekah?" Gloria questioned as soon as they walked into the bar, handing them each a beer.

"Wow, feelin' the love here, Gloria." Skyler commented as she sat down. "She'll be here." Klaus assured her, "I can't just conjure her on demand."

Skyler nodded in agreement, "She's buried pretty deep..." she said casually, and she added nonchalantly, "in a human's neck of course." She grinned at Klaus who only glared in response, not seeming to enjoy her antics as much as she did. She shrugged as she took a sip of her beer.

Klaus took a drink and looked over at Stefan, "What's with you? I thought Chicago was your playground."

"So this is why you asked me to be your wingman? Because you liked the way that I tortured innocent people?" Stefan questioned incredulously, he sounded almost hurt. Skyler could almost picture him saying, 'I thought we had something,' in that puppy dog voice, in a similar fashion to her sarcasm, and then wondered briefly if Stefan had a thing for the Mikaelsons and had got it on with Klaus as well as Rebekah. She immediately regretted the thought as she cringed and took a large sip of her beer.

Flagging down Gloria, she asked for something stronger. "Well, that's certainly half of it." Klaus responded.

"What's the other half?" Stefan asked.

"The other half, Stefan, is that you used to want to be my wingman." He said while he poured three shot glasses, sliding one to Stefan and one to Skyler, "And you were always a much better wingman than your sister here."

She downed her shot and glared at him teasingly, "Hey! I'll have you know I am a great wingman."

"Perhaps, when you're not sneaking off with my little brother." Skyler averted her eyes and poured another shot silently. Klaus nodded, and raised his shot, "To friendship." Stefan and Skyler both clinked his shot glass before she grinned mischievously and spoke, "To idiot brothers-in-law."

Klaus glared at Skyler while Stefan asked, "So I'm confused... if we were such great friends, then why do I only know you as the hybrid dick who sacrificed my girlfriend on an altar of fire? Huh?"

After another sip of alcohol, Klaus mused, "All good things must come to an end."

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       "YOU compelled me to forget?" Stefan questioned after Klaus's little story time which was of course drawn out for dramatic effect, not that he would admit it. Honestly, and he called Rebekah dramatic. Skyler rolled her eyes.

"It was time for Rebekah and I to move on. Better to have a clean slate." Klaus told him before he downed his glass.

"But why?" He questioned, "You shouldn't have to cover your tracks... unless you're running from someone."

"Storytimes over." Klaus said abruptly. Stefan turned his head away, his eyes catching something in the distance. Skyler followed his line of sight curiously, she spotted Damon who motioned for Stefan and her to come over before he walked behind a wall.

Stefan looked over at Klaus, "I need another drink. A real one." Skyler took her phone out, "And I need to call Kol before he throws a fit."

Klaus nodded solemnly, well aware of his brother's habits to get paranoid when it came to his wife, and let them leave. She walked outside after Stefan to find him pushing Damon against a car, his hand wrapped around the collar of the elder Salvatore's shirt. "What is wrong with you?!" Stefan questioned furiously.

Skyler approached, stuffing her phone back into her pocket. "What is wrong with you? You kill Angie one day, you save my life the next. What are you, good, bad? Pick one!" Damon demanded, not yet noticing Skyler who decided to run while she could, disappearing to actually call her husband.

It would be a good idea to let him know his sister was un-daggered before the woman woke up and kidnapped her for a shopping trip again.

By the time she was done with her phone call, Stefan was gone, however, Damon had just returned.

"Damon." Skyler called lowly, approaching with narrowed eyes, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying to save that idiot." He said, gesturing to the bar.

"And what about you?" She hissed, "I can't always save the both of you. You need to leave."

"Why are you with them, Skyler?" Damon questioned, "I know Stefan's got some idiotic hero complex and thinks he's some sort of savior but you— you've never tried to be a hero."

"I'm not trying to be a hero." Skyler frowned, "I'm trying to be..." she paused, unable to say a Mikaelson. "I'm trying to keep him safe."

He scoffed, "He's a big boy, I think he can manage himself."

"If that was true I wouldn't be here." She grumbled with a glare.

He shook his head incredulously, "You're gonna wound up dead trying to save him, Skyler."

"He's our brother, my twin." She hissed in disbelief.

"We left him behind once, maybe it's time you do it again." He responded stubbornly.

"And what about you?" She replied, just as stubborn, "You're trying to save him right now, you're trying to save both of us. Well, I don't need saving. So do me a favor and stop trying to save me too, I'm already gone." Without another word, she went back into the bar leaving her eldest brother to stand in the parking lot while he thought over her words and their implications.

He wondered as he watched her leave if she was right and if she was past saving, what if he was too? Maybe they all were. Still, he couldn't stop trying to save the twins from the big bad hybrid, and from themselves —  he couldn't help but question which was more deadly.

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       "YOU can come in." Klaus beckoned as he stood in one of the rooms at the warehouse alongside a newly awoken Rebekah.

"That's our cue." Skyler told her brother as she stood up and walked into the room with Stefan following closely behind.

He looked at Rebekah but didn't seem to recognize her. Not like she did. "Stefan..."

"What am I, a walking bag of blood?" Skyler grumbled, glaring at Rebekah lightheartedly. She continued to ignore her.

Klaus walked up to the younger male before this could go poorly, compelling him, "Now you remember."

Stefan gasped as memories came flying back, "Rebekah." He said in shock, approaching her without thought.

"Stefan..." Klaus called warningly, he paused and turned back while Skyler watched the scene play out silently. "I remember you. We were friends." Stefan pointed out. "We are friends." Klaus corrected.

He looked back at his sister, "And now the reason you're here." Klaus began, "Gloria tells me you know how to contact the original witch."

"The original witch?" Rebekah questioned in disbelief.

"What do you have that Gloria needs?" Klaus asked with narrowed eyes, not answering her silent questions.

Rebekah reached up subconsciously touching her bare neck, her eyes widened, "Where's my necklace? What did you do with it? I never take it off!" She questioned in a mix of confusion and outrage.

"I don't know." He frowned, "I didn't touch it."

"We need to find it, Nik." She demanded, "Now. I want it back!"

"Tell me that's not what she needs, Rebekah!" Klaus snapped enraged while she looked into her coffin in search of her necklace however it wasn't there either. Frustrated, she threw her coffin to the ground as the Salvatore twins watched. Skyler glanced at her brother, seeing the concern written on his face, she narrowed her eyes.

He better not have anything to do with this.

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       "THERE has to be more to this dress." Rebekah said while the group was in a clothes store to get her some new up-to-date clothes. Skyler and Rebekah were trying on clothes in the back while Klaus, Kol, and Stefan drank champagne in the waiting room - having bonding time, Skyler assumed with an amused expression.

"There's not." Skyler told her as Rebekah stepped out in a short black dress, "You look hot." She commented while she walked out in a floor-length dark green dress with a deep v-neck and a slit on the right leg.

Rebekah looked at her in a mixture of appreciation and confusion, "Thank you. So, people in the 21st century dress like prostitutes then." Skyler gave a nod, "You know, I got dirty looks for wearing trousers."

"Yes well, you wore trousers so women today could wear nothing." Kol told his sister as he eyed his wife, "Thank you for your sacrifice sister."

"I like the new generation of clothes." Skyler admitted, approaching her husband, "I can dress slutty and not get killed for it."

She sat down on the arm of the large chair Kol sat at, he brought her in for a deep kiss. "You're gorgeous, darling." He whispered against her lips.

Rebekah scoffed and Stefan couldn't help but scoff too. She looked around, really anywhere but at the couple when she noticed the dance music the store was playing, "And what is this music?" She asked in disgust, "It sounds like a cable car accident." She had been awake far more recently than Stefan knew but hadn't been reintroduced to the new world properly like this before Klaus daggered her again.

"It's dance music." Stefan responded, cringing at the way his newfound brother-in-law undressed Stefan's twin with his eyes. He looked away as they kissed again.

"People dance to this?" Rebekah questioned in shock.

Stefan hummed as his sister pulled away from her husband to look at them, "This isn't even the worst music I've heard." Skyler said, Rebekah cringed. She stood, brushing off the green dress.

"Are we done?" Klaus asked unamused.

"And why are you so grumpy?" Rebekah asked, Skyler eyed her best friend curiously, "Yeah what's got your boxers in a knit, Nik?"

Klaus glared at his younger sister, "I needed one thing from you for my witch to find out why my hybrids are dying," he told her, repeating, "one thing. Your necklace. And you lost it."

"Oh boo hoo." Kol commented as he stood up and pulled his wife back into his arms, he twirled her to the music as a more upbeat, sensational song began to play.

Rebekah rolled her eyes, averting her gaze back to Klaus, "I didn't lose it. It's just been missing for 90 years." She looked at Stefan with a smile, "So what do you think?"

"I like it." He told her offhandedly. She didn't seem satisfied, so somewhat obliviously he added, "What? I said I like it."

"Yeah, that's boy talk for 'I don't care.'" Skyler commented as Kol stopped twirling her, his arms around her waist while she stood back to his chest while they both looked at their family.

Rebekah went back into the fitting room with a scowl as Klaus looked at Stefan, "Good job there mate." Kol commented.

"He's the one that pulled the dagger out of her." Stefan responded defensively.

"I heard that." Rebekah called.

"All right. I'm going to get some fresh air." He told them, standing up as Klaus poured himself more champagne.

Skyler hummed, untangling herself from her husband, "I'm going to try on another outfit." She told Kol. Reaching up, she pecked him on the lips before walking away, her hips swayed intentionally with each step as his eyes watched her closely. When she reached the fitting room, she turned and told them sternly, in a voice similar to that of a babysitter or parent, "Don't kill each other boys."

Kol grinned widely in response, "No promises!"

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      LATER, a trio consisting of Rebekah, Klaus, and Skyler can be found at Gloria's bar, Stefan walks into the bar while Gloria does a spell to try and find the necklace. Kol had left earlier after the shopping trip, he had urged Skyler to come with him but she resisted if only to make sure her brother didn't do something stupid, "You left us." Rebekah said to Stefan as he approached.

"Yeah, sorry. Retail therapy was making my head explode." He told her with a soft forced smile.

"Tell me about it." Klaus agreed absentmindedly.

Stefan looked over at Gloria curiously, "What's she doing?"

"She's failing." He responded bitterly.

Gloria glared in response, "It's hard to find something when you don't have anything to go on."

"So use me." Rebekah suggested, "I only wore it for a thousand years."

Gloria looked at Klaus pointedly, "See? Now this one offers a solution." Rebekah took a seat at the table as Gloria looked over at her, "All right, give me your hand, sweetheart." She readily outstretched her hand as the others watched from the bar.

"She's uh, she's looking for the necklace, huh?" Stefan asked suspiciously. Skyler side-eyed him, "Well she's not looking for the earrings that match." She responded sarcastically.

"I can sense something." Gloria told them, casting another spell. A moment later, she dropped Rebekah's hand abruptly before she looked over at Klaus and the twins, "I found it."

"So where is it?" Skyler questioned curiously, subtly eyeing her brother who seemed far too worried for someone innocent.

"It doesn't work like that, doll. I get images." Gloria told her with a frown, "There's a girl with her friends..."

Klaus rolled her eyes, "Yes, a dead girl with dead friends if I don't get my necklace back."

"Well, I'll have to dive back in to get the details." Gloria told them.

Klaus narrowed his eyes sternly, "So dive."

"I need more time." She responded. Annoyed, Klaus walked over and leaned on the table Gloria's sitting at, "And space, you're harshing my ju-ju."

"We can wait." Skyler called sipping on her drink.

"I'm sure you can. But that's not what I asked." She said slowly and sternly as if speaking to a child.

"Hey. Hey, you know, why don't we just come back later?" Stefan suggested attempting for casual when really he just sounded stressed, "I'm hungry anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat." He moved to the door, looking back at them expectantly. Klaus looked over at Rebekah before following after him. Skyler, eyed her brother curiously before she followed both of them out. The door swung shut behind them, leaving the witch to do her spell in peace.

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       IN a Chicago warehouse, Klaus sat on a couch, draining a girl while Stefan did the same from a chair seated nearby. Meanwhile, Rebekah and Skyler are sat atop a nearby crate looking at the two boys they call brothers. "My girl's dead. I'm bored." Rebekah spoke. Skyler hummed her agreement and swiped her tongue across the stray blood on her lips leftover from her meal.

"You weren't kidding about being hungry." Klaus said to Stefan.

"Yeah. It's been a long day." He responded, glancing at Rebekah.

Klaus scoffed, "Try being related to her."

"He is." Skyler pointed out as Klaus laughed evilly.

"You're being mean. And why are you being mean? You used to love me." Rebekah whined confused.

"It's been ninety years, Rebekah. Give him a minute." Klaus told his sister.

"And the whole me marrying your brother making you two in-laws might throw a damper in any 90-year-old feelings." Skyler chimed in with a smile.

"Why are you taking his side?" She glared at them both.

"Because my dear sister, I feel pity for any man who doesn't give you what you want." He responded.

"And I just don't wanna see my brother kissing my sister." Skyler commented casually.

"Will you stop making me out to be a brat? I am not a brat and I'm not even actually related to him!" Rebekah said, gesturing to Stefan wildly.

"A thousand years of life experience and a marriage certificate says otherwise," Skyler told her sister.

"Thank you." Klaus said appreciatively, pointing at her as he looked at Rebekah, "See, she agrees with me."

"Well, you're no picnic either." Stefan said to Klaus. Skyler let out a snort of amusement before he continued, "I mean, I've only spent one summer with you and I feel like I want to blow my head off."

Rebekah laughed, "Fantastic."

Stefan dropped the dead girl onto the ground now that she was drained dead, "I need to go." He told them before he walked away.

"Where's he going?" Rebekah questioned incredulously.

"To write a name on a wall." Skyler guessed.

Klaus looked at his youngest sister, feeling bad for her as her confusion grew, her frown deepening, "It's a long story."

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       "OH, good." Skyler called as she walked into the warehouse ahead of Klaus, "You're back." She said to Stefan, interrupting whatever was going on between him and Rebekah.

"Gloria's gone." Klaus told them walking in after her, "She's cleared out. We need to find a new witch immediately." He stopped looking at them with a frown, "What's going on?"

"Something's wrong." Rebekah told her brother sternly, "He was asking about Mikael. He's not with us, Nik. I can sense it."

"She's wrong, Klaus," Stefan looked over at his sister desperately, "Skyler, tell him-"

Without hesitation, Klaus rushed over to him, snapping his neck before he could finish speaking. The last words he heard before everything went dark was his twin's short apology, "I'm sorry brother."

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       WHEN Stefan woke up several hours later, he was in the back of a truck surrounded by coffins while Klaus and Skyler looked down at him with narrowed eyes, "Just give me a chance to explain myself, okay?" He asked desperately.

"No need. I'm not mad, she may be though." Klaus told him, glancing at Skyler who glared at her twin. He looked back at Stefan, "I'm just curious. Rebekah seems to think you're holding onto something.  A piece of your old life." He paused before continuing, "The thing is, she's got flawless instincts, borderline supernatural. And she's got your own sister on her side. So I thought I would check it out. See for myself what it is you've been hiding."

"But first," Klaus continued further, stepping forward, he grabbed Stefan's shoulders, compelling him, "When you leave this truck, you will forget all about my brother, Kol. You will forget he and Skyler are married, you will forget that Skyler knows my family and I, you will forget that she is a Mikaelson... until it is revealed once more." Stefan nodded, his eyes glassy as Klaus finished the compulsion.

He stepped back, glancing at Skyler in silent question before he opened the back of the truck, revealing the lovely town of Mystic Falls to Stefan's eyes, Skyler watched him closely before she spoke, "Welcome back to Mystic Falls, brother."

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𝟒,𝟕𝟖𝟖 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬