(act two, chapter twenty-two: as I lay dying)

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The Grill was kind of busy, but not loud enough to be annoying. Buffy sat opposite Jenna and Alaric in a booth, picking at her pancakes. Jenna had her iced tea, and Alaric was across from them with his "I'm pretending to relax but actually stressed" look. It was weird—good weird—because this was the first time they'd done the whole "going out as a family" thing. Like, ever.

Jenna took a sip of her tea and then smiled at Buffy. "I'm just so glad all that Klaus drama is finally over," she said, sounding way too relieved.

Buffy froze mid-bite, her eyes darting to Jenna. "Uh, can we not jinx it?" She said, waving her fry around for emphasis. "He'll probably show up again any minute now." She couldn't help but feel like this thing with the Originals was long from over. She was after all their soulmate and from what she knew from Elijah and Klaus, the girl didn't think they would leave her alone.

But she did pray for it. She never liked Klaus in the slightest bit, with him 'killing' her sister and all the other stuff he had done to their friends and her in his short period in town. And Elijah, he had officially broken her trust that night when he helped Klaus escape from Bonnie's spell. Anyone who really knew Buffy knew that she was big on trust. 

If there was no trust, there could also be no relationship. But it was not like she wanted a real relationship with Elijah nor Klaus for that matter, but she had cared for the first original she met. But actually going ahead with the whole soulmate thing would probably only end up in her disadvantage.

Jenna chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You're always so cautious. It's a good thing, though, I guess in this town. I just—I'm hoping we can all finally have a break, you know? No more running from monsters, no more surprises." She gave Buffy a playful nudge. "You're allowed to relax a little, sweetie."

Buffy sighed and leaned back against the booth, her fingers drumming lightly on the table. "I guess." She muttered, though the tight knot in her stomach didn't quite relax. There was always something lurking in the back of her mind, something she couldn't shake. She tried to swallow the unease. "I just don't trust it. It's too quiet. It feels like we're waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Jenna looked at her with a soft smile, as if she understood exactly where Buffy was coming from. "I get it. I do," she said, her voice gentle. "But don't you think we all deserve a little break?"

Buffy glanced at Alaric, who had been silently enjoying his piece of pie as he watched the conversation between mother and daughter unfold. "I'm with your mom on this one, kiddo." He said, giving a slight nod. "It might be hard to believe, but there's no harm in enjoying the calm when it's here."

However Buffy's stomach dropped as she stared at the phone, Stefan's name flashing on the screen. She knew something was coming. She just did. She had felt it in her gut. She grabbed the phone and excused herself from the booth.

"Stefan?" Buffy answered the phone, her voice a little more tense than she'd intended. She walked a few steps away from the booth, glancing back at her parents one last time with a small smile on her face before she fully stepped out of their sight.

The sight had been one she had wanted to see since she could remember. Her parents—together, enjoying a simple moment, like a family should. It was a quiet kind of happiness, the kind she had only ever seen in pictures of other people's lives. But there it was, right in front of her. For the first time, she could honestly say it felt real.

"Hello, love." Klaus' voice replied from the other side of the phone, smooth and dripping with that all-too-familiar arrogance.

Buffy rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to hang up right then and there. Of course it was Klaus. As if life would ever be quiet enough for her to enjoy a peaceful meal with her parents.

She forced herself to take a deep breath before speaking. "What do you want, Klaus? And what the hell are you doing with Stefan's phone?" She didn't have the energy for his games today.

Klaus chuckled softly, the sound sending an involuntary shiver down Buffy's spine. "You should really try to relax a little, love. But to answer your question, Stefan is... unavailable for the moment." He paused, as he turned to look at Stefan, who sat by the kitchen island, blood dripping from his chin, surrounded by a pile of discarded bloodbags. Too many to count.

"What kind of incentive?"

"Come to your father's apartment. Right now. If you don't, well... let's just say one of your friends will be feeling the consequences, love." Klaus replied.

Buffy felt her blood run cold. "If you hurt any of my friends, I swear I will—"

"Don't threaten me, darling," Klaus interrupted. "I am giving you a choice. Be here, or your friend dies. Choose wisely."

Buffy clenched her jaw. She couldn't let him hurt anyone, especially not her friends. She wouldn't let him win.

"Fine." Buffy spat. "I'm on my way."

She ended the call before he could say another word and took one last look at her parents. She hated that this was happening again, that her family's peaceful moment was shattered by Klaus's twisted games.

She rushed out of the Grill, knowing that if she told her parents where she was going, they would try to stop her. And her mind was focused entirely on getting to Alaric's apartment before Klaus could hurt anyone. 

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Buffy stormed into her father's apartment, the door slamming shut behind her with a heavy thud. Her breath was shallow, and the dread that had settled in her stomach made her feel sick. She wasn't ready for what she saw.

The first thing she noticed was the mess on the floor—emptied blood bags scattered in a gruesome display. Her eyes then flicked to Stefan, who was sitting against the wall, finishing the another one, his body hunched over, drained. He looked like a shell of himself. He grunted softly, and when he looked up at Klaus, his gaze was heavy with contempt.

Klaus stood a few feet away, watching Stefan with a twisted smile on his face. "You're very cooperative." Klaus remarked, sounding almost impressed. "It's almost as if you're enjoying it." He threw another blood bag at Stefan, and the sound of it hitting the floor made Buffy want to turn away.

Stefan gritted his teeth and shook his head weakly. "No more. Not until you give me the cure."

"Cure?" Buffy asked, her voice shaky, trying to keep her confusion and worry in check. She felt her heart race, knowing something had to be wrong. Stefan was never this desperate.

Klaus, still with that smug look on his face, turned to her, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Ah, you've arrived just in time, love. The cure." He spoke before turning back to Stefan. "Not until we make a deal. It's your choice, Stefan. You can either remain here living your life in Mystic Falls, or you can embrace what you truly are, leave town with me, and save your brother's life."

"What's wrong with Damon?" Buffy asked, looking worriedly from Stefan who's gaze was focused on the blood bag he had just finished and when she looked over to Katherine, the vampire avoided her gaze.

"Werewolf bite," Klaus replied and Buffy's heart skipped a beat, her eyes snapping back to Stefan, who looked more drained than she'd ever seen him before.

"Wait... what?" Buffy asked, trying to make sense of it all. A werewolf bite was no joke. If it was serious enough, it could kill a vampire, and Damon was as good as a brother to her. She couldn't lose him. "What the hell happened to him?"

Stefan finally lifted his gaze from the blood bag. "We need the cure to save Damon." His voice was hoarse.

Klaus stepped forward slightly to her, and put his hand on her arm as some kind of comfort, but she pulled back. Klaus shortly turned back to Stefan and threw him another bag of blood and a look. "That's the spirit."

"When did he get bitten?" Buffy asked in worry. Who knows how long he had been walking around with that bite and it couldn't be long before it became too lethal.

"Night of the sacrifice, but don't worry, my love. Damon's still breathing—for now. And you and Stefan could easily safe his life right here and now. All you two have to do is leave town with me." 

Before Buffy could respond or even ask anything, Stefan's voice cut through the tension. "No." He said firmly, standing up and stepping protectively between her and Klaus. "She stays here."

Buffy looked at Stefan, surprise flickering in her eyes. "Stefan—"

"No." He repeated, his expression hardening as he turned to face Klaus. "She stays here. You're not taking her anywhere."

"Drink." Klaus pushed another full blood of bag in his hands even though Stefan hadn't even finished the last one. He wanted to stop drinking, but the hunger gnawed at him as he opened it started shoving the liquid down his throat again.

Klaus took the vial with his blood, as he called Katherine forwards. "Sweetheart." Klaus spoke. Before she could react, Klaus compelled her. "Take this over to Damon and come right back."

Katherine looked from him to Stefan to Buffy, confusion flickering in her eyes. "You want me to leave?" She asked, her tone wary but more curious than anything.

Stefan's voice was immediate, urgent. "No!" He shot a look at Klaus, as if he could somehow stop this insanity.

But Klaus was already one step ahead. He gave Stefan a pointed look, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Yes, and if I were you..." He trailed off, but the Pierce vampire has already vamped out of the door. "I'd hurry."

Klaus lowered himself into a chair, settling back as if he were just waiting for the show to begin.

Stefan glared at him, frustration and helplessness written across his face. "She'll never take it to him." Stefan muttered under his breath.

Buffy's heart was racing, and her mind was screaming for her to help Stefan. She couldn't just stand there, watching him suffer while Klaus played his twisted games. Without thinking, she stepped toward Stefan, her hand reaching to help him up, but before she could get any closer, Klaus was already yanking her back. His grip on her arm was tight so she couldn't get loose, but also not to tight so that it would hurt her.

"Not so fast, love." Klaus said, smirking like he was enjoying this way too much. "I think it's time we spent some quality time together. Trust me, you're gonna have a blast this summer."

Buffy's stomach dropped. The thought of being stuck with Klaus made her skin crawl. She tried to pull away, but Klaus wasn't letting go. He was way too strong.

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Buffy stood frozen in the warehouse, her heart pounding in her chest as her eyes landed on Elijah's coffin. The weight of the scene hit her like a freight train. She cared about Elijah—cared more about him than she wanted to admit—but the betrayal that night still stung. And she knew he wasn't gone—he could easily wake up again if someone removed the dagger, but still seeing his face, just like the last time, when she had sat down on the ground next to his body, something pulled in her gut.

It was the same as it had been that night of the dinner party at the Salvatore boarding house when everything had turned upside down in a matter of seconds.

Klaus's voice cut through her thoughts, making Buffy want to throw up. "I suppose, brother, you've been reunited with our family." He said, closing the lid of the coffin with finality. This is what their family looks like?

Klaus turned to the two men standing nearby, his voice commanding as he spoke. "Put him with the others. We're leaving town tonight."

Buffy's eyes flicked back to Elijah's coffin, a pang of frustration hitting her hard. This isn't right. But she couldn't let Klaus know how much his actions affected her, not matter how angry and hurt she still felt.

She looked over at Stefan, standing nearby, his face unreadable as he read a text on his phone. Buffy's gaze softened for a moment, relieved to see the message—"Damon's okay. Where R U? Have you seen Buffy?" But the relief didn't last long. For how long?

Klaus smirked as he caught Stefan's glance. "So... Did Katerina make it in time?" he asked, voice dripping with false sweetness.

Stefan's answer came quickly, his eyes narrowing with a quiet, determined edge. "You won't be seeing her again, you know."

Buffy watched as Klaus raised an eyebrow, clearly unfazed. "Because she's on vervain? I've been around a long time, Stefan. I rarely get played for a fool. Besides, she won't get far. You'll help me see to that."

Stefan took a few steps toward Klaus, his tone flat but tense. "What is it you really want from me?" He demanded, his frustration barely contained. Stefan knew what he wanted from Buffy, but that still didn't make him understand why Klaus needed him to get back into his old habits of drinking human blood.

Klaus's smirk only grew wider. "All will be explained in time. Once we leave this tragic little town." He said coolly.

Stefan glared at him, taking a step back. "Then are we done here? Can we go?"

Klaus leaned in, his expression growing darker, more ominous. "Not quite. You see, I have a gift for you."

Buffy felt her stomach turn. A gift?

The girl stepped out from behind a crate, her eyes wide with fear. Buffy's heart sank. She couldn't understand how Klaus could be so cruel, using people like pawns in his game.

Klaus turned to Stefan, his gaze never leaving him. "Come here, sweetheart. Don't be afraid." He said to the girl, his voice smooth and then, without hesitation, Klaus sank his teeth into the girl's neck.

The girl stumbled back, gasping for air, but before she could run, Stefan was on her, biting into her neck with a ferocity that left Buffy frozen in place. The girl screamed, but it was cut short as Stefan drained her dry.

Klaus stood back, watching it all with a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Now we can go." He said. "Come on, love." Klaus turned to his mate, offering his hand for her to take.

Her pulse quickened with anger as she looked at his outstretched hand, but she refused to take it. She wasn't going to play along with whatever he had in mind to do with them.

Instead of taking his hand the girl scoffed and walked passed him and went to Stefan, dragging him away from the dead girl's body.

"You can resist all you want, but I know you'll cave, love." Klaus called after them.

"In your dreams, asshole." The girl spoke, not looking back as she flipped him off, only to hear a loud chuckle coming from his throat.

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don't worry guys! an actual relationship will start in a few chapters and Klaus will become a whole lot nice (to Buffy, I can't say the same as to the others) :)

and end of act 2

Words: 2626

Posted: December 31, 2024

Thank you so much for reading again! Be sure to comment. I love reading them and it keeps me motivated! I love you guys!!

Mwah mwah Katherine