꧁𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲꧂

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IT HAD BEEN A FEW MONTHS SINCE GRACE HAD HEADED BACK TO NEW YORK. Time had passed rather quickly as she just threw herself back into her work. She had kept in contact with most people back in New Orleans. Davina and Camille were the two most constant ones outside of Hayley. But she hadnt actually seen anyone other than Hanna and Paul who she had flown out to New York on two occasions. Well, Paul had insisted he at least pay for his own ticket since Grace had demanded to pay for Hanna's.

Grace had learned that her mother wasn't doing so well. She had gotten back into the habit of drugs and Paul said that he's heard some hushed conversations with Robert who, Ann said she cut all ties off with. Grace wasnt surprised that she had started to act like that. It was the same way when Grace was growing up. But she felt bad for them because Hanna seemed genuinely happy when they first met talking about Ann. And Paul had married her but he didnt see the true woman she was until after.

Grace heads out of the elevator, walking to Jenna's office which was right next to hers.
"

Jenna, I'm back with the coffee!" She states as she opens the door, seeing the woman at her desk. Jenna gets up from her chair immediately, groaning as she tilts he rhead back.

"Thank god, I was literally going to die if I had to drink any more of this crap." Jenna admits as she dumps the office coffee into the trash before taking the coffee cup. Grace smiles as she holds up a bag.

"Also got you a vanilla scone." She states and Jenna gasps as she grabs it from the woman.

"You know me so well." Jenna says with a smile as she tilts her head and Grace rolls her eyes playfully.

"Ryan needs the case file for the Wallstreet murders on his desk by the end of the day." Grace tells her as she had ran into their boss on her way in. Jenna takes a bite out of her scone, nodding her head.

"Yeah, I'll get there. I'm still on vacation mode." She admits as she didn't realize how much she needed to take time off. And now that she was back at work, all she wanted to do was go back.

"You mean, your honeymoon mode?" Grace corrects he with a laugh. They had gotten married three weeks ago and had been on their honeymoon for the last two. "How is Mark?" She asks as she hadn't seen the man since the wedding.

"Just perfect." Jenna admits with a bright smile on her face and Grace knew that this woman was head over heels for him. "Man, he does everything right." She says as she sits down on her chair, throwing her head back. "And I mean everything." She states with a smirk on her lips. Grace scrunches up her nose as she looks down at the girl.

"All right, pack it up there lover girl." Grace tells her with a playful roll of her eyes. She loved Jenna but listening to her talk about mark every two seconds was a bit annoying.

"Are you sure you don't want me to set you up with someone?" Jenna asks, honestly just wanting to be able to do double dates and have it not be some random person that she didn't know. "Do you remember Lisa?" She questions and Grace furrows her eyebrows.

"She worked the Adamson case with us?" She asks as she wasn't one hundred percent sure. Jenna nods her head with a smirk forming on her lips.

"Yeah. Turns out, she's now single and she's always had a crush on you." Jenna tells her and Grace only sighs, fiddling with her fingers.

"I don't know, Jen. I'm not looking for anything serious."

"You cannot keep having these one night stands."

"Why not?"

"Don't you eventually want to settle down?" Jenna asks as the girl hadn't even mentioned it in the whole time that they had been friends. Nor had she been in a relationship.

"I have years before I have to. And even then, I don't need someone in my life to be happy." Grace replies as she shrugs her shoulders, not getting the whole need for marriage and kids.

"Mhm." Jenna hums as she squints her eyes before she lets out a sigh. "How's Hayley doing?" She asks as she had heard what happened to her baby since Grace had told her.

"Coping. She's just trying to get though every day." Grace replies with a small frown, glancing towards the ground. Of course, Jenna only knew that Hope had 'died' just like everyone else.

"I can't believe it's already been months since everything happened." She admits as it seemed like only yesterday. Grace nods her head in agreement.

"Yeah, it's crazy." Grace responds before her phone rings. She takes it out of her pocket and sees that it was Elijah calling her. "I gotta take this." She says as she walks into the other room, pressing the button and bringing her phone to her ear. "Elijah, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She asks curiously as she crosses her arms against her chest.

"Grace, it's nice to hear your voice. Have you been well?" He questions and she smiles lightly.

"You know, living life to the fullest." Grace says with a sigh as she leans against the wall behind her. "What's up?" She asks, wondering why he was calling her. Since he honestly never called her.

"I know you've spoken to Hayley recently but I need you to try and reason with her." Elijah tells her and Grace only furrows her eyebrows, a bit confused.

"Over what?"

"She's out of control and Niklaus isn't helping the problem."

"Klaus will do what Klaus wants." Grace admits as there was no controlling what Klaus did. And Hayley seemed fine to her, it wasn't like she was killing innocent people.

"Is there any way I can convince you to visit? Even just for a few days." Elijah asks her and Grace sighs as she rubs her face. "Hayley will get her chance with Francesca, I just need her to wait a little while longer." He admits, not needing her to lash out and get herself killed. Even though she was a hybrid, she could still get outnumbered.

"We both know a few days will not just be a few days." Grace points out with a sigh as she runs a hand through her hair. Something was going to end up happening and then she'll blink and months will have passed.

"I promise you, as soon as they stop acting like complete barbarians, you can leave." Elijah tells her as he wasnt going to keep her in New Orleans against her will.

"They?" She asks as she furrows her eyebrows. Grace had been talking to Hayley over the months over video call already but who else did Elijah need help with?

"Can you talk to my brother as well? He'll listen to you." He tells her and Grace raises her eyebrows. Never once would she think that Klaus Mikaelson listens to anyone, let alone her.

"Elijah, you depend on me way too much." Grace points out teasingly as the man had texted her a few times over to the months asking how to deal with Hayley. "I'll book a flight and be there in a few hours." She states as she rubs her face.

"Thank you." Elijah says.

"You'll owe me." Grace replies as she was not about to fly to New Orleans just to fix his problems and not get anything in return.

"Of course." Elijah responds with a soft chuckle. Grace sighs as she hangs up the phone, already knowing that Jenna wasn't going to like this one bit. She had been back for a few months but it felt like she was in New Orleans yesterday.

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"NO." Jenna states immediately, her arms crossed as she glared at Grace who was standing in front of her with her bag packed. Grace sighs as she hadn't even let the girl finish her sentence before she denied it.

"Jenna-"

"No, you said you weren't leaving for long last time and that turned into like 6 months." Jenna points out as she wasn't about to last another six months without her. Grace rolls her eyes as she bites the inside of her cheek.

"It's only a couple of days."

"Until you call me and say that your staying in New Orleans." She says as that's what happened last time and she wasn't even the one that she spoke to. Jenna had to talk to the idiot.

"Come with me then if you're so worried." Grace suggests with a shrug as she didn't know what to say to her. She wanted to see her sister and honestly, she missed the place.

"You know I can't just leave mark like that." Jenna points out as she and Mark had a close relationship, she couldn't just text him telling him that she was heading to new Orleans.

"Then bring him along." She tells the girl.

"Grace-"

"I don't know what you expect me to say." Grace groans as she tilts her head back. "Hayley is having a difficult time and she needs me there." She admits as she wanted to physically be there for her sister. Having conversations over the phone wasn't the same.

"You know you're going into a literal warzone. Those werewolves that killed her baby are still alive."

"I know that."

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"Then protect me." Grace retorts as the girl was a witch, there must be some sort of protection spell she could do so she wouldn't worry so much. Jenna groans as she crosses her arms against her chest.

"Fine, you can go." She says making Grace smile at her. "But I swear, if you are not back in a few days, I'm coming down and dragging your ass back." Jenna threatens as she wasn't about to let that old pile of ashes take away her best friend again.

"Or, you and Mark can extend your honeymoon and have some fun in New Orleans." Grace suggests as she raises her eyebrows. Jenna was always impulsive when it came to Mark, hell they had gotten engaged only six months into their relationship.

"Do not even suggest that. Because it'll end up happening." Jenna complains with a sigh and she would go but she didn't want to see the old crinkly bitch. For anyone confused, she's referring to Klaus. The man who thinks he was better than her. But no one would take her wife away from her.

"I'll see you when I get back." Grace tells her with a smile as she pulls the girl in for a hug.

"Mhm." Jenna rolls her eyes playfully before they pull away from each other. "Love you, slut." She teases the girl with a wink. Grace raises an eyebrow, laughing as she shakes her head.

"Love you too, bitch."

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AS SHE WALKS INTO THE COMPOUND, Grace is met with Elijah who was waiting for her since she told him her plane had landed. He offers a kind smile as he walks over to her. "Grace, lovely to see you again." He tells her as he leans down to press a kiss to her cheek. She only squints her eyes, scrunching up her nose.

"Sure." She retorts as the only reason she was here was because he asked her to be. "All right, where are they?" Grace asks, getting straight to the point. Mainly because she wanted to go pay a visit to Camille and Davina.

"Hayley, I'm not quite sure but Niklaus is upstairs." Elijah admits as he wasn't sure where the woman had headed off too.

"Fine. I'll go talk to him." Grace says with a sigh as she glares playfully at the original. Elijah smiles down at her before she makes her way up the stairs.

She had found Klaus in the art room, surrounded by blank canvases that looked like they had been murdered with a knife. Her eyebrows raise as she glanced around. At least there was a piano that was unscathed. "I see you've lost your touch." She says, leaning against the doorframe. Klaus turns his head towards her, almost like he wasn't surprised to see her. Well, he probably heard her talking to Elijah.

"Just waiting for the right inspiration, love." Klaus admits as a soft smile forms on his lips. They hadn't seen each other since she left and they had only talked a handful of times. Mainly because Grace was busy with her job.

"Your brother made it seem like you were out of sorts, when in fact the only thing you've killed are these poor canvases." Grace points out with a pout on her lip, picking one up and placing it on the table.

"Elijah, does not know how to mind his own business." Klaus says with a sigh as he rolls his eyes.

"Why are the werewolves still alive?" She asks as she wanted to know why they hadn't been killed yet. Even Jenna, who wasnt that big on vampires, wanted them to kill the werewolves.

"You can ask my brother, it's all his plan after all."

"What is?"

"You'll see when I paint my canvas red with the blood of our enemies." Klaus tells her and Grace just raises an eyebrow at him.

"They are not our enemies. They're yours." She corrects him as she didn't have anyone that was out to get her. She was mainly collateral damage. Well, no one that was supernatural at least, she had been receiving letters from her father. The coward was too afraid to see her in person apparently.

"Well, Hayley hates them, I just figured you would too." Klaus says with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh, I do. And I won't feel bad when you rip their heads off of their bodies but I'm not even supposed to be here." Grace admits as Hayley had basically made New Orleans off limits for her. "Honestly, Hayley will not be happy to see me." She states with a sigh, not really thrilled to get a lecture from the hybrid.

"Right, because you're supposed to be kept out of all this."

"Ironic since my best friend is a witch."

"Can I get you a drink, love?" Klaus asks with a smile as he walks over to his liquor collection. Grace only crosses her arms against her chest.

"I'm supposed to be talking to you about your grief... Actually I don't know what Elijah wants me to talk to you about." Grace admits as he wasn't exactly straightforward with her. Klaus raises his eyebrows but he was annoyed by his brothers behaviour, not that he wasn't happy to see the woman. He pours the alcohol into the two glasses.

"He probably thinks you'll keep me on a short leash." Klaus tells her and Grace only snorts, shaking her head. He hands her one of the glasses which she accepts.

"No one can keep you on a leash." She retorts and he only smirks slightly before bringing his glass to his lips.

"So, how has your life been in New York." He asks before taking a drink. Grace taps her nail against the glass, shrugging her shoulders.

"It's been fine." Grace says as she had started to feel homesick for some strange reason. She was home, in her apartment and yet there was this yearning feeling like something was missing.

"Just fine?" Klaus asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I don't know. I guess I just feel like it's not the same."

"What isn't, love?"

"It doesn't feel like home."

"Because your family is here." Klaus points out as Hayley had made New Orleans her home, especially since she found out she was born here.

"But Jenna is there." Grace tells him with a sigh as she couldn't just leave her best friend.

"Jenna can visit as much as she wants."

"She would kill you if she even knew that you were trying to convince me to stay."

"I'm not trying to convince you of anything, love."

"Right." Grace replies as she squints her eyes at the man who was just staring back at her Innocently. "I guess I'll just see Hayley for a few days and head back. But she's been talking about taking out the witch's and if Elijah thinks I'm gonna stop her, he's wrong." She admits as Hayley had every right to kill the witches that were involved in the sacrifice. Klaus raises an eyebrow at her, smirking.

"The righteous lawyer, okay with brutal murder." He states as he shakes his head and she only matches his smirk.

"I never said I was righteous." Grace admits as she had done some questionable things in her past but not to anyone who didn't deserve it.  "And they deserve it." She states, the cases she worked on were all people who were either psycho or just killed someone because they wanted to. Grace killed when she had to or to get justice. "I'll go tell Elijah that you're just stubborn as always." She teases him with a wink as she licks her bottom lip.

"Or, you can stay." Klaus suggests as he looks down at her.

"And do what?" Grace asks with a laugh. She turns to walk away but he only grabs her hand, forcing her back towards him and smashing their lips together. Grace was shocked for a moment but allowed him to kiss her.

Her arms wrap around his neck as she softly moans at the feeling of his lips on hers. Klaus moves his hands to her back, bringing her closer as the kiss becomes heated. Grace grips the ends of his hair, slipping her tongue into his mouth. Klaus moves his hands down her body, gripping her ass before picking her up. Grace instantly wraps her legs around his waist as he speeds them to the piano.

As she is placed on top of it, her legs only tighten around his waist as she deepens the kiss, her hands running down the man's chest. Klaus grunts into the kiss before grabbing at her shirt and pulling away from her. Grace got the message and brought her arms up so he could take off her shirt with ease. He immediately brings his lips to her neck, leaving heated kisses on her skin. She closes her eyes, biting her bottom lip as she grips onto his shoulders.

Klaus moves down to her chest, kissing along it, his hand grabbing at her ass. Grace feels him nip at her skin making a gasp leave her lips. Klaus brings her to the edge of the piano, making more contact with him.

"Nik.." Grace moans as she tilts her head back, her hand running through his hair. Klaus sucks the skin of her breast before moving his mouth back to hers. He groans as she kisses him with force, her legs tightening around him. His hand moves up her thigh, gripping it as he grinds into her. He slips it underneath her skirt, pushing the fabric up a bit as he gets to her underwear.

"Niklaus, I think we're re-" Elijah had realized that his plan was much closer to being ready and decided to let Klaus know. What he didn't expect was the walk in and see them heavily making out on the piano. It didn't seem like the two had noticed him. He could hear Grace's moans as the two remained in their heated embrace. Klaus' hand was underneath her skirt and it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was doing. Elijah tilts his head back, his eyes rolling as he brings his hand to the bridge of his nose.

Clearing his throat loudly, Klaus pulls away from Grace's lips in order to tilt his head to the side. Both of them were breathing heavily but the mood diminished when they saw Elijah standing a few feet from them with an annoyed expression on his face. Klaus rolls his eyes as he licks his bottom lip. Grace was still wrapped around the man, her lips puffy and sore. "If you two wouldn't mind detaching yourselves from each other." Elijah states as he raises his eyebrows at them. Klaus only glares at him before letting her leg drop from his waist. He steps back, Elijah now getting a full view of Grace who was shirtless.

"You have impeccable timing, brother." Klaus states in annoyance as he clenches his jaw. Elijah only scoffs as he shrugs his shoulders.

"Well, I sent Grace in here to talk with you. What I did not expect was for her to have her tongue down your throat." He replies and Grace only runs a hand through her hair.

"Klaus is fine, Elijah. You're the one who's putting a hold on them getting their revenge."

"Well, that won't be for too much longer." He tells them with a sigh as he knew it was a long time, but at least it was making Francesca nervous. His eyes moving back to Grace who was leant back on her hands, still not budging from her spot on the piano. "Can you-- Please." Elijah asks as he gestures to her. Grace raises an eyebrow, she wanted to tease him and tell him that it's nothing he hadn't seen before, but she wanted to spare the extra tension in the room. She rolls her eyes as she grabs her shirt from beside her. Grace could see that Klaus wasn't pleased that his view was getting covered up as she puts the shirt on. She sighs as she jumps off of the piano, pulling her skirt down.

"Everyone grieves in their own way, Elijah. Maybe stop trying to micromanage everyone." Grace suggests as she crosses her arms against her chest. He acted like they were supposed to be fine. They were missing their baby's first few months because of the people in this city.

"Then why come?"

"To have an excuse so Hayley cant just send me away as soon as she sees me." She admits with a shrug as she knew that Hayley couldn't send her away if she found out they had called her here. Grace sighs, rolling her eyes as she was done with this conversation. "I'll leave you two to talk." Grace says as she glares at the man in front of her. She turns her attention to Klaus for a moment, running her finger along his chest before walking out of the room.

Klaus follows her with his eyes but he could feel his brothers harsh stare on him. "Really, Niklaus?" Elijah asks as he crosses his arms against his chest. Klaus only sighs as he turns his head to elijah.

"Weren't you the one practically telling me that I had feelings for her?" Klaus questions as he raises an eyebrow at the man.

"Using her to distract yourself isn't the solution." Elijah points out as this was not what he suggested when he asked Grace to talk to him. His brother needed to process his grief which was not happening.

"Oh, I very much disagree." He retorts with a growing smirk.

"So, you use her and then toss her away like everyone else?" Elijah asks as he could tell that this was a joke to him. But Elijah cared for Grace and he wasn't about to let his brother hurt her.

"Grace is my friend. We're just being.. beneficial towards each other." Klaus tells him as he smirks, shrugging his shoulders. Elijah scoffs, not liking his attitude.

"Niklaus, she is Hayleys sister. You cannot sleep with her just for your own pleasure."

"Says the man who's in love with the little wolf."

"There are plenty of women in this city, go find one."

"Oh, so I am allowed to leave the compound?" Klaus asks as he raises his eyebrows. He had been contained in the compound for months because Elijah said it looked better for appearances.

"Brother-"

"You know, I dont particularly have any interest in other women." Klaus admits with a sigh as he takes a few steps towards the man  "I think I'll stick with our fiesty lawyer." Klaus states with a growing smirk on his face as he clasps his hands behind his back. Elijah didn't look too impressed by his comment, glaring harshly at him.

"If you are doing this just to spite me--"

"What could I possibly do, Elijah?" Klaus asks as he raises an eyebrow at him. "Go after the woman you have forbidden me to see? Oh, I definitely can't do that." He teases the man who only clenches his jaw. Klaus gasps as he widens his eyes. "Ooh, actually. I already have." He states before giving a smug look to Elijah and walking past him.

"You've said it yourself." Elijah says making the man stop in his steps. Elijah turns to him, Klaus' back facing him. "Grace isn't interested in anyone." He points out as they had a conversation a month ago about her and how it didn't seem like she was looking for a relationship. Klaus only chuckles as he glanced at the floor before turning to face him.

"She seemed rather interested in me when she was screaming my name a few months ago." Klaus retorts, raising an eyebrow at his brother. Elijah was taken aback slightly, he hadn't realized that they were sleeping together before she left. Klaus only smirks, looking proud of himself before walking off.

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GRACE WAS SAT IN THE LIVING ROOM, a glass of wine in front of her as she scrolled through the movie options in front of her. She sighs as she rests her head back, trying to get comfortable. But just as she was about to relax, she saw Hayley walking into the room. The werewolf immediately stops when she sees Grace on the couch. Grace's eyes widen slightly as she sits up.

"Hey, sugar." She says in a wary tone, a bright smile on her face. Grace didn't know what Hayley was thinking because her face was blank. But she saw the hint of anger flash through her eyes.

"Grace-"

"I know what you're going to say." Grace admits with a sigh as she holds up her hands in defence. "But if you want to blame anyone for me being here, blame Elijah." She states as she shrugs her shoulders. Elijah was the one who called her so he should take the blame.

"Elijah called you." Hayley says with a sigh as she rolls her eyes a little bit. The original didn't know how to leave her alone.

"Yeah."

"I'm fine, Grace. You don't need to be here."

"Hey, who says Im here for you? What if I just missed my little sister?" Grace suggests as she squints her eyes. Hayley only raises an eyebrow at her, not believing her for a moment.

"Right, you flew here just to say you miss me." Hayley says as she crosses her arms against her chest. Grace groans as she tilts her head back.

"Sugar, it's been months. One tiny little visit isn't going to hurt." She points out as Hayley was acting like she had brought her entire apartment with her.

"Until hell breaks loose and something happens which causes you to stay."

"Then I stay."

"No, you'll leave."

"You may be a hybrid, but you cannot scare me." Grace states as she raises an eyebrow at the girl. She wasn't fearful of her sister, mainly because she knew Hayley would never hurt her.

"I can sure as hell drag your ass to the airport." Hayley points out as she was going to book her a flight home for tomorrow morning.

"Don't worry, Jenna will do that if I'm here for more than a few days." Grace tells her as she was already going to get dragged home anyways. Hayley smiles lightly as she tilts her head.

"How is Jenna? Still in the honeymoon phase." She asks as she raises an eyebrow, knowing that her and Mark had gotten back from Greece recently.

"Sometimes it's nauseating." Grace admits with a groan as she was happy for her friends but they acted like such an annoying couple sometimes. She often just left if they got on her nerves.

"So, still no hubby?" Hayley teases her as she sits down next to the girl, nudging her slightly.

"I am perfectly okay with being single and mingling with the cute people I meet at the bar." Grace says as she takes a sip of her wine. Hayley snorts as she knew all about Grace's rendezvous at the many bars.

"Of course you are."

"Now." Grace states firmly as she grabs the television remote. "Are you going to continue to be angry that I'm here, or are we having a Harry Potter marathon?" She asks as she squints her eyes at Hayley. The brunette only smiles, rolling her eyes playfully before resting herself in Grace's arms.

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WALKING DOWN THE HALL OF THE COMPOUND, Grace brings her cigarette down from her lips before patting it against the wall. She lets the smoke out of her mouth as she throws the cigarette away.

"Niklaus, just think this through." She could hear Elijah's voice as they both entered the dining room in front of her. Grace raises an eyebrow as she wondered if they had decided on a plan yet.

"We have the Guerreras where we want them. We have them waiting, we have them worried and now we know they're an army with no defenses against an original." Klaus explains to his brother as he notices grace entering the room. He takes a seat at the table, a sigh leaving his lips.

"We don't know that for certain."

"I'm willing to gamble."

"You have to make a move eventually, Elijah. Hayley won't just sit around for much longer." Grace pipes up, making the original look at her. He looked slightly angry and a little bit frustrated.

"Did you even try to talk to her?" He asks as it seems that she wasn't helping the situation at all.

"No, because I know better than anyone that Hayley wouldn't listen anyways. Not even to me." Grace admits as she shrugs her shoulders. She would talk to her but she wouldn't try and tell Hayley what to do.

"I'm guessing you taught her that." Elijah retorts as he cocks an eyebrow at her. Grace only smirks, placing her hand on her hip.

"A woman doesn't need to bow down to the knees of a man to get what she wants, Elijah." Grace tells him with a smug expression on her face. Elijah just turns his attention back to his brother.

"It's too risky. The stake didn't just disappear. Someone has it." Elijah states as it was obvious that someone had stolen it.

"One enemy at a time. In the end, we'll slay them all. Tonight, we just have to plant the right seeds and for that we need help." Klaus responds as they will find the stake later, right now he just wanted his strength back.

"I'll get Hayley." Elijah says with a sigh as he turns and leaves the room. Grace watches the original leave before her gaze moves back to Klaus.

"So, these rings make you weak but you still can't be killed." Grace asks as she wondered how exactly they affected him.

"Thankfully not."

"Do you need me to protect you?" She teases him and he smiles for a moment before it becomes serious.

"I don't need you out there tonight. I know that you can handle yourself but I'm not taking any chances." Klaus admits as he knew she could protect herself, well sometimes, not all the time since Marcel did almost kill her months ago.

"And you think I'll listen to you?" Grace asks as she raises an eyebrow at him. Had he not just heard them talking about hayley being stubborn?

"Love, I'm not trying to demand you. Hayley will want you safe."

"And where exactly will I be safe? With the original who can't even move on the full moon because the very werewolves who we want to take down, have your strength?"

"I'll gain power when the rings are taken." Klaus responds with a sigh as he glances down for a minute. He looks back up at her, meeting her eyes. "Please, love." He pleads as he brings his hand up to her cheek, stroking it softly. Grace only stares at him, her eyes widening as her mouth parts. She didn't know why he had decided to be so forward towards her right now.

"We're taking the twelve original rings." Elijah says as he enters the room with Hayley. Grace clears her throat as she looked towards them, taking a step away from Klaus. "Now, four of them sit on the hands of the Guerrera brothers. One on Oliver, one on Francesca, three with her home security detail and the rest scattered amongst her lackeys. Now, each ring is distinguishable by its setting, Gauche like those that wear them." He explains to them as they knew who had the rings, they just had to get them.

"If they believe that they can get the hands on the stake, they will come for me when I'm weak." Klaus states as he gets up from his seat. "Each ring we retrieve will strengthen me but I will still be at a disadvantage." He tells them as it would take a little bit for him to come back to his full strength.

"Ergo, any chance of our success depends entirely upon on working together." Elijah points out sternly as he looks between Hayley and Klaus. "The two of you can no longer afford to retreat to seperate corners." He tells them and Hayley glances down at the table. Grace knew all about how they had been avoiding each other and honestly, it made sense since they did have to give up their child and seeing each other was a reminder of that.

"This is our fight." Klaus admits as he looks towards Hayley who meets his eyes. "Are you ready for battle, Hayley?" He asks her as he grips the chair in front of him.

"Just promise me that Francesca doesn't make it out of this alive." Hayley responds as she really only cared about getting her revenge on that woman.

"Her head will be delivered to you on a silver platter, little wolf." Klaus assures her as he was not going to let Francesca her away. Elijah glances between them before letting out a sigh.

"I'll get the last piece of the puzzle."

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GRACE WAS SAT NEXT TO KLAUS IN HIS ART ROOM, neither of them had said anything. Mainly because Klaus was just leant over, trying to forget of the weakened state he was in. She glanced at him, seeing that he was bouncing his knee. "Nik, this little plan is gonna work right?" She asks him and he looks at her for the first time.

"Don't you worry, love." Klaus tells her as he places his hand on her thigh. She glanced at it for a moment before returning her gaze to his eyes. "Francesca will be a lifeless corpse by the end of the night." He states as he couldn't wait for that bitch to get what was coming to her.

"Are you okay?" Grace questions as she saw the way the man tensed, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I'm fine." Klaus replies.

"Really, because you look like crap." She points out and Klaus just chuckles.

"Charming."

"You still look better than you do on a good day." Grace adds as she tilts her head. Klaus only squints his eyes at her, not amused by her commentary.

"I'm already in pain, I don't need your words to strengthen that." 

"Oh, come on. You can easily come up with something to say to me."

"Hm."

"Do you mind taking your hand off of my thigh, you're kinda digging in." Grace says as she notices that he had begun to draw blood. He knew he was feeling the affects of the werewolves and obviously hadnt noticed that his claws were out. Klaus glances at his hand before pulling it away from her. "Just take your mind off of it." She suggests as it was clear he had to get his mind elsewhere so he could push his way through it.

"How?" He questions as he just looks at her.

"By picturing something." Grace tells him as she thinks to herself for a moment before she presses her lips together tightly. "Like me." She says and he was just confused since she was already right in front of him. But she leaned towards his ear, a giggle escaping her mouth. "Naked." She whispers and Klaus raises an eyebrow at her suggestion. When she pulls away, he had a smirk on his face as he let his eyes run very her.

"I don't need to picture it, love. You can give me a little show." Klaus teases her with a wink and she rolls her eyes. Of course even in the state he was in, he could find the time to flirt with her.

"And give the werewolves a little taste too?" Grace suggests as she raises an eyebrow at him. This makes Klaus' face fall as he didn't want anyone else to see her, she was for his eyes only.

Suddenly Klaus felt something jolt inside of him and he gasps, tilting his head back. Grace grabs his shoulder, not sure what was happening. "I'm starting to get my strength back." He tells her as he felt the power flood through his veins again. It was clear that their plan was working. Klaus smirks as he goes to grab a canvas.

"What are you doing?" Grace asks him curiously as he sets it on the floor, grabbing a few paintbrushes as well.

"Painting." He tells her as he raises an eyebrow at her. Grace only squints her eyes for a moment before she sees his smirk grown. He turns around, throwing the ends of the paintbrushes into the werewolves throats. Grace stares at the door where they dropped dead.

Klaus gets up, going to drag the bodies over to them. Grace follows him, wondering what exactly he was going to do. She glanced over, noticing another werewolf had entered. Before Klaus even could glance in the man's direction, grace stabs him in the back of the neck.

As he hears the thud, Klaus looks behind him, seeing the dead body next to her. "Now, who was worried about me again?" Grace asks as she places a hand on her hip. Klaus only looked impressed as he grabs the arms of the two werewolves that he had killed.

He drags them over to his canvas before using their blood to start painting. Grace walks over to him, noticing the way he was still tense. "So, how weak are you?" She questions, wondering how many rings they had managed to get.

"Someone still has their ring." Klaus tells her as he could still feel that someone was using his strength to counteract the full moon. Grace nods her head slowly, biting the inside of her cheek. She taps his shoulder, making the man glance at her curiously.

She brushes her hair over her shoulder. "Go for it." Grace says as she tilts her neck a little. Klaus just stared at her for a moment, he knew what she was referring to. She wanted him to feed from her.

"I shouldn't." Klaus denies as he shakes his head, glancing away from her. Grace furrows her eyebrows, tilting her head slightly.

"Why, you've done it before?" She points out as he had fed on her on other occasions. Klaus just sighs as he bites the inside of his cheek.

"That was different." Klaus tells her and Grace was only confused now, he never fought with her before. It didn't make sense that he was doing it now, especially when he needed it.

"How?"

"I'm not fully myself, I could hurt you."

"You won't." Grace assures him as she grabs his hand. Klaus almost flinched at her touch, not expecting it. He looks down at their hands before meeting her eyes. Her gaze was soft as she gave him a gentle smile. Klaus was surprised by her new behaviour as she wasn't one to be so heartfelt towards him. He takes a deep breath, his eyes moving to her neck.

Klaus moves towards her, grabbing her shoulder to pull her towards him. Grace tilts her head, holding her hair out of the way. Klaus' face changes as his fangs come out. He bites into her skin, trying to be gentle. Grace sighs as she closes her eyes for a moment. Klaus brings his hand to her back, pushing her closer to him as he drank from her. It was only for a few seconds before he tore himself away. He could feel his hunger press against his mind as he looks away from her.

Grace opens her eyes, bringing her hand up to turn his head back to her. His face was still transformed so his yellow eyes were staring down at her. "Keep going if you need to." She tells him with a nod. Klaus stares at the blood that was on her neck, snarling lightly as he brings his fangs back to it. He bites into her a bit rougher this time, his hand clutching the fabric of her jacket as he held her against him. Grace grabs his arm to stabilize herself.

Klaus heard the little gasp that had escaped her lips and immediately softens his touch. Its what he needed in order to bring himself back. He had lost control for a second but she was able to bring him back. And he knew that she would do something to alert him if he was actually too close to hurting her.

"Niklaus!" He hears his name being yelled and suddenly he was pushed against the wall. Elijah had his hand wrapped around his throat, glaring angrily at him. "Do not touch her." Elijah threatens as he couldn't believe what he had saw when he walked into the room. Grace's eyes widen as she looks in front of her.

"Elijah, it's okay." Grace tells him as she rushed over to them. Klaus had blood dripping down his chin, his gaze solely on Elijah.

"No, that is not okay, Grace." Elijah replies as he looks back at her, seeing the blood falling from her neck. Grace sighs as she grabs a cloth that was on the side, holding it to her skin. "How dare you bite her-' He glares daggers at his brother but Grace shakes her head, grabbing the man and yanking him off of Klaus.

"I let him." Grace states firmly, trying to stop the fight that was inevitably going to happen. Elijah flickers his eyes to her, shock on his face. "Elijah, it was my idea." She tells him, not wanting Klaus to take the heat for something she allowed him to do.

"Why in God's name would you allow him to feed on you?" He asks with a harsh voice as he shakes his head. Grace sighs as she knew Elijah wasn't happy with her decision to help his brother.

"He was still weak." She points out as she didn't want some other werewolves to come in and attack him when he was still not one hundred percent.

"He could lose control." Elijah points out with a scoff as he stares down at the woman.

"He didn't."

"Brother, I would never hurt her." Klaus pipes up as he couldn't believe Elijah would suggest that. He had his own fears about it but being in Grace's presence allowed him to be okay as he fed.

"Oh really?" Elijah asks as he raises his eyebrows, walking back over to his brother. "It didn't look like you were going to stop yourself." He points out as he clenches his jaw, he saw how his brother was holding her and it surely didn't look like he was being gentle.

"Elijah, stop it."  She snaps at him as she pushes back against his chest. Elijah stumbles back a step before glancing down at her. He bites into his wrist before holding it out to the woman.

"Drink." Elijah states with a stern voice and Grace just clenches her jaw, placing her hand on her hip.

"No." Grace responds as she shakes her head.

"You lost a lot of blood." He tells her as he moves his wrist closer to her but Grace just glares at him.

"Ill heal." She sneers as, as long as she kept her neck covered, it should heal fine. Klaus had noticed how Grace's body tensed so he moved so he was between the two.

"Brother, I suggest you take a step back." Klaus tells him, hostility in his tone as he glares at Elijah. The man looks down at Klaus for a moment before taking a few steps back, his wrist healing itself. "Which of the rings are unaccounted for." He asks, changing the subject because he was sure that Grace was going to punch Elijah in the face of he didn't.

"Only one. I must say the brothers fought valiantly before Ms Guerrera escaped." Elijah tells him and Grace stares at him, her eyes wide. How could he just allow the woman to escape, she was the one who conspired the whole thing.

"You let her get away?" Klaus asks with a scoff as he glares lightly at his brother.

"Not exactly." Elijah says as he squints his eyes a bit. "Hayley will take care of her." He tells them, he told Hayley as soon as Francesca had escaped. Klaus nods his head lightly but he only moves his gaze to the ground. Elijah takes one last glance at Grace before leaving the room.

Klaus brings his gaze to the girls neck, concern in his eyes as he wondered if he had gone too far. "Nik, I'm fine." Grace assures him as she would have stabbed him if she felt like he was not going to stop."I would never have let you if I knew you would hurt me." She admits as she looks up at him. Klaus only clenches his jaw, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why trust me?" Klaus asks as he looks down into her eyes. Grace only smirks lightly.

"Who says I trust you?" Grace retorts as she raises an eyebrow at him. Klaus smiles gently at her. "Clean up your mess." She tells him as she gestures to the bodies. Grace goes to move out of the room but Klaus only scoffs, a playful glint in his eyes.

"My mess?" He questions as he crosses his arms against his chest. Grace stops to look at him once more before she points to where the man who she killed was.

"Hey, my kill was clean." Grace points out with a smirk on her face. Klaus only rolls his eyes as he chuckled. She waves her fingers at him before heading out of the room, leaving Klaus to deal with it all himself.

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