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Chapter Text

Elena had never considered herself to be a particularly materialistic person. Sure, she liked cute shoes and new phones as much as the next person, but it had never been a driving force in her life. 

The Gilberts had always been comfortable, money-wise. She and Jeremy didn't want for much, growing up, and by the time that Elena did start to want things, it wasn't anything that money could buy. 

Some of it wasn't even tangible.  

Peace of mind, for one. Or just peace itself. 

That's why she warned Klaus about what his mother was planning the night of the ball. She'd darted through the crowd of attendees, palms sweaty in her gloves, until she found him and hissed a quiet warning. Underneath the fury at being betrayed by his own mother, Elena had seen something else in Klaus's eyes: Gratitude. 

Who knew that those four whispered words of warning, that quick "don't drink the champagne" was enough to stop their war? 

The next day--presumably after he and his siblings had some bonding time by murdering their mother, Elena really didn't want the details--he showed up on her doorstep for a more formal peace talk, and the two of them hashed out a plan. One blood bag a month, with a few sips of vampire blood after her donation each time. "To keep you in tip-top shape," as Klaus had said with what Elena could swear was a wink. 

But then, weird stuff started happening. 

The first weird thing that happened was that there was a small box at her doorstep, with a red bow tied on the top. She had frowned down at it and opened it, only to see a pair of earrings - diamond studs. They reminded her of a pair her mom used to wear and she wore them, thinking Stefan had given them to her, as some sort of apology. 

That evening, when she had been at the Grille doing homework both Klaus and his brother Kol had stared at her a little before Kol said something to Klaus that obviously bristled the hybrid. The two of them had left soon after she had gotten there though and she had breathed a sigh of relief. 

The next day, there was another set of earrings waiting for her, and she wore them too, blood red rubies framing her face. She wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact that Stefan wanted to see them near her neck, but, well, she was sure she could deal with whatever the reason was. 

She waited all day for him to say something, anything, about them but he hardly paid her any attention. That evening at the Grille, God she wished there was another place in town where she could hang out, where vampires didn’t litter every surface, Klaus took one look at her, smirked at her in a way that he obviously thought was intimidating but came off as just a creepy, and then left. 

She didn’t think much of it, but then, she got a necklace next, a crescent moon made of mother of pearl and--

Oh. 

Fuck. 

Stefan would never give her a crescent moon necklace, no, there was someone else who’d find it ironic that she was wearing something like that, and he was probably trying to -

What was he trying to do?

Confuse her? Because if he was, it was working. Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to back down now. 

So she wore the necklace, even if it did make her a little uncomfortable, and was rewarded for it when he looked stumped at the sight of it.

But Klaus wasn’t the only one who noticed her wearing the new jewelry. 

The earrings were subtle enough, flashing out from behind the curtain of her hair. But that moon necklace was a closer to a statement piece. And if there was one thing that Elena had learned from spending all her time with vampires, it was that her neck was subject to attention. 

“Oh where did you get that?” Caroline asked in excitement.

”Um, well…” Elena was at a loss for words. Sure, she didn’t have hard proof who had given her the necklace, but she did know how well her suspicions would be received.

Caroline continued looking at her expectantly, a light in her eyes, although Elena was sure that the light would be gone the moment she told her. “Oh, you know, I found it in the lake house.” She cringed a little at how high her voice was and Caroline looked at her slightly suspicious.

“Oh, really?”

“Yup, I have to go to class.” Elena said and brushed past Caroline to get away, catching Dana’s eyes, one of the girls from the cheerleading squad. The other girl gave Elena a tight smile along with an appreciative look that Elena didn’t know what to do with.

Elena didn’t like lying to her friend, but it seemed necessary to keep the peace. No one had been happy about the deal she’d made with Klaus, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it. This was a compromise that they could all—quite literally—live with. 

She just… wasn’t sure how jewelry factored into it. 

She was tired of everyone who was asking her about the necklace by the end of the day, but the next day, there was a rectangular box waiting for her and she held in a sigh. Of course it was a tennis bracelet, and the diamonds were of really good quality. She was a founding daughter, she had an idea of this sort of thing.

She wondered if this was some sort of joke, but then Klaus didn’t really seem the type of person who’d joke with her. Maybe at her. She frowned at that, and then wore the bracelet, if he was trying to make fun of her, then she was at least going to enjoy the jewellery.

Elena tried not to dwell on the fact that she’d chosen a short sleeve blouse to wear for the day, so that the bracelet was impossible to miss. It was such a pretty piece, it deserved to stand out! She’d gotten used to the looks people gave her these days, but she was sure she saw two of her classmates checking out everything, the necklace and the bracelet, even the earrings. Even Bonnie had given her a once over during lunch while Caroline had thrown a suspicious look in her direction.

And then at the end of the day her phone chimed, a message telling her Klaus wanted her blood that night. She rolled her eyes at how he didn’t seem to respect her time and got into her car. She sighed at the dents on the back of it, hitting an Original would do that, she thought, but it still worked fine. When she reached the outside of the mansion, she briefly thought of removing all the jewellery, but Klaus was obviously trying to make her uncomfortable, and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. 

Klaus greeted her at the door with a smile that was more welcoming than menacing.

“Excellent timing,” he said and waved her in. 

Elena brushed by, fighting down begrudging respect at his show of manners when he pulled out a chair for her. They weren’t in the formal dining room, but something that was more like a breakfast nook, and near the kitchen. There was irony in there, that her blood was something for hybrids to drink and it would be drawn in a kitchen.

She swiftly rested her elbow on the table, glad she’d worn short sleeves today. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about rolling them… oh crap.

Since she was right handed, so she’d rather her blood be drawn from her left elbow. That was the same arm she was wearing the bracelet on. In the bright afternoon light streaming into the kitchen, each individual stone reflected and gleamed, impossible to miss. 

And if she thought Klaus would miss it, he didn’t. The moment her hand rested on the counter, his eyes were drawn to her wrist, and the gleaming rocks on them. There was a compelled nurse who was setting up everything, but before she could, Klaus picked up her wrist. She felt her heart stutter and waited for the mocking, the taunt about wearing something he’d given her, despite everything. Instead, he moved his thumb so that he was tracing the veins underneath the bracelet for a little longer than necessary, before letting go of her wrist. Elena wanted to protest, to ask him what kind of game he was playing, but her mouth had gone dry.

She’d never known that his touch could be so gentle. Even as he regarded her with something like pride (of ownership? Of winning their game?) in his eyes, Elena fought to maintain her composure.

Thankfully, the nurse quickly went about her duties, Klaus tracking her every movement. 

He was either worried about losing a precious drop of doppelgänger blood, or he’d noticed the way Elena winced when the nurse found her vein with the needle.

It had to be the former. There was no way Klaus cared about her pain. 

The whole experience was odd, she felt his eyes digging into her skull when the nurse was done, and put a small bandage on the crook of Elena's elbow. She licked her lips as Klaus took her blood away and the nurse left, leaving her alone in the room for a moment. She tried to catch her breath, wondering what exactly was Klaus playing at. He'd never acted so weird, and she realized, he hadn't even really talked to her. 

When he came back, he had obviously stored the blood bag away, she got up. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her, "what are you doing?"

"Going home," what else did he think she was doing, every time she tried to do something for fun, someone tried to kill her. She could be in a world record book for surviving the most number of attempted murders. 

"I think you forgot part of our deal love," he said, his eyes flashing golden as he bit into his wrist and then offered it to her. He could totally give it to her in a glass, but no, he had to be a weird creep and offer her his wrist. She wondered if he'd stared at her wrist because he had a thing for wrists. Which was-nope, too weird to think about. So she brushed her hair behind her ear and leaned down to wrap her lips around his open wound.

The taste of blood was metallic and heavy on her tongue and she had to swallow quickly in the fear of chocking on it, but then his other hand found it’s way into her hair and then he was petting it. 

She did her best to ignore the thrill it gave her, his hand stroking her hair. Call her vain, but her hair was something she’d always been proud of. Despite its long length, it was healthy. She conditioned it so that it felt like silk, and she knew just the right way to make it frame her face. 

When the tip of one of his fingers brushed the back of her neck, she pulled away, the skin to skin contact enough to jolt her back to reality. 

She licked her lips, the feeling of his blood still heavy in the back of her throat, and looked at one of his ears, she wasn't sure she was ready to look at him after what she had just done. Even though she had just drank his blood to heal, she felt as if some kind of line had been crossed. 

"I should go now." He nodded and she caught the way he smirked at her and - why the fuck did he have dimples? And they were almost nice too. She hightailed it out of the house and got into her car. If she drove a little bit like she was in car chase, no one had to know, she just had to get away from the weird way she had reacted to the blood sharing. 

That was all it was, her reaction to blood sharing. Or so she tried to tell herself.

Elena slept restlessly that night. She was wired, but not in the way that she was when she was waiting for a vampire to show up and potentially kill her. No, this felt more like she had a cheer competition the next day, or a first date.

In other words, not emotions she typically associated with Klaus.

Dragging herself out of bed, she considered not putting on any of the jewelry. She almost made it too, resisting until she was about to step out of her bedroom before giving in to the sparkling gems. Just the tennis bracelet and the diamond studs--that was sort of subtle, right?

She tried not to think too much of it, or anything else, but she really wasn't looking forward to breakfast. Jeremy had taken the last of the microwavable breakfast sandwiches as lunch the day before, and Elena drank the rest of the coffee yesterday morning. So she ignored the mild queasiness that came with taking her vitamins on an empty stomach (hey, there wasn't anything wrong with getting some extra iron, no matter how magical vampire blood was!) and grabbed her keys and bag to leave the house.

But as she got down the stairs though, the rich smell of sugar, coffee, and chocolate hit her nose. She walked into the kitchen and felt her jaw drop. Jeremy was eating a croissant, there was a pile of them, and laid out on her dining table was a lot of food. Pancakes, waffles, beignets, French toast, along with some breakfast sandwiches.

“What,” she trailed off as Jeremy saw her. 

“Did Damon piss you off? Can you please pretend to be pissed off at him for longer, this breakfast is amazing!” 

But she was sure this wasn’t Damon’s work. Why was he sending her breakfast? Maybe, she thought as she took one of the beignets and some of the toast, she was hungry, this was just a way to ensure that she’d be fit to keep giving him blood. 

Amongst the food, she saw another box, and held in a sigh. But part of her was also excited, sue her but the man had good taste in jewellery, and she opened it only to see a necklace that she definitely couldn’t wear to school. It had a row of emeralds, and it was breathtaking.

She set the necklace ahead in favor of grabbing a stack of pancakes, closing her eyes in delight at the taste of rich maple syrup. The only thing that would make this perfect would be—

“Coffee?” Jeremy asked and passed her a thermos. Not a disposable paper mug from the local coffee shop, but an unmarked thermos. That’s what confirmed that his was from him. It was nice, stainless steel, the type you’d get from a high-end cooking store. 

The coffee it contained was perfect. Hot enough to warm her from the inside out without burning her tongue, and just the right ratio of sweet and bitter for Elena to feel ready to face the day.

“Does Damon have a personal chef or something? Because there’s no way he made all this on his own.” Jeremy said as he scoped another spoonful of jam onto his second croissant.

“I don’t think so…” Elena trailed off. She knew someone who did have a personal chef, but she was afraid if she told Jeremy who breakfast was from, he’d spit it out on pure principle.

And it was such a nice breakfast. She tried not to think who he had compelled to set up the food while they were both sleeping, but the pancake was melting in her mouth, the maple syrup was rich, and the coffee…Maybe she was selfish, but she was sort of beginning to like this too. 

When her breakfast was done, she packed some of it for lunch, the two of them left, but not before she stored the necklace away safely. That day went by well except for, well Rebekah. Elena was used to getting murderous looks from the vampire, but that day, even she stared at Elena’s jewelery before turning away. 

That evening, she had a hamburger for dinner at the Grille, along with the best fries, but when she asked for the cheque, the busboy shrugged. 

“It’s paid for.”

"What?” She craned her neck trying to look for Klaus. 

“Yeah, there’s a tab open in your name, and it’s paid for.”

Well, it was odd but Elena had to admit that it was more practical than the jewellery.

She made her way home, pondering Klaus’s potential motives all the while. This was probably him too, it was too much of a coincidence for anything else. Was he trying to soften her up for some reason? Did he want more blood, more frequently, and this was his attempt at a bribe?

Or was it something else? 

Elena shook her head and forced herself to pay more attention to the road. Even though she was driving slow down residential streets, she couldn’t afford to accidentally scrape up her car any more than it already was. Who knew that vampires were that bad for a bumper?

When she got home, the house was dark—Jeremy was probably with Bonnie, but that was okay. It would give her some time to think. 

Thankfully, Jer had remembered to put the front porch light on before leaving, otherwise Elena would probably have a busted ankle. There was a package sitting on the front porch. 

Had she ordered something? Elena didn’t think so, and Jeremy never shopped online—he liked to stop at the local art shop and test out the various materials, see the colors in person before buying. 

Cautiously, Elena brought the box inside. It was larger than a shoebox, and a good quality cardboard. It wasn’t too heavy, but…

Wait a minute. There wasn’t like a head in it or anything, was there? 

It was a morbid (and disgusting) thought, but given her life, Elena didn’t think it was too far out of the realm of possibility. 

But instead of seeing blood when she cracked the box open, she was met with soft fabric.

Elena stared into the box uncomprehendingly, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. She decided to take the box up to her room even though her stomach was flipping. She closed her bedroom door, she wasn’t sure if Ric was staying and then pulled out the contents of the box. 

It was ridiculous, she thought as she pulled out the soft clothes. There were her usual Henley's and tops, but there were also designer tops, a couple dresses, a few pairs of jeans and a really, really fancy ball gown. 

She hoped there wasn’t another ball where she would have to deal with the Mikaelsons. 

She frowned when she saw a smaller box and picked it out, feeling herself get a little giddy at the sight of it. It was a lipstick, but it wasn’t just any lipstick, it was the fancy, prestigious one that her, Bonnie and Caroline would always walk past. 

And it was blood red. 

Of course it was. 

But… this was just a whole other level to Klaus’ obsession.  She’d never thought he’d be the type to dictate how she dressed, but maybe this was just another way to assert his power. If it was, she thought as she picked out a soft cashmere sweater, it was really expensive. 

Well, it was Klaus, so what if he spent a little extra money, she was giving him her blood whenever he wanted it. And it wasn’t like she had to wear the clothes, or the lipstick. 

Still though, when she was getting dressed the next morning, she kind of wanted to. Caroline saw her that day and frowned at her, and even Bonnie noticed something.

But, she thought at the end of the day as she ordered lunch at the Grill, the lipstick really suited her skin tone, it’d be a crime not to use it. And the fabric felt so soft against her skin. She would just have to avoid her friends for a while.

It wasn’t like she'd asked for this stuff--Klaus was just giving it to her. Maybe there was some sort of catch, but until she found out what it was, Elena figured she might as well enjoy it. 

Getting these gifts was... nice. Stefan had given her the necklace, but that hadn't even been his to give, as it turned out. Elena had felt wrong keeping it from Rebekah, like she was stealing, especially when she learned that it was Esther's first. She knew how important it was to hang on to the good memories you had of your parents. Granted, her mother hadn't been a literal evil witch, but that was beside the point. 

So, she kept the stuff Klaus gave her. And wore it. And ate the fancy food that showed up at her house. 

Oh well, she thought as she saw him entering the Grille, speak of the devil. He smirked when he took in her appearance and strode towards her table. There was no need for her heart to race in the way it did, yet, it did. He sat opposite her, chin propped on clasped hands, and looked at her as if he was examining her. 

“The gifts were to your liking, I see.” His voice drawled and Elena shifted in her seat. She could try to deny him, but what was the point when he saw her dressed in the clothes he had given her, when she had taken to wearing the necklace daily. 

“They’re not bad,” even she could hear the lie in her voice and he smirked at her knowingly. 

“They do suit you quite well.” She was sure that his eye dragged down to her lips as he said it. 

“What is all this about?” She asked, not able to contain herself. 

“It’s our deal.” 

“Our deal didn’t include- you know…” she trailed off as he moved, his hand reaching across the table to grab hold of hers. Fingers slithered down her hand and over her wrist to play with the bracelet he had given her. 

“Our deal included you being safe and comfortable. Do these objects not make things easier for you? That is the only purpose they serve.” He said it casually, as if it didn’t matter that her sworn enemy was showering her with gifts. It was too much and she pulled her hand back. 

“I guess.” He frowned at that, and there was something calculating in his gaze. 

“Alright then.” And then he just left to go wait for one of his brothers at the bar.

Why was he always so….irritating?

Things were so much easier when he was the shadow of impending death looming over her life. Back then, he was the bad guy who wanted to sacrifice her. She hadn’t known anything  about him.

That wasn’t to say that Elena thought she knew him all that well now, but she knew enough to see that he was more than just the bad guy. He had excellent taste in jewellery, for one thing. Why did the villain in her life have to appreciate such pretty things?

And, Elena realized with something like dawning horror, why did he himself have to be so goddamn pretty? 

Klaus was sitting at the bar with his jacket off, and his long sleeve shirt was cut low enough that she could see his sharp collar bones and the dark ink of tattoos. All he was doing was calmly sipping a drink, actually minding his own business for once.

But suddenly, Elena couldn’t stop staring at him. 

His hair was long now than it was when they first met, the curls thick and wild. Curly hair was a dominant genetic trait, Elena knew that from a biology class. It was something that separated him from his siblings, and she wondered if his biological father had had hair like that.

Elena took a gulp of her ice water. Why the hell did she even care about his hair?

Or the way his forearms looked on the bar. Or the lean muscles over his shoulders, or how blue his eyes were, like Lapis Lazuli bathed in warm sunlight, or how red his lips were. 

She shook herself out of her thoughts as she finished her entire glass of water, feeling thirsty all of a sudden. But, she thought as she tried to focus on the cell division cycles in her book, this was all purely physical. 

She didn’t care how lilting his voice was, how his cheeks dimpled beautifully, how she wanted to run her fingers through his hair and down his chest and - 

She got up abruptly just as Kol and Rebekah entered the place, and stuffed her books in her bag quickly.  

She wanted to say that she didn’t run out of there, just that she walked really, really fast, not paying any attention to the way Klaus’ eyes lit up at the sight of his siblings. 

Nope. 

He was a monster. That was it. 

Albeit a really pretty one. No one would ever, ever know she thought that.

She quickly got into her car and started it—or, she tried to at least.

The engine made a sputtering noise and died. 

“Damn it Jeremy!” she shouted and tried again. He’d borrowed her car for a date with Bonnie. When they got back, he’d explained through red cheeks and Bonnie through an embarrassed smile, that when things got a little heated in the car, the car itself started smoking. 

Now, Elena was thrilled that her brother and her best friend were happy together. Really, she was! She’d just never wanted to know that much about their make out sessions, especially when they were apparently hot enough for Bonnie’s magic to go crazy.

“Oh come on, you piece of crap!” she growled and tried to start it one more time. Thankfully, the engine started.

Kol watched as the doppelgänger ran past him and his sister, before looking to where Nik was. He shared a glance with Rebekah and the two of them walked over to sit on either side of their hybrid brother.

“Looks like Elena left in a hurry.”

“Does she not appreciate all the gifts you’ve been giving her?” Rebekah asked as Nik scowled. 

“Oh, shut up,” Nik ground out. Which meant he was angry, which meant that listening to his brother was the last thing he would do. 

“I know this happens every once in two or three centuries, but it’s never been quite this bad brother.” 

“Kol.” He was never good at taking warnings though. 

“Oh come on Nik. Admit it, you fancy her,” Rebekah teased even though she didn’t like the doppelgänger, “the number of things you’ve given her. Does she know you actually picked out the clothes by following me?” 

“I hardly needed to follow you around, I do pay for all of your cards.” Kol didn’t understand what the big deal with the card  that had a metal strip was. 

“Have you given one of those to her as well?” 

“No,” he sounded like he was being honest, but also curious as to why he hadn’t thought of it before. 

“Well you’ll certainly give it to her now, I suppose.” Rebekah mused. 

“Oh, just shut up!”

Elena woke up the next morning very grateful that it was a Saturday. She hadn’t slept will the night before, Klaus plaguing her mind. Not like he did before, in the role of the villain. Instead, she imagined how it would’ve been different if he was the college guy he resembled, and not a thousand year old hybrid. 

Then, she realized, she’d been thinking about his hands and tried to force herself to go to sleep.

Needless to say, it hadn’t been a restful night. 

Elena stumbled down the stairs in her silk Chanel pajamas, on a mission to get coffee. There’d been a nice bag of dark roast with breakfast the other morning that was calling her name.

The house was quiet as she started the coffee maker, Jeremy still sleeping. Elena tapped her fingers against the countertop, pouring coffee into a mug as soon as there was enough in the decanter.

It was a nice, sunny morning so she headed out to the front porch. 

She almost dropped her mug when she opened the door. There, sitting in her driveway, was a car. A brand spanking new, shiny car. It had the biggest pink bow on the hood she’d ever seen.

She stared at her car with her jaw dropped open, unsure what to do. It was a black SUV with the logo of a really popular, expensive company. She sighed and drank her coffee, and then, walked over to the car to remove the ridiculous bow. 

This was too much. 

But how could she explain that concept to Klaus? 

Plus, she did need a new car. 

So what if it had been given to her by him? But there would be no more hiding now, she’d have to tell people where these gifts were coming from. 

It was a testament to how regular the gifts had gotten when Jeremy came out of the house and didn’t ask her where it came from. 

“You’re not doing something…weird for the gifts, are you?” He asked, looking slightly horrified. 

“Not doing anything for them, at all.” Really, giving her blood didn’t even feel that bad now.

“Well, it’s better than you almost getting killed every couple weeks.”

“Yeah, that is true.”

“Let’s go in,” Jeremy said, “the neighbours are watching, and I kinda want to forget this whole thing. I almost wish this was Damon.” She raised an eyebrow at him, “almost.”

Damon had killed him. 

“Okay.”

But, all morning, Elena couldn’t stop thinking about the car. While she did her homework, while doing laundry, when she went to make lunch—she kept sneaking glances out the window at it. 

She wasn’t a car fanatic like some of the guys at school. Sure, she knew how to drive one easily, but she didn’t watch the local drag races or read car magazines. There was a good auto shop in town she relied on for maintenance and repairs. As of lately, they’d been seeing a lot of her. One of the mechanics had seemed a little nervous about letting her drive the car out of there when they couldn’t figure out what part of the engine kept spontaneously smoking.

Thank you Bonnie, Jeremy, and hormones.

Was this Klaus’s way of telling her to take better care of herself? Was he trying to… what, keep her safe?

Or maybe he just didn’t want her getting into an accident and spill too much of her precious blood.

Alaric was at his own apartment for the day so he could focus on grading essays, and Jeremy was busing studying, so Elena figured there wasn’t any harm in leaving the house for the afternoon.

That damn car was just calling her name. 

She swung her purse over her shoulder and strode out of the house with confidence, house keys in her pocket. She ignored her old car, complete with a Rebekah-shaped dent in the back, and opened the door to the SUV. 

Just as she scooped the keys up off the driver’s seat, someone called her name.

“Elena! Oh, Elena!” 

It was Mrs. Draper from next door. She was an older woman, retired, and had babysat Elena and Jeremy when they were younger. 

“Hi, Mrs, Draper,” Elena responded with a polite smile.

”How are you doing dear?” The older woman asked with a sweet smile, and she was one of the few people Elena didn’t mind, kind as she was, but she was a gossip. 

“I’m doing good, how have you been?”

“Oh you know, I’ve been the same. My son is still in New York.”

“Oh, that’s great.” She didn’t want to leave the conversation, but she had to. 

“Have you been to New York dear?” Elena frowned at the question. 

“No, I haven’t, Mrs. Draper.” 

“Oh, you should have that boyfriend of yours take you.” 

“My…..boyfriend?” She asked, her cheeks heating up. 

“Oh, the one who had been here a few days ago, talking to you. He seemed quite handsome and charming.” Elena stared at the woman horrified, even though she had thought that way about Klaus. God, why was her life like this? 

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Oh it’s alright Elena, your secret’s safe with me,” of course it wasn’t, “You should be with a young man who knows how to take care of you.” 

Well, Elena thought, he was hardly young. 

“No, really, I’m not-“ 

“Ahh, it’s alright dear. I’m not judging you.”

Well that was good at least? Not that there was anything to judge! She and Klaus were just… supernatural business partners?

“Alright, we’ll you have a nice day, Mrs. Draper.” Elena smiled awkwardly and climbed into the SUV, almost groaning at how comfortable the seat was. 

She slowly pulled out of the driveway, watching Mrs. Draper return to her own home in the rear view mirror. That was weird. How could anyone assume that she and Klaus were together? Then again, Elena supposed it was an easier leap to make than the reality: Hybrids and blood. 

The SUV drove like a dream, and Elena rolled the windows down to enjoy the breeze. She smiled and flipped on the stereo. Instead of turning on to a radio, the CD player clicked on and jazz filled the air. 

At the next stop sign Elena leaned over and opened the glove box. Sure enough, there were at least a dozen cds in there—mostly instrumental pieces of jazz and classical.

A piece of paper fluttered out, and Elena quickly tucked it under her leg so it wouldn’t blow out the window. 

She parked in front of the library and quickly unfolded the note. She couldn’t take the suspense.

I wasn’t sure where your music preferences lay, so I supplied you with some of my own collection. It’ll give us something to talk about when I see you next. 

Yours, Klaus

Oh, this was getting weird. He made it sound like he was looking forward to talking to her!

She tried not to focus on how that thought made her feel. It was one thing to get seemingly impersonal gifts, but this was a bit beyond that. 

She thought of throwing out the letter, but then decided to keep it, his penmanship was good. Yup. That was why she kept it. 

She put the letter back in the glove compartment, and decided to drive a loop around town, and ended up at the Grille. 

She decided to sit outside and try and enjoy the afternoon light when she felt a long shadow fall on her. 

“Did you buy a new car?” Caroline asked, shocked as she sat across from her. 

“Hey, Care, how are you?” she asked pointedly, but really Elena was just trying to prolong the obvious questions. 

“I’m good. When did you buy a new car?”

“It’s kind of a gift.” 

“A gift?” Elena really wished Caroline wasn’t that loud. Before she could say anything though, Bonnie joined them. 

“What gift?” Bonnie asked, but Caroline was staring at her, wide eyed. 

“Who gave you a car as a gift?” 

“Um….Klaus did.” 

“What do you mean?” Elena looked at Bonnie, unsure what to say. 

“We made a deal, you know after I helped him with his mother, and apparently that deal includes me being comfortable.” 

“Oh wow,” Caroline said, “so it’s like being a sugar baby, without having any sex.” Her friend usually said things without thinking, but it had never shocked Elena quite like this. 

“No! It’s not like that.” 

“It sounds like that.” Caroline said as Matt brought out their drinks, carefully avoiding Elena’s gaze. “Ordered your usual when I heard you. Apparently your tab is taken care of every weekend. I wondered what that meant but I guess I know now.”

Elena considered protesting, but the knowing looks Caroline and Bonnie were giving her made her stay quiet. 

Was she a sugar baby? If that’s what her best friends thought, people who knew about the supernatural, what did the deal she had with Klaus look like to the rest of the town? Mrs. Draper already thought that Klaus was her older boyfriend.

Elena considered her situation. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, and the deal she and Klaus had was good for everyone. Did it really matter what everyone else thought? As the daughter of a founding family, and then the resident poor orphan girl, Elena was used to people talking about her.

“I don’t know,” she said, some doubt creeping in, “maybe I am,” even if she really didn’t want people to think like that, “but all I really want is for this undeclared war to stop. I’d rather get gifts from Klaus than him, you know, being himself.” 

“Yeah, that makes sense! So, the diamonds and all….”

“Um….yeah.” 

“Huh, that’s nice, I guess.” Elena frowned, Caroline could never lie. 

“Well look,” Bonnie said sounding slightly serious, “if it ever gets weird, just let me know, okay?”

“Yup.” She said, even though she likely wouldn’t. 

Besides, things were already sort of weird.

Chapter Text

Inside, Kol started laughing like a maniac as Rebekah looked on disdainfully. They’d come to the Grille (Nik should consider himself fortunate that she was debasing herself by being in this town for his sake) a few minutes after the doppelgänger, and watched her and her friends convening. 

“How can she not bloody know?” She grumbled as Kol straightened in the booth next to her. 

“She thinks Nik’s giving her this stuff as part of their deal.” Kol said and promptly started laughing again. She couldn’t blame him, they’d both seen Nik agonize over how to thank the girl for saving his life, and then watched as he started fixating on her, painting her over and over again. 

He’d hidden one of his sketches from her view a few days ago, and she was sure there was something in it that she never wanted to see.

He’d even called Elijah for help, which was a good thing. Because he had almost sent her the heads of her enemies as a gift until Elijah had talked him out of it. (Even though he was her enemy).

He just kept spiraling after that (she refused to acknowledge the fact that it had been centuries since anyone outside of family had attempted to save Nik’s life).

“Oh bloody hell, this is funnier than the reality shows you introduced me to,” Kol said as he finally controlled himself. “Nik’s going mad over how to impress her and she thinks it’s a deal. But first,” Kol turned to Rebekah looking as serious as he could, “what’s a sugar baby?” 

“A kept woman.” She said somewhat harshly before deflating, “well, it’s not that bad, I suppose. But someone who gets gifts in exchange of well, sex or showing affection, I suppose.”

“Oh, but isn’t Nik attempting to court her?” 

“That’s not how men court women these days.” 

“Right, this is fun. Do you think we should call Finn? He does need to get that stick out of his arse. And seeing Nik suffer might do it.” 

“Maybe, what are you doing?” But Kol was already calling someone. 

“Nik,” he said into the phone and she was suddenly glad she had supernatural hearing. “We’re at the Grille and your doppelgänger is here. I also want a car like that.” 

“Oh sod off.” 

“You know what else I want?” 

“To torment me?” 

“Not at the moment,” Rebekah could see the lie in his eyes, “but to tell you that I think you should get better with your gifts.” Even she could hear Nik freeze. 

“Whatever do you mean Kol?” There was a dangerous edge to Nik’s voice that she knew Kol wouldn’t heed to. 

“Oh nothing, one of the Salvatores is here, and he was quick in gaining her attention.” 

“Tell--" but Kol hung up before Klaus could say anything and Rebekah downed her scotch. She needed to call Elijah back.

There were two envelopes waiting on the front porch when Elena got home. She’d gotten sort of used to seeing stuff there—not that she was ever expecting anything, of course!—but two? 

When she bent to pick them up, Elena was even more perplexed—one had her name on it in the handwriting she’d come to recognize as Klaus’, and the other had… Jeremy’s?

“Hey Jer?” she called out as she entered the house. “You got something.”

Her brother took the envelope and instantly opened it, making Elena shake her head fondly. 

His jaw dropped.

“What? What is it?” Elena was suddenly concerned.

“It’s a gift certificate to that new art store in Richmond,” Jeremy said slowly. Elena supposed that was nice. “For two thousand dollars.”

“Holy crap!” Elena stared at her own envelope in shock. 

“Oh, you’ve got to open yours now!” Jeremy insisted.

Elena forced herself to move slowly, slipping her nail under the seam and carefully popping it open. A card fell out of the envelope.

It was matte black, with a row of numbers on it.

“Is that a credit card?” Jeremy asked.

“I guess so?” Elena wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting.

As far as gifts went, this one would be practical, she supposed. The card sat on the kitchen counter as she wrote up a list of errands she needed to run. The leftovers from their catered breakfast still sat in the fridge, but Elena hardly expected anyone else to pick out her toiletries for her. 

Sure, she may be a sugar baby—damn Caroline for putting that thought in her head!—but she had her limits!

And so the next day, she slipped the credit card into her wallet and went out to the store.

Elena wandered the aisles of the local drug store, tossing the generic brand of toothbrushes and single-ply paper towel into her basket before heading over to the pharmacy section to pick up her iron tablets on her way to check out. No way was she going to splurge and have this card be declined. Then she’d have to use her own, and she was trying to save money. Plus, it would be downright embarrassing.

She exchanged a casual smile with the clerk before handing over her items to be scanned.

Soon, it was time to try the card.

Surreptitiously taking a deep breath, Elena swiped the smooth black plastic. The monitor flashed green and prompted her signature. She grabbed the stylus and signed her name with relief. 

“All set Mrs. Mikaelson, you have a nice day!” the clerk said with a smile, and passed over her receipt and the bag with her purchases.

Elena almost dropped the bag.

“Excuse me?” she choked out.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the clerk, who Elena now realized was younger than her, sputtered. “I shouldn’t have assumed that you changed your last name. My sister didn’t take her husband’s name and gets so upset when people tell her she should!”

Speechless, Elena looked down at the receipt. Sure enough, her name was right there under cardholder: Elena Gilbert. And under account holder? Niklaus Mikaelson.

“Oh that’s… that’s fine, it’s an easy mistake to make,” Elena said weakly before rushing from the store. What was she supposed to do, tell a perfect stranger what was really doing on? Elena herself didn’t even know what was going on for sure!

When she got back home, still shaken from her encounter at the store, there was no one in the house. Jeremy had probably gone to Richmond to get his art supplies. 

The card, she could understand almost, but the gift card for Jeremy made no sense. She was his sugar baby, which, oh God, why couldn’t she stop thinking about that! so it made no sense to give Jeremy anything, especially when he had given her a credit card. 

She sank into one of the chairs around the dining table and frowned at the bottle of wine. Jeremy had left a note saying it had arrived while she was gone, and there was another envelope with the bottle. 

She opened it just as carefully as last time, half expecting, she wasn’t even sure what, only to see a handwritten card. She gnawed at her lip as she turned it over in her hands and read it. 

Elena,

I saw this and thought you might enjoy it. While it isn’t nearly as sweet as the taste of the ichor that runs through your veins, I think you might appreciate it more.

Yours, Klaus

She felt her jaw drop as she read the note, but there was something else in the envelope too. She pulled out the thick paper with shallow breaths, and saw that it was a sketch of her, on the night of the Mikaelson ball. There was nothing written on it, but it suddenly felt as if this entire… thing was getting out of hand.

She picked out a glass of wine, and proceeded to finish the entire bottle in record time. He was right, it was sweet.

Over the next week, the gifts kept coming, even if they weren't as extravagant as the car and the credit card. Nice clothing and quality food seemed to be the most common items; Elena thought them fitting. The clothing because of Klaus's love of art--he could appreciate fine fabrics and always seemed to pick colors that complimented her skin and hair. The food, well... vampire and wolves both had hearty appetites. 

Soon, Jeremy and her friends weren't the only ones who had noticed that Elena seemed to be surrounded by expensive things. 

Elena was in a bathroom stall, adjusting her dark green mini dress and about to step out when the door opened and she heard voices laughing. She recognized them as girls from the cheer team. 

"--and did you see those shoes?" one of them, Dana, was saying. "I mean, if she’s going to screw some rich guy for stuff, she might as well go all out and wear hooker heels, you know what I'm saying? She's not fooling anyone with the classy look."

Instantly, Elena knew they were talking about her. She looked down at said shoes, a pair of Gucci boots that had thick heels and a nice waterproof coating over the leather. When she'd dressed this morning, she’d felt cute and seasonal--the green of the dress and the red of her (now favorite) lipstick felt like the right touch of Christmas. 

Now, she just felt embarrassed.

"Does anyone even know who she's seeing?" asked Leah. She was a grade or two behind Elena. "Is it that one teacher?"

"Saltzman? No way!" Dana said. "I think it's Rebekah's brother, the blonde one?"

"Oh, I know who you're talking about! He's hot, I'd totally do him." That was Jessica. Elena had always thought she was a bitch. And no, it was not because she was jealous that someone else had called Klaus hot. 

Why would she care, anyway? 

Dana didn't agree. "Really? I always thought he was kind of--"

"--kind of what?" Elena stepped out of the stall proudly, Louis Vuitton purse dangling over the crook over her elbow and her other hand on her hip. She channeled Bonnie's confidence, Rebekah's sharp tongue, and Caroline's sass.

She looked at the girls, projecting the image that Caroline used to make. That even she used to make, before the supernatural beings in her life. She could be mean when she wanted to be. Besides, no matter what anyone thought, she wasn’t sleeping with Klaus. 

She tried not to focus on how that thought made her feel.

“Oh, hey Elena,” Dana said sweetly, but she could see that the other girl hadn’t been expecting her, “we were just talking about--"

“My shoes? Don’t you have anything important to talk about? Or are your lives just really dull?” Elena couldn’t believe it, but she ended up channeling the one person she never thought she would. 

Katherine. 

It wasn’t like she had planned it, but then no one, not even Klaus or Rebekah scared her the way Katherine did. 

The idea that she could one day become like the vampire still scared her. 

“It’s just that you suddenly have a lot of….pretty things. They’re really nice,” Dana said, faking enthusiasm and Elena shrugged. 

“They are, aren’t they?” Even in the fluorescent lighting of the bathroom, the diamonds on her arm were practically sparkling, and she subtly turned her wrist. Klaus, she had to admit, had a good eye for cut and clarity, and she was tired of trying to justify every decision of her life to everyone. For once, she just wanted to feel a little happy. And these gifts did just that.

Elena fluffed her hair in the bathroom mirror, fixed a non-existent smudge of lipstick with her finger, and walked out with her head held high. She didn’t have to explain herself to anyone. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. 

Throughout the rest of the day, the sideways looks continued, but she noticed that more than a few of them were accompanied by respectful expressions. One of the other senior girls with a locker near her even sent her a wink. Apparently, the story of what happened in the bathroom with Dana and the others had spread across the school.

She knew she was a little more rude than necessary about the whole situation but at least this way, no one would actually say anything about the whole thing, at least to her face. She couldn’t do anything about what they said behind her back, but then-

She blinked as the blonde original appeared in her view. 

“Rebekah?” She wasn’t sure what the other girl wanted, but it had been a while since they’d talked. The last time, Rebekah had choked her and only Elijah’s intervention had saved her. 

“Elena.” Rebekah was scrutinizing her as if she was looking at her for the first time, and Elena shifted her weight; she hoped Rebekah didn’t think she was sleeping with Klaus. The thought mortified her. “I heard what happened in the bathroom, with the girls. I must say I didn’t expect you to have that much spine.” 

Elena swallowed, feeling a little insulted. She’d daggered two originals, the only other person who did that was—

Klaus.

“Thanks, I think.” Rebekah gave her a once over and Elena tried to push the odd feeling out of her mind. 

“I suppose you should thank me. Why do you think Nik has good taste in clothes? And jewelry.”

“'Cause he had to keep….apologizing to you?” Rebekah smirked and then waved her goodbye. 

Elena frowned, wondering what had happened. 

The Mikaelsons were….weird.

And if that wasn’t enough, who should be waiting in the parking lot for her at the end of the day but Klaus. 

He’d parked his SUV next to hers, and Elena blinked several times at the sight. His and hers luxury vehicles, she thought somewhat hysterically. 

“Um, hi?” she said as she approached him. It wasn’t time for her to donate more blood yet, was it?

“Good afternoon, love,” Klaus said smoothly, hands clasped behind his back and a genuine smile on his face. Was he… happy to see her?

"Rebekah should be out soon, I think she—"

“Oh I’m not here to see my sister, I’m here for you.”

"Me?!” Elena couldn’t quite conceal the disbelief in her voice.

Klaus looked surprised. “Of course. I wanted to ask if you’d be in attendance at the mayor’s party this Saturday night.”

“Yeah, I have to. Founding family member and all.”

“Ah.” Klaus suddenly looked bashful, an expression she didn’t think he was capable of. “Do you have a date for this party?”

Now it all made sense. God, he really was paranoid. “Stefan and Damon aren’t planning any moves against you. There won’t be any tricks or plots, just a bunch of small talk and weak cocktails. I don’t even know if they’ll be there, so you can calm down.”

The look of relief on his face was so obvious that she didn't even have to observe him for too long. 

"Klaus," she needed him to know that she wanted to hold on to their deal, "I haven't spoken to Stefan or Damon in weeks. They were really angry about- that I told," she faltered here, unsure if she wanted to bring up his mother, but plowed on anyway, "you about Esther's plan. But they've given up on all hope about me agreeing to their," she waved one hand in the air to show him how little it mattered to her, "suggestions." 

The ridiculous plans they came up with sometimes according to Caroline. But if she told him that, he'd get more paranoid. 

She was right though, at her words, his smile widened, if that was even possible, his dimples prominent. He was pleased at her words. 

"Well then," his eyes roved over the crescent moon sitting in the hollow of her throat, and she felt her mouth go dry. It was one thing to wear stuff he gave her, it was another to stand in front of him, decked in those very gifts, while his gaze remained... possessive. Although it did seem to lack some edge, she thought as he slipped his pointer finger below the pendant. "I look forward to seeing you at the party sweetheart."

This certainly wasn't going to help the gossip, she thought as she smiled tightly, her pulse racing against his skin.

She felt his eyes on her as she climbed into the car he’d gifted her and got ready to drive home. It was Thursday, so she had a few days before she had to get ready for Carol’s event.

It wasn’t the primping and styling her hair and picking the perfect pair of shoes that was the difficult part; no, it was finding the energy to play the good founding family’s daughter. Elena didn’t care about sucking up to the older generation of Fells that always showed up, or listening to Carol go on and on about the Lockwood’s role in the formation of Mystic Falls. It was especially boring now that she knew the Mikaelsons and the Bennetts were here a thousand years ago, and not a mere couple hundred.

She gave him a look, and he got into his car as well. She didn't know how she was going to get through the winter wonderland event. She'd have to find some way to stick to Sheriff Forbes and Caroline but her friend would likely go on about the fact that she was still accepting gifts from Klaus. 

She didn't understand what she was supposed to do instead, allow all of these gifts to wither away in her home?

When she got home however, she decided to try and pick some stuff out for the party anyway. 

A nice pair of shoes, a pretty dress - maybe red, she wasn't sure what color Klaus lik--

She-she wasn't sure what had just happened, but she was definitely not thinking about choosing clothes according to Klaus' tastes. 

Absolutely not.

All the clothes that he had gifted her looked great on her—she hadn’t been able to resist trying them on. Once again, Klaus’s artist’s eye was impeccable. 

Elena kept looking at one of the fancier pieces in her new collection, a gorgeous plum dress. She’d done a few twirls in front of the mirror when she’d tried it on, loving the way the skirt flared out around her knees. 

It probably wasn’t as classically Christmas as Carol expected, but paired with the right jewelry and makeup—red, of course—Elena thought it would be quite pretty.

She was filled with restless energy over the next few days. Jeremy had gotten a tux on her card, and it looked great on him, of course. But, she found herself actually excited about an event for once.

She had a feeling, that for once, everything wouldn't go to hell.

Making a deal with the devil certainly had its benefits. 

On the night of the event, she wore the plum dress she had chosen along with the ruby red earrings she'd gotten when all this had begun. She even wore the red lipstick and light makeup. Just as she was about to leave, there was a knock at the front door. A few moments later, Jeremy was at her door. 

"Jer?"

"This came for you, uh, one of the hybrids dropped it off."

Elena opened the square shaped boxed and let out a gasp, even Jeremy was staring at it. 

It was way too much, Elena thought as she looked at the necklace. It was delicate gold chain with diamonds lining it so that when she wore it, it would lie just above the hollow of her throat.

There was absolutely no doubt who it was from. 

“He really isn’t subtle, huh.” Jeremy mused.

Elena gave her brother a confused look as she went to her vanity mirror to clip the necklace on. Despite the heaviness that sometimes came with quality, it sat comfortably around her neck. “What are you talking about?”

Jeremy sighed, giving her what Elena could swear was a pitying look. “You’ll figure it out sooner or later,” he muttered. In a louder voice, he confirmed, “I’m going to go pick up Bonnie, we’ll meet you at the Lockwoods.”

“Wait, Jer—" but he was gone before Elena could ask him what he meant.

Elena got to the Lockwood Manor a while later. She tried looking for Jeremy, wanting to ask him what he had meant by what he said. But he was nowhere to be found. 

But she still felt eyes on her. 

She knew it was because of the necklace. It may be delicate, but there was no doubt as to its quality. 

For some reason, she found herself looking for another person as well, someone who had promised to meet her here. 

She'd wear the necklace for the event, and then give it back to Klaus. It looked like an older piece, and despite the other gifts she had accepted easily, this one was different.

She saw Caroline instead who was looking at her through narrowed eyes.

Just before she reached Caroline however, she saw the person she had been looking for. But only to tell him that she was going to return the necklace. 

Yet, there was something in his gaze that she couldn't place.

"Klaus," she sounded breathless when he came close to her, closer than he usually did, so that she was ensconced by his heat. 

It reminded her of the way he had pulled her into his side on prank night. 

"That does look quite beautiful on you, love."

She felt parched as he looked at her through a heated gaze.

"Thanks," she forgot what she wanted to say, "you clean up pretty well too."

He did, she realized as she saw the well fitted suit and the look in his eyes. 

"Would you care to join me for a dance, my dear?"

He offered her his hand in a gesture that would be overly dramatic for anyone else, but strangely fitting and almost elegant for him. 

Instead of chirping out a high pitched “sure!” Elena nodded and placed her hand in his, allowing him to escort her out to the dance floor. 

They took their positions with ease and Elena wondered how many dances he knew. As she placed her hand on his shoulder, she noticed the color of his tie: It was the same plum purple as her dress.

His arm felt warm at her base of her spine. Her other hand was intertwined with his, and she tried not to focus on how searing the touch was. 

“You look lovely tonight, if it isn’t obvious.” His breath hit her cheek and she resisted the urge to shiver. 

“Do I not usually look nice?” she asked, the question escaping her tongue before she had time to stop it.

“Careful there love, it’s almost as though you’re fishing for a complement.” His voice was tinged with humor, a teasing she’d never expected from him. 

“Nice tie,” she said instead of heeding his words, and he pursed his lips.

The smallest bit of color washed across his cheekbones before he stepped towards her. It took Elena a moment to realize that he was taking the first step of the dance, and she hurried to follow his lead. 

“I’m… rather fond of the color,” Klaus said in the end. Elena got the feeling that she’d won the round of some game that she hadn’t realized they were playing.

"What about jewelry?” Elena wanted to ask him about the necklace resting against her throat. Something about it made her hold her head a little taller, walk a little straighter. The older members of the founding families probably knew it wasn’t a piece from the Gilbert family. If it was, they’d have seen her or her mom wearing it before at one of the many town functions.

"Come now love, it does look good around your neck.” Yet, he wasn’t eyeing the necklace as he spoke, but the scar over her flesh. “Although, I do prefer the piece you were wearing the other day.”

“You were the one who sent this,” she said, confusion rising to the surface. 

“No reason for you to not have options.” As Klaus spoke, Elena could see one of the Fell family members looking at them and smirking. 

“Oh.” She stepped closer to him when she watched one of her neighbors join Mrs. Fell. 

Klaus cocked a brow at her and she looked down. 

“Look at me, Elena.” There was an intensity in his voice that wasn’t there before, and her neck snapped to meet his gaze.

The high heels she wore made her tall enough that she was closer to him than usual, closer to those hypnotic eyes.

“They don’t matter,” he said. “Not a single one of them can compare to you.”

Klaus’s words were deceptively simple, and Elena had to swallow the emotional lump that had formed in her throat. 

“It doesn’t ever… bother you? What people think about you?” Even though she thought she knew the answer—he was the Original Hybrid, after all—Elena had to ask.

Klaus seemed to mull over her words, gently guiding their steps in silence for a few beats before answering. “It used to.”

“But it’s doesn’t now?” she asked, feeling something strange in her chest. 

“No. Once you realize that they don’t matter, their words cease to matter as well.” He said it with conviction and she believed him. 

She inhaled sharply and nodded. She wondered briefly if she should ask him what they were saying, but she didn’t really want to know. 

“I guess that you’re right.” She wanted to ask him what he was doing exactly but then she saw Stefan and Rebekah on the dance floor.

The two moved together with ease, and Elena had to admit that they made for a stunning couple. Her and Stefan’s romantic relationship was over, and Rebekah seemed to be a nice enough girl, once you got past centuries of self-defense mechanisms. Elena found that she could be happy for them, if they decided to rekindle their romance.

But instead of looking at the woman in his arms, Stefan was watching Klaus. No, Elena realized as they swayed to the tempo of a new song, Stefan was watching her.

She furrowed her brows at him slightly, a silent question, but Stefan looked away, jaw clenched. 

Okay then. 

Elena turned her focus back to Klaus and their dance, letting herself relax and enjoy moving to the music.

"You seem distracted, sweetheart,” he said and she shook her head. She’d never get used to the terms of endearment he preferred or the fact that they no longer sounded condescending. 

“It’s nothing.” 

They moved effortlessly on the dance floor, and she didn’t know what to think about that. She could feel herself getting more and more comfortable with him, until the song ended. 

“I’m going to get a drink.” 

“I’ll come with you.” They reached the bar and it was Klaus who ordered their drinks. She knew there were people listening to them but tried to tune them out. 

“Here you go.” She bit her lip as she looked up at him reproachfully. He had given her wine instead of the scotch he was drinking. 

“You know, I’d like a glass of scotch too.” But one glass turned into four, and she was about to go for a fifth—these parties were terrible for her—when Klaus encased her wrist in his hand. 

“That’s enough love.”

“No, it isn’t, I’m not even drunk yet.” She was buzzed though, and she knew what some of the women were saying about her, that she was sleeping with him, that she was a sugar baby. 

Well, who cared--

“You sound like you’re getting drunk Elena. Already, it is clear that you won’t be able to drive back.” 

“Of course I could. Do you know what kind of blood loss I’ve driven through?” Suddenly, something changed and there was an intense look in his eyes. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, you know, sometimes I have to get out of an,” she moved closer to him, his scent hitting her nose, “an attempt on my life. Or sometimes, I have to drive after I’ve had a bad accident or something.”

“You can’t drive like that.” He was frowning at her, well who was he—

“I can.” 

Just because he was her - oh God - he was her sugar daddy. 

“You do that again love, and I’ll bend you over my knee.” She felt sober as the low timber of his voice rang between them and she was absolutely not interested in being bent over his--

She could feel the flush crawling up her chest and neck and swallowed audibly.

Well if the other women at the bar hadn’t been talking about them before, they sure as hell were now.

Klaus had a faint look of wonder on his face as he tracked the increase in her blood flow. “But then again,” he said slowly, “maybe you’d enjoy that.”

Elena cleared her throat and fiddled with the chain of her necklace. It was suddenly very warm in here. She needed to go splash her face with cool water. Hell, maybe she should ask Tyler if he would let her use his private bathroom and take a cold shower. 

“Excuse me for a minute,” she said, unintentionally glancing up at him through her eyelashes. 

He nodded, and offered her a mock salute with his glass. “I’ll be waiting.”

As she turned to leave, she was stopped by his hand on her cheek. Elena froze, every nerve in her cheek singing at his touch. His thumb slid along her the line of her lower lip and when he pulled his hand away, there was a small red smudge there. Her lipstick had smeared. 

“You might want to clean yourself up, sweetheart. Someone might get the wrong impression.”

She was fuming, but she was also feeling really hot. She couldn’t help but think of all of the other ways Klaus could smear her lipstick, and she knew as she walked away from him on shaking legs, that he’d enjoy each one more than the last. 

He’d likely taunt her and then—

She reached one of the washrooms and closed the door behind her. 

She was sure people were talking even more now because she looked flushed and ruined, her eyes wide and pupils blown. And he’d done nothing except hint at something. 

But--

She wasn’t interested in him, at all. And even if she was, it would be too complicated to even think about. 

It didn’t change the fact that he might want something though. Did he? 

She had never thought him to be interested in her, but his actions tonight, she shivered as she remembered how he’d traced her lip with his thumb. 

How next time she might suck it between her lips--

She took deep breathes as she used some more water to cool herself down. It was only when she was sure that her feet were steady that she left the washroom and saw Stefan standing a few feet away.

"Hi.” They weren’t really on the best of terms, but Elena was ever hopeful that they could be friends someday.

The look on Stefan’s face told her that day wouldn’t be any time soon.

“What the hell are you doing with him?” Stefan asked lowly and Elena was glad that she’d chosen one of the bathrooms in a side hallway. “You’re here with Klaus?”

“I saw you and Rebekah dancing,” Elena pointed out. “How is that any different?”

“How is—!” Stefan shook his head. “It’s completely different.”

She really didn’t like where this was going. “Can we talk about this later, please?”

"No, Elena, have you lost your mind? What are you doing with him?” 

She couldn’t believe him, he’d almost driven her off the bridge, and yet, he felt that he could interfere in her life. 

“Look, it’s nothing, we were just dancing Stefan.” 

“But that’s not all, is it?” Stefan asked as he leaned towards her and her heart rate started skyrocketing, “he’s bought you everything you’re wearing, aren’t you?” 

She had nothing to say to that, and Stefan continued. 

“Everyone’s talking about it, do you know what they’re saying about you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, they didn’t know what it was like to lose almost everyone in their lives. To hold on to every last bit of happiness with everything she had.

“What about your parents? What would they have thought if they knew you were Klaus’-"

"My what, Stefan? Would you care to finish that sentence?" Klaus showed up just as Stefan's lips formed around the word whore.

"No? I didn't think so." Klaus sneered at Stefan and stepped around him to approach Elena. "Are you alright, love?"

She felt the heat of his hand hovering over the small of her back, just barely touching her. "I'm fine."

She couldn’t understand how it had come to the point that Klaus was defending her, but stranger things had happened.

Actually, no, this was the strangest thing that had happened.

She couldn’t help but feel as though her excitement was gone though. “You know, I think I might go home earlier.”

Klaus's hand settled more firmly at the small of her back. "I'll walk you out."

She let him guide them through the crowd. He held the front door open for her when they reached it and held out his hand to her. "I'll fetch the car for you."

The instant the keys touched his palm he was off. In the next second, Rebekah was at her side.

Elena tried not to pay too much mind to the blonde original, but it seemed Rebekah was intent on talking to her. 

“That’s a nice dress.”

“Thanks.”

“And that necklace, I can only imagine how much Nik might--"

Elena turned towards her with a frown wondering what she might mean. 

“What are you talking about?”

“I know,” Rebekah’s voice took a harsh quality as she sneered at her, “how you doppelgängers are and if you hurt Nik--"

“How would I hurt Klaus? He’s the one who--" she broke off, not wanting to rehash the past.

Rebekah frowned. "Wait. Are you really not--did you think that--huh." She looked puzzled from a moment. "I must say, this isn't what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"Well, you're not lying to me, for one." Rebekah crossed her arms and looked Elena over again, from head to toe. "I suppose that is a nice color on you."

Elena frowned, she was almost unable to take it anymore, everyone was confusing her. 

“Thanks Rebekah, but what were you talking about?”

“The necklace suits you. It’s an older piece belonging to our family, try not to destroy it alright?”

As Klaus pulled Elena's SUV into view, Rebekah leaned in to whisper in Elena's ear. "True affection or not, if you break his heart, I'll tear out your intestines and smother you to death with them. Okay?" She pulled away with a wink and a smile. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

Elena blinked at that, watching Rebekah leave. The threat didn’t bother her so much because she knew Rebakah always said things and Klaus wouldn’t let her-

But what did she mean by true affection?

Had she just been given a shovel talk by one original over another? 

She walked towards her car, and took the keys from Klaus, looking up at the tick in his jaw and the way he seemed tensed. 

How he had teased her and flirted with her.

Was it possible that he-

"Get some rest, love. Drive home safe." Klaus's fingers brushed against her jaw before he left, no doubt to go speak to his sister. Vampires and their damn hearing!

Less than an hour ago, Klaus was teasing her about spanking her if she drove while less than fully aware ever again. Now here she was, driving home in a car he bought her, having lost that delightful buzz when her ex-boyfriend called her a whore. 

It had been one hell of a night. And Klaus hadn't even been the problem. If anything, he'd been one of the good parts.

Which was odd. 

How had Klaus turned into the nicer parts of her life? And why did he care about her all of a sudden?

This went beyond their deal, it went beyond her blood. 

She knew Klaus, she’d made it a point to know him after he had inserted himself in her life. He either didn’t care at all or he cared too much.

And right now, it seemed as if he cared too much. 

About her.

Elena arrived home safely, parking the SUV and climbed out with a sigh. Jeremy was probably either still at the party with Bonnie, or had went home with her for the night. Either was fine—Elena was glad to have the house to herself.

She stepped up onto the porch, and the toe of her heel brushed something. Bending down, she picked up a wicker basket filled with candles and jars of what looked like soaps.

Carrying it into the house, she set it down on an end table and flipped open the note tucked into the top while she kicked off her heels.

Elena,

I had hoped the night would’ve gone better for you, I had been looking forward to seeing you there. I hope this can help you relax, sweetheart.

Yours, Klaus.

This was the reason she kept getting doubts. But she pushed it aside for the while and took the basket to her room. 

While the tub was filling with water, she changed out of her clothes, and lit the various candles around the counter. 

Almost immediately, the room was filled with the scent of the candles and she made her way towards the tub. She could think about Klaus tomorrow, she just wanted to relax now.

A long soak in the tub really did help, and Elena changed into a silk pajama set before climbing into bed, body pleasantly warm and heavy and kinda relaxed. As she drifted off to sleep, her eyes rested on her dresser where various gems twinkled in the moonlight from within their settings.

The next morning, Elena felt like she could think clearer, and her mind kept wandering to the party last night. 

Klaus had been….perfect, and yet-

A knock sounded on her door, and she opened it, expecting to see no one, yet, there he was. 

“Klaus.”

Elena tightened the tie of her plush robe over her pajamas and quickly raked a hand through her hair. She was suddenly self conscious; Klaus had seen her looking her very best last night and now she probably looked like a mess!

He of course, looked perfect in a hoodie and jacket. 

“Good morning,” he said and clasped his hands behind his back with a smile that Elena found herself returning. “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

“Um, no?” Was this some weird wolf instinct coming through? The need to feed her? Although, Elena wouldn’t complain if there was more of that coffee…

“Excellent! How would you feel about joining me for breakfast?”

”You want me to join you for breakfast?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Yes, sweetheart.”

“Okay, wait, this has to stop, what is going on?” 

“Whatever do you mean love?” 

Elena sighed, “this, us. You giving me gifts and jewellery and food. What part of our deal is this?”

“Our deal?” Klaus sounded shocked and she stared at him. 

“Yeah, that’s what this is all about, isn’t it?” 

Klaus stared at her before leaning against her doorframe.

“Come outside.” He said and she stared back at him. 

“What?” He raised his eyebrows at her, and she stepped outside. If he had wanted to hurt her, he had plenty of opportunities. 

The moment she was outside the boundary of her house, his hand was on her chin, tilting her face up. 

“Klaus?” 

“My sweet girl, did you really think all of these gifts have been in exchange for your blood?” Elena felt her throat go dry at his words.

“You… you mean they haven’t been?” Elena didn’t mean to sound like a broken record, but if Klaus would just say what he meant, things would be a lot easier. “Well than what have they been for?”

Klaus sighed and his hand drifted down to the side of her neck, his thumb resting against the hinge of her jaw. “It seems I haven’t made my intentions clear enough for you. Let me remedy that.”

And then, he was kissing her.

Klaus. Was kissing her.

Instead of thinking that he was the bad guy and it was wrong, or worrying about what the neighbors would think of her standing outside in a robe kissing a man older than her, Elena felt. 

She felt the gentleness of his hand as he tipped her head back. She felt the softness of his lips on hers. She felt the smooth bump where his jewelry rested under his clothes.

When Klaus slowly pulled away, all Elena could do for a moment was stand there, dumbfounded. She was pretty sure if she hadn’t been bracing herself on his chest she might have fallen over. His kiss had left her weak in the knees.

It took her a moment to catch her breath, and then she looked up at him. 

“So, the gifts….” 

“I’ve been trying to court you.”

“Oh.” She felt dumbfounded and that was what Jeremy had been talking about last night. 

“Yes.” 

She swallowed around the lump in her throat, there were many things to talk about and discuss, but for now, she was fine with how things were. “Well, next time, use your words.” 

He looked abashed and this was a side to him she didn’t even know existed.

“Alright, love.”