꧁ 𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅 ꧂
"YOU'RE LATE."
Stefan told Damon as Skyler walked into the Salvatore boarding house the days after Mikael died, she closed the front door behind her causing Damon and Stefan to pause, looking at her.
"I leave for a day. One day. And you guys take Klaus's family?" Skyler questioned incredulously as she frowned at them.
"We can't let him wander around, he'll kill Elena." Stefan told her sternly.
Skyler's eyes lit with fire, Elena. Of course. "And he'll kill you and me if I have anything to do with it."
"You don't." Damon told her curtly.
Skyler looked at him confused, "What?"
"You don't have anything to do with it and you won't." He said sternly.
"And why not?" She asked, whether she liked it or not she needed to be in on their plans if she were to stop them from the inside.
Stefan and Damon glanced between each other in silent question before Stefan said, "We're... not sure we can trust you."
"Yeah. You willingly followed the big bag hybrid." Damon continued, "Doesn't exactly sound like someone we should let on our side."
"He was going to kill Stefan!" Skyler exclaimed gesturing to Stefan, because yes she willingly followed Klaus, and more than they know, she's friends with him, however, that wasn't why she followed Klaus that day. It would have been smarter if she had stayed in Mystic Falls, but if she had there was no guarantee that without her there, Klaus wouldn't kill Stefan.
"We have to go." Stefan said shortly, "We're supposed to meet Bonnie in ten minutes."
She huffed, "So you're just gonna leave? After all that?"
"We'll talk later." Stefan told her before he looked at Damon, "Would you hurry up? We have work to do."
"Be with you in a minute." Damon said waving him off. Stefan rolled his eyes and left without him leaving he and Skyler alone in the house.
"Skyler..." Damon called softly now Stefan was gone.
Skyler looked at him in anger, "What?" She snapped.
"For what it's worth... I trust you." He told her, "I just don't trust Klaus."
Skyler looked away, staying silent. Damon sighed and left, following after Stefan.
____________
"Why do I need to be here?" Skyler asked later when Damon dragged her to a party at the Founders Hall.
"Because Stefan says we need to keep an eye on you." Damon responded with a smirk.
"I don't care what Stefan says. He's the one who's lost his marbles." She responded.
Damon was going to respond when he noticed Alaric standing by a model of the Wickery Bridge, "Well would you look at that?" he muttered, "That's the bridge where Elena and Jeremy's parents died in the car accident." Damon pointed out to Alaric.
"Something is up with her." Alaric told Damon, "Elena. Something more than usual. You know what it is?"
"Well I'm sure it starts with a "Stef" and ends with an "an."" Skyler mocked.
Damon glanced at her snorting in amusement, "I'm gonna get a drink, write a check, and then we're out?" Alaric nodded so Damon walked away to get a drink and Skyler followed after him, hoping to sneak something stronger into hers.
Minutes later, Skyler was sipping her drink along with Damon when he saw something up ahead. He nudged his sister, nodding to where Klaus and Carol Lockwood were talking, he walked over to them.
"I mean you are just delightful. What color are your eyes?" Klaus asked Carol.
"They're blue."
"Oh yes, they are."
"Look at what the cat dragged in." Damon smirked as he and Skyler walked up, "Nice vest." Skyler commented.
"Thank you very much," Klaus smirked, "Good to see you both, Damon, Skyler. Carol and I were discussing about whether you would be the other big benefactor."
"What do you say, Damon? Klaus has made a very generous pledge." Carol said to Damon, "You know how we're chomping at the bit to begin the renovation."
"Carol, don't take this the wrong way, but do you realize that you've been kissing the ass of an immortal hybrid who ruined your son's life?" Damon asked incredulously.
"Oh come now." Klaus waved off, "Some would say that I saved it from all that nasty full moon business. I've never had to go through it myself more than twice, to be honest, but still, I'm very sympathetic." Skyler scoffed.
"Klaus has promised to protect Tyler. And our town." Carol told them sternly.
"From who?" Damon questioned, "His hybrids are the ones the town needs protection from. "
"Well, I'd have no use for them if your brother would kindly return my family." Klaus responded pointedly.
"Not gonna happen."
"That's what I thought, which is why I've come to an agreement with the mayor." Klaus told Damon, "You and the council stay out of my hair, I stay out of yours. Your town gets protected, my hybrids get left alone and everybody will be happy."
Klaus looked at Damon, "All you have to do is to get Stefan to stop decapitating my friends."
"Please Damon." Carol cut in, "Just get your brother under control or the council will be forced to take action against him."
"You've gotta be kidding me." Damon exclaimed aggravated.
"Oh come on, mate. Give peace a chance." Klaus urged with a sadistic grin. He was enjoying this, that much was obvious.
Skyler shook her head, "I need a drink." She downed the rest of hers, "Again."
____________
"No dead hybrids at the Founders' party!" Damon scolded Stefan as Skyler walked up behind them.
"Uh oh. Repeating history brother?" Skyler asked Stefan.
"I told Klaus to get his hybrids out of town, he didn't listen, so I'm gonna say it louder." Stefan said stubbornly.
"He didn't listen because you took his family." Skyler pointed out incredulously.
"Besides you don't think there's ten more where that came from? And if you kill them, Klaus won't make 20 more? Have you forgotten about Elena's part in all of this? Or do you not care if she is a human blood bag for the rest of her life?" Damon questioned Stefan.
Stefan only shrugged, "Protecting Elena is your problem now. See, I'm not compelled by Klaus to do that anymore."
"We get it, idjit, you flipped the switch." Skyler rolled her eyes.
"You can't just flip your switch! Your switch is fried, Stefan, just like your brain!" Damon exclaimed, "You wanna take Klaus? You wanna beat the villain? You've gotta be smarter."
"To beat the villain, Damon," Stefan said dangerously, taking a step forward, "You have to be the better villain." He clapped Damon on the shoulder before he walked away.
____________
"Hello Damon, she's a little busy right now." Stefan greeted Damon when he answered Elena's phone, Skyler stood by Damon watching the scene play out quietly.
"Why the hell do you have Elena's phone?" Damon questioned.
"I'm making my next move." Stefan told his brother over the phone, "Let me ask you something... what will Klaus do if he can't make any more hybrids?"
"WHAT?" Elena yelled in the background.
"Stefan, leave her out of this." Damon demanded sternly, worry seeping through.
There were a few bangs and crashes on the other side before the line went dead.
____________
"What now?" Klaus questioned as he walked into an empty room at the Founders' Hall with Damon and Skyler. "You just pulled me away from a fascinating conversation about landscaping the Town Square."
"Stefan just grabbed Elena." Damon told Klaus cautiously.
"Well, he's getting desperate." Klaus mused which made Skyler chuckle, she tried to hide it as Damon gave her a pointed look.
"He's gonna try and use her against you." Damon continued looking at Klaus, "Do what he says, get rid of your hybrids."
"Or what?" Klaus asked not taking it seriously, "Stefan would never dream of killing her."
"You sure about that?" Skyler stepped in looking at Klaus seriously, "He just tried to behead one of your minions in the middle of a Council party."
"He's operating on crazy right now." Damon said.
"Well, crazy or not, that kind of love never dies." Klaus brushed off, "He's bluffing."
"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't but if you don't want to believe him, believe me." Damon glanced at his sister, "Believe us. We know our brother better than anyone and right now, neither of us have a clue how far he is willing to take this." He told Klaus who looked at Skyler as if for confirmation. Skyler gave a small nod to Klaus, telling him she agreed.
Damon continued, dragging Klaus's attention back to him, "So if he says blink, I suggest you blink."
꧁ 𝟷,𝟺𝟺𝟽 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 ꧂