It took Frankie several moments to figure out where exactly she was when she woke up. She was in a bed, that much was obvious, but it took her more than a few minutes to realise it was her brothers bed, in his room, in Mystic Falls. Pushing herself out of bed to her feet, the day came back to her, the crazy stranger Klaus who insisted he was a vampire, and the girl, Katherine or Katerina who had more strength than seemed humanly possible.
Outside she couldn't hear any voices, she cautiously poked her head through the doorway to see if she was alone. Hopefully if Klaus wasn't here, she could at least get her phone from her backpack to call for help. She didn't know what she was dealing with but she did know she needed to get out of here, she needed to get away and call for help.
Katherine was there, but she was laying on one of the couches with her eyes shut sleeping. Tiptoeing past as quietly as she could, Frankie scooped up her bag and board and put her hand on the door to escape before she woke.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Katherine said dryly behind her, "He wants you here for a reason, if you leave he'll just track you down and make you pay."
"Look," she spun on her heels, "I dont know what is going on here but I'm getting out of this freak show while I can."
Wrenching the door open, she tried to rush out before Katherine could stop her, but it was as though there was a plate of glass standing between her and the apartment hallway. Dumping her bag and board to the floor, she leant all her weight against the invisible barrier, unable to even make it budge.
"Why can't I leave?"
Katherine opened her eyes curiously now to look over at her, "Maddox cast a spell, it should've broken when he died-"
"A spell?" Frankie sounded unconvinced.
"He spelled you to sleep three days ago too."
"What do you mean?" Frankie felt anxious now hearing this, "It can't have been three days, you're lying."
"It's Saturday," Katherine told her, deadpan as she listened to Frankie's heart skip, "Why would I lie?"
Frankie sat down on the couch, she didn't know what she could do now, reaching into her bag she pulled out her phone, searching through for her brothers contact when the door opened, both her and Katherine's heads flicking to it in surprise.
"Hello Katherine," a boy said. He was tall and handsome, with blonde hair that was styled upwards and a frown on his face as he looked at her companion that then furrowed in confusion as he caught sight of Frankie, "Who're you?"
"Who're you?" she shot back.
"Two days, I've been waiting, Stefan" Katherine interjected, stalking towards the boy furiously, "I'm supposed to be free of Klaus' compulsion by now. He's supposed to be dead."
"We ran into complications."
"I'm still confused," Frankie cut in, both the boy and Katherine ignoring her. Frankie still had her phone in her hand and it was ringing her brother but he wasn't answering.
"Complications?"
"Doesn't really matter. I just need to find him. Do you have any idea where he might be?"
Suddenly Katherine grabbed him by his shirt, Frankies phone fell to the floor with a clatter as she stared at the empty space they'd once been. She knew she hadn't gotten confused this time, Katherine not only had some super strength but seemed to be supernaturally fast too, yanking the boy away and pressing him against the wall.
"Klaus," Katherine said, "You're back. Look who decided to come for a visit."
Frankie stood from the couch now, the door had swung open and Klaus had returned, alongside a man with dark hair styled neatly. They hadn't noticed her off to the side yet, both of their attention focused on Katherine, but she was determined to get answers on what was going on.
"You just keep popping up, don't you?" Klaus said with a grin as his companion closed the door behind him.
"I need your help," Stefan said as he walked towards the pair, "for my brother."
"I need to know what's going on," Frankie snapped furiously causing all heads to turn towards her, "What the hell have you done to me? Why can't I leave?"
"Francesca," the stranger by the door gasped out in shock. His face was slack and his eyes stunned as he stared desperately at her, in a moment he'd sped towards her, as fast as Katherine had earlier, his hand rising slowly to her cheek.
"She goes by Frankie now, brother," Klaus told him as a smirk rose to his lips.
"How do you know who I am?" Frankie asked, stepping back and away from the man, "How did you move so quickly. What is going on?"
The man turned his head to his brother a furious expression on his face, "What did you do to her, these marks on her skin-"
"Elijah," Klaus cut off his voice more cool than playful at the accusation, "You know I would never hurt her, she came to me like that."
Frankie felt uncomfortable with this stranger, Elijah, in front of her acting as though he knew her, uncomfortable too that he was talking about the bruises on her face that were very nearly healed. She was already mortified enough at the injuries in the first place, but having them discussed so blatantly as though she was a child incapable of defending herself made her blood boil.
"Klaus," Stefan cut in drawing the attention away from Frankie who took another step back from Elijah, his eyes still glued to her, "Please, my brother-"
"You'll have to wait a tick," Klaus said dismissively, "You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention."
Elijah's face finally turned from Frankie as he looked to Stefan, "You understand how important family is, or you wouldn't be here. My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own."
"And so I shall," Klaus said suddenly appearing behind Elijah. Faster than her eyes could process, Klaus plunged a dagger into Elijah's chest causing him to let out a scream of pain. Frankie rushed towards him in hopes of pushing Klaus away but again Katherine had rushed to her side, grabbing her arm and tugging her back.
"Now," Klaus had sped to Stefan, shoving him against the wall by his throat "what am I gonna do with you?"
Frankie was finally coming to terms with the concept that what Klaus had told her about him being a vampire was true, there was no way that anyone in this room bar her was human, they all moved too quickly to be real. Katherine still hadn't let go of her arm but when she tugged at it her grip loosened and she let her leave.
Klaus had shoved a wooden stake into Stefan's chest but Frankie wasn't focused on them, she could hear the taunts as Stefan choked but she ignored it, edging slowing to her phone laying abandoned on the floor where she'd dropped it when Klaus and Elijah entered. If what Klaus had said about him and Katherine being vampires was true, then presumably what he'd said about her brother being a vampire hunter was too.
"The witches said you had a cure," Stefan groaned out desperately, the stake still embedded into his chest, "Make me a deal."
Frankie had her phone in her hands, she'd turned her back to Klaus and Stefan as she unlocked it and began to frantically type a message to her brother.
To Ric
help, I'm at your apartment with this guy klaus and he-
The phone was plucked from her hand swiftly before Frankie could even finish the message. She looked up at the perpetrator to see Klaus staring at her with an amused expression on his face. Glancing down he read her message, his lips quirking up in a smirk as he looked at her defiant scowl, amused that she had even attempted to beat him. Stefan was groaning out in pain as he lay on the floor, the stake abandoned by Klaus as he rushed to Frankie.
Tucking the phone in his back pocket, Klaus waggled his finger disapprovingly at Frankie, "Tut tut. I'm not just some guy-"
Frankie snatched her hand out toward him in an attempt to somehow pull her phone from him, Klaus dodged it easily grabbing her hand with a mocking pout that turned into a grin when she pulled away, the rage practically pouring from her.
"Give me my phone back."
"Sweetheart, I'm a little busy to be dealing with your little attempt at rebellion. I'm not sure you'll heal quite as well as our friend Stefan here if you gave this stake a try."
"Make me a deal Klaus," Stefan said from behind them, "Just give me the cure and I'll do whatever you want."
Klaus turned his back to Frankie to watch Stefan, he'd dealt with her attempt at rebellion and moved on with his plans as she collapsed into defeat.
"Trouble is," Klaus said to Stefan, "I don't know if you'd be any good to me the way you are now. You are just shy of useless."
Walking to the kitchen, Klaus poured two drinks, one with a red liquid that Frankie was now sure was blood not wine, and another that she could see to be her brothers scotch. She wasn't one to drink dark liquor normally and certainly not scotch, but when he handed it to her she took it, sinking to a seat on the couch.
The next few minutes passed by in a blur as Frankie sipped her drink and stared in horror.
Katherine was still there but she was practically hiding by the door, Klaus had bitten her arm viciously causing her to scream out and then he'd bitten into his own arm and forced his blood down her throat.
That was the moment she knew for sure that what he'd said about vampires was true, it was undeniable and she didn't know what on earth she could do or say now. She wasn't sure what was happening, who any of these people were, but she felt sure there was a reason Klaus knew her name when he hadn't ever met her, why his brother did too. She didn't trust Klaus, she knew she needed to get as far away from him as possible but it seemed that he wouldn't hurt her, at least not yet.
Klaus was dangerous, that she knew not just because of what he was, but because of the way others reacted around him. He'd snuck up on his brother and stabbed him, he'd stabbed Stefan too and Frankie knew the way Katherine shook and hid wasn't because he was a vampire but because of how dangerous of a vampire he was.
Her glass was empty and she placed it on the coffee table gently, watching the scene in front of them.
Earlier, Klaus had clutched a knife in his hand allowing blood to pour into a vial, once he'd abandoned the knife into the sink Frankie watched as his wound knitted itself back together in an instant. The blood was what Stefan had come for, his brother evidently had been bitten by Klaus or something else, and he came to find the cure, without which Frankie presumed he would die.
"I want you to join me for a drink," Klaus told Stefan, tossing something towards him.
Frankie leant her head up from her seat to see what he'd tossed when she realised it was bag of blood. Each semester at her school, Frankie and her friends had given blood, they went for the free milkshakes they got afterwards and for the party that followed when they needed less drinks to get drunk. The bag looked just like the ones the nurses filled when she donated blood and as she narrowed her eyes she could see it said Mystic Falls Hospital on the tag too.
Stefan's face was emotionless as he ripped the tag from the bag, holding Klaus' eyes as he slowly brought it to his lips to sip.
"Finish it," Klaus told him, "All of it. You do everything I say and I save your brother. That's the deal."
Over time Klaus had tossed five more bags of blood to Stefan who was now laying on the floor, panting desperately with his face covered in blood. Frankie wasn't sure why as a vampire this was so difficult for him at first until he realised that Stefan wasn't disgusted, he was desperate for more.
Klaus refilled Frankies drink again before turning to face Stefan, another bag of blood in his hands, "You're very cooperative. It's almost as if you're enjoying it."
Stepping over his brother who still lay dead and daggered in the room, Klaus tossed the blood bag to Stefan who shook his head, "No more," he told him causing Klaus' face to fall, "Not until you give me the cure."
"Not until we make a deal. It's your choice, Stefan. You can either remain here living your live in Mystic Falls, or you can embrace what you truly are, leave town with me, and save your brothers life,"
Klaus crouched down as he was speaking, picking up the discarded blood bag and eyeing it before holding it up to Stefan. Stefan stared desperately at the bag before snatching it from Klaus and pulling it to his lips.
"That's the spirit," Klaus cooed before standing and strolling towards Katherine who'd moved from her hiding place by the wall to a chair near Frankie, "Sweetheart," he pulled her by her throat to her feet, "Take this over to Damon and come right back."
"You want me to leave?" asked Katherine.
"No," Stefan shouted.
"Yes," Klaus nodded, "And if I were you, I'd hurry,"
Katherine had sped from the room before Klaus could finish his sentence and Frankie stood to her feet, she looked to Klaus and crossed her arms. She didn't know how to make him let her go too, Klaus collapsed into the seat Katherine had occupied and grinned at Stefan's terrified face.
"She'll never take it to him," Stefan told Klaus, his head falling to the floor in regret.
There was silence between them all, Stefan hadn't moved since Katherine and although Klaus had replenished his drink, he hadn't fixed another for Frankie who still stood staring at him with her arms crossed.
"Lift the spell," she asked him as kindly as she could force her voice to go, "I need to find my brother. What did you do to him?"
"Your brother?" Klaus' brow furrowed for a moment before he realised she meant Alaric who he'd recently possessed, "Oh, he's fine I expect, and the spell has been lifted since I returned with my brother."
"Then you won't mind if I go see for myself," she took a cautious step forwards, her breath catching when Klaus sped in front of her.
"I would," he told her, "You're not particularly good at keeping yourself safe, I'll have to bring you with us to ensure you don't die in my absence."
Frankie narrowed her eyes, "No one's made an attempt on my life in 23 years," she told him, "I'll be right but thanks for the concern."
Klaus grabbed her wrist, tugging her arm with its barely visible bruises back, "Oh well, then I guess I'm just fond of you. Sorry love, you're coming with Stefan and I."
"I'm not," she informed him, "I'm going to get some dinner because you drugged me for three days, then I'm gonna find my brother."
"It's amusing, you acting as though it's your decision, this isn't a democracy love, it's a monarchy and I'm the king."
a.n. ! Elijah's first appearance, it's gonna be a while before we see him again but oooooooh boy frankie's in for it