The Lady or the Tiger? (For nota_rolemodel and havenosecrets)
He'd made a promise.
That meant something to Elijah, but he had to weigh it against his desire for vengeance. They needed him to kill Klaus, he needed to kill Klaus, the whole discussion was still around whether or not he could kill Klaus.
He'd told Stefan about the others, the brothers and sister, parents he'd had, family he didn't' have anymore, thanks to Klaus. Killing him, for them, was not going to be difficult. He just had to rip out what was left of his own heart. For them, the sacrifice was worth it. For them, he thought, standing in the woods, looking down at the quarry and the women trapped in circles of fire, this sacrifice was worth it, as well.
Disrupting the ritual was easy enough. Klaus had a backup for everyone but Elena, which had stopped Damon's plan, but even Elijah doubted he had a backup for the backup. Taking the witch out would be child's play. It wouldn't stop Klaus forever, though, and that was the problem.
Disrupt the ritual, and Klaus would rip this town apart, take Elena and leave nothing but the bodies of those she loved in his wake, a punishment to Elijah for daring to interfere, to her for asking for his help, to the world for what Esther had done.
Disrupt the ritual, and they all lost. The newly made vampire down there, kneeling in the circle died anyway.
So, it was better to save who he could, to let Klaus do what he would, then do the other thing he'd promised. What did you do, after all, when two promises collided? He frowned, thinking, trying to drown out the voices, to block the grief, to focus on his own. Which was the higher promise? Who deserved the most honor?
Because there was a third option. The moon wasn't full, yet. Maybe another half an hour. Stefan was going to offer himself in Jenna's
place, but Elijah doubted he'd be allowed. Not after Chicago. He'd seen the pictures at Gloria's, even if the boy seemed not to remember.
But it didn't have to be Stefan. Didn't have to be Katerina, either, though he was tempted to go drag her here, make her pay-he had no doubt Jenna had been her idea. But if it were someone else, and Klaus was forced to make the trade-that was their mistake, this negotiating with his brother. You couldn't do it from a position of weakness. You had to makethe power play.
The third option, though, would negate the second promise, the one under which the first had fallen:
He could not both save Jenna and kill Klaus.
Which promise prevailed?
He had a moment of inappropriate whimsy, eyeing the choices before him, the doors a group of fiery circles. Which door? Which choice? The lady or the tiger?
Elijah made his choice.
* * *
A trip to town, to a motel he knew. minion dragged out with extreme prejudice (Klaus never traveled truly alone-someone had to do his dirty
work). A slightly wistful thought that he should have let Trevor have an extended time to contemplate his sentence, but, oh well.
A burst of compulsion stopped the struggling, and then he had a meek as a lamb follower, running back to the quarry in a blur.
He was almost too late.
The wolf was dead, and Jenna moved, racing for the witch. Fangs in, but he saw Klaus moving and knew she'd be too late. His offering flew through the air with precision, slamming into his brother right as he pulled Jenna away. Klaus fell with a surprised shout, and then Elijah was
there, hand at the witch's bleeding neck, her hair pulled to the side, the two of them positioned between Klaus and Jenna.
"One tug, brother. You can't pick up your stake that fast, let alone get to her."
"Elijah...fancy seeing you here." Klaus was not looking pleased, but the tone was light.
"There's your sacrifice. You want to break the curse, you use one of your own." His head tilted toward Jenna. "This one's mine."
"Yours?"
Elijah shrugged, one elegant lift and fall of his shoulder. "Under my protection."
"What of the doppelganger?"
Elijah didn't even look at her, kept his gaze fixed on his brother. "She's yours."
No way to save her-he'd have to trust in Damon's blood or Bonnie's magic. Besides, her sacrifice was part of the deal.
"I don't think I like you interfering."
"I don't think I give a fuck."
Klaus blinked at the harsh words, looking a little nonplussed. "What do you want?"
"You take that," he nodded to the vampire still lying passively across Klaus's legs. "And give me her." A nod at Jenna. "And I let your witch
go to finish what she started."
"And then?"
A sort of weariness settled over Elijah's face. "Then you go...do whatever it is you do, on your own, and I go home."
He'd never hidden from his brother. Klaus knew where to find him.
"You won't interfere in my making my new companions?"
"I wish you the best of them," Elijah said, voice hardening. "And them luck, given how you've slaughtered your past ones."
Something flickered across Klaus's face. "Come home."
Fury lit Elijah's eyes. "No."
Klaus was silent for a while, then shoved the vampire off of himself and stood, hauling him up with him. "Not even if I tell you where I put
them?"
"You already told me."
Klaus smiled a little. "I lied." Then he moved like lightning and slammed the stake into the heart of the vampire he held. "The girl is yours. Don't interfere again-tell your little witch waiting in the woods to attack to stand down-and I'll let you have them back..."
Elijah stepped back, dragging Greta, offering Jenna a hand behind his back, to get up, but still keeping himself between her and Klaus. His head was reeling with the possibility, but he wasn't certain how much he could believe. Klaus was more than capable of lying...on either side of the equation. But he thought of Rebekah, of how much Klaus had loved her, and of how they'd hauled Finn around for centuries, unable to trust him not to betray them to Mikael.
When he had Jenna's hand in his, he squeezed and murmured, for her, though he knew Klaus could hear. "Run. Back to the plantation house. Alaric's locked in there, and likely quite cross." He paused, considered, while Klaus waited, impatience showing. "Try not to eat him before I get back."
"Elena..."
"Made her choice. It's taken care of." He hoped she heard the message, remembered, at the least, that her niece had Damon's blood in her. She'd rise from this, one way or the other.
Elijah let go of Jenna's hand, let go of Greta's neck, focused on his brother, and hoped Jenna would listen and run, back to where she belonged.
"We have a deal."
That meant something to Elijah, but he had to weigh it against his desire for vengeance. They needed him to kill Klaus, he needed to kill Klaus, the whole discussion was still around whether or not he could kill Klaus.
He'd told Stefan about the others, the brothers and sister, parents he'd had, family he didn't' have anymore, thanks to Klaus. Killing him, for them, was not going to be difficult. He just had to rip out what was left of his own heart. For them, the sacrifice was worth it. For them, he thought, standing in the woods, looking down at the quarry and the women trapped in circles of fire, this sacrifice was worth it, as well.
Disrupting the ritual was easy enough. Klaus had a backup for everyone but Elena, which had stopped Damon's plan, but even Elijah doubted he had a backup for the backup. Taking the witch out would be child's play. It wouldn't stop Klaus forever, though, and that was the problem.
Disrupt the ritual, and Klaus would rip this town apart, take Elena and leave nothing but the bodies of those she loved in his wake, a punishment to Elijah for daring to interfere, to her for asking for his help, to the world for what Esther had done.
Disrupt the ritual, and they all lost. The newly made vampire down there, kneeling in the circle died anyway.
So, it was better to save who he could, to let Klaus do what he would, then do the other thing he'd promised. What did you do, after all, when two promises collided? He frowned, thinking, trying to drown out the voices, to block the grief, to focus on his own. Which was the higher promise? Who deserved the most honor?
Because there was a third option. The moon wasn't full, yet. Maybe another half an hour. Stefan was going to offer himself in Jenna's
place, but Elijah doubted he'd be allowed. Not after Chicago. He'd seen the pictures at Gloria's, even if the boy seemed not to remember.
But it didn't have to be Stefan. Didn't have to be Katerina, either, though he was tempted to go drag her here, make her pay-he had no doubt Jenna had been her idea. But if it were someone else, and Klaus was forced to make the trade-that was their mistake, this negotiating with his brother. You couldn't do it from a position of weakness. You had to makethe power play.
The third option, though, would negate the second promise, the one under which the first had fallen:
- Keep Elena's list of people safe, so that they could lure Klaus here, and
- Elijah would kill him.
He could not both save Jenna and kill Klaus.
Which promise prevailed?
He had a moment of inappropriate whimsy, eyeing the choices before him, the doors a group of fiery circles. Which door? Which choice? The lady or the tiger?
Elijah made his choice.
* * *
A trip to town, to a motel he knew. minion dragged out with extreme prejudice (Klaus never traveled truly alone-someone had to do his dirty
work). A slightly wistful thought that he should have let Trevor have an extended time to contemplate his sentence, but, oh well.
A burst of compulsion stopped the struggling, and then he had a meek as a lamb follower, running back to the quarry in a blur.
He was almost too late.
The wolf was dead, and Jenna moved, racing for the witch. Fangs in, but he saw Klaus moving and knew she'd be too late. His offering flew through the air with precision, slamming into his brother right as he pulled Jenna away. Klaus fell with a surprised shout, and then Elijah was
there, hand at the witch's bleeding neck, her hair pulled to the side, the two of them positioned between Klaus and Jenna.
"One tug, brother. You can't pick up your stake that fast, let alone get to her."
"Elijah...fancy seeing you here." Klaus was not looking pleased, but the tone was light.
"There's your sacrifice. You want to break the curse, you use one of your own." His head tilted toward Jenna. "This one's mine."
"Yours?"
Elijah shrugged, one elegant lift and fall of his shoulder. "Under my protection."
"What of the doppelganger?"
Elijah didn't even look at her, kept his gaze fixed on his brother. "She's yours."
No way to save her-he'd have to trust in Damon's blood or Bonnie's magic. Besides, her sacrifice was part of the deal.
"I don't think I like you interfering."
"I don't think I give a fuck."
Klaus blinked at the harsh words, looking a little nonplussed. "What do you want?"
"You take that," he nodded to the vampire still lying passively across Klaus's legs. "And give me her." A nod at Jenna. "And I let your witch
go to finish what she started."
"And then?"
A sort of weariness settled over Elijah's face. "Then you go...do whatever it is you do, on your own, and I go home."
He'd never hidden from his brother. Klaus knew where to find him.
"You won't interfere in my making my new companions?"
"I wish you the best of them," Elijah said, voice hardening. "And them luck, given how you've slaughtered your past ones."
Something flickered across Klaus's face. "Come home."
Fury lit Elijah's eyes. "No."
Klaus was silent for a while, then shoved the vampire off of himself and stood, hauling him up with him. "Not even if I tell you where I put
them?"
"You already told me."
Klaus smiled a little. "I lied." Then he moved like lightning and slammed the stake into the heart of the vampire he held. "The girl is yours. Don't interfere again-tell your little witch waiting in the woods to attack to stand down-and I'll let you have them back..."
Elijah stepped back, dragging Greta, offering Jenna a hand behind his back, to get up, but still keeping himself between her and Klaus. His head was reeling with the possibility, but he wasn't certain how much he could believe. Klaus was more than capable of lying...on either side of the equation. But he thought of Rebekah, of how much Klaus had loved her, and of how they'd hauled Finn around for centuries, unable to trust him not to betray them to Mikael.
When he had Jenna's hand in his, he squeezed and murmured, for her, though he knew Klaus could hear. "Run. Back to the plantation house. Alaric's locked in there, and likely quite cross." He paused, considered, while Klaus waited, impatience showing. "Try not to eat him before I get back."
"Elena..."
"Made her choice. It's taken care of." He hoped she heard the message, remembered, at the least, that her niece had Damon's blood in her. She'd rise from this, one way or the other.
Elijah let go of Jenna's hand, let go of Greta's neck, focused on his brother, and hoped Jenna would listen and run, back to where she belonged.
"We have a deal."