“Well, this body has outlived his usefulness,” Klaus said as they were walking back to Alaric’s apartment. “Good thing that Maddox and Greta are on their way back with my body.”
Myriam looped her arm through Klaus’ and sighed. “I just made a couple more enemies.”
Klaus let out a chuckle. “Love, they’ve always been your playthings. Your pets. Pets die.”
“I know, but… I’ve grown to like these pets.”
“And they were all a means to an end,” Klaus reminded her. “Aren’t you sick of this little town yet?”
She sighed again. “If you stick around for a while longer, you’ll see that it’s like a daytime television show. So much drama, so much intrigue… who needs television when you have Mystic Falls? I’m merely sad that my friends are going to hate me now because of the fear mongering. You’re the big bad wolf because you need to sacrifice people to break your curse. Elijah is the good guy because he wants to kill you.”
“Ah, what else is new? You’ll be by my side when we break the curse, won’t you?”
“Of course. With my invisible friends. I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to you,” she then let out a sigh. “Apparently our guest received a visitor today, and they handed her vervain.”
“Well, that’s inconvenient.”
“That depends, my love,” Myriam replied as she smiled up at him. “We could make her believe she can’t be influenced anymore, but I could have her possessed, and she could do our bidding in any case.”
“You’d need a mighty demon, Katarina won’t bow down that easily.”
“I already had one on her. I love toying with that bitch,” she replied as they took the stairs to Alaric’s apartment and heard loud music blasting out of it. “I can have her do so many things…”
“I can’t believe they call this music,” Klaus muttered as he opened the door to the apartment and let Myriam walk in before him. “You mind turning that down?” He ordered Katerina, who rolled her eyes and did as she was told.
“Why so grumpy?” she asked.
“This body has outlived its usefulness.”
“Do you want a drink?”
Myriam growled as she snatched the bottle from Katerina’s hand and threw it against the wall before pinning the vampire down. “Listen to me, you little shit. I know. I know about your visitors this afternoon. Hand it over.”
“Hand what over, exactly?” Katerina asked innocently. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Myriam, that’s enough, love. I don’t care if she has vervain on her, she’ll do as she’ll be told in any case, won’t she?”
Myriam scowled as she released Katerina and instructed the demon to listen to whatever Klaus wanted Katerina to do, and she wouldn’t have any chance of not listening.
“Now sit down, and shut up,” Klaus told Katherine before he heard Maddox returning. Finally. He turned to look at the door. “Maddox! Welcome back! You took your time!”
“You have a lot of luggage,” Maddox replied as he was followed by some vampires who were carrying his luggage. And then Greta walked in. Myriam wanted to rip the witch’ head off, but they needed her to put Klaus back into his own body.
“Greta!” Klaus greeted her warmly. “Finally!”
“Hello love,” she widely smiled as she approached him, and Myriam was sitting on her hands to make sure she wouldn’t act upon her impulses.
“Hello.”
“Nice body,” Greta smiled up at him appreciatively. “You ready to get out of it?”
Klaus hummed his answer with a slow nod. Myriam let out a low growl and used one of her spirits, not one of her demons, mark Greta’s neck harshly, causing Greta to flinch and grab the back of her neck. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Ghosts. I don’t know, it hurts,” the witch let out a sigh as she grabbed her bag. “We need to prepare, talk amongst yourselves for a while.”
Klaus gently pulled Myriam towards the open kitchen. “Sweetheart, I know you don’t like her much,” he said in a hushed voice. For Myriam to actively use one of her confined spirits rather than one of her demons meant she meant business. “But we need her. I need her to break the curse. Please leave her in one piece until after she’s done what I want her to do? You think you will be able to control yourself until tomorrow night?”
“Stop flirting,” she said as she pulled him closer to her and reached out to cup his balls. “You’re in a human body now, until it’s time to put you back in your own. I could hurt you so bad, you have no idea. You’re mine.”
“Myriam.”
“Klaus,” she evenly said as she stared him down. “You’re mine. And as soon as you’re back in your body, you’re coming home with me.”
“Myriam, I-”
“I could always ask the demon I put on you if you’ve been nothing but honourable, but if you haven’t been…”
“I have, love,” he calmly replied as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Now please let go of Alaric’s manhood, or I might start questioning your honour.”
She narrowed her eyes at him as she lifted her hand to slap him, but Klaus caught her hand. “Cochon!”
“Greta, please hurry, my wife is impatient,” he called out to his witch as he didn’t look away from Myriam, loving the fire in her eyes. “And I have to admit, so am I.”
Greta let out a chuckle as she placed her candles. “Just a while longer.”
“Elijah’s been telling Elena everything about you and him and the curse,” Myriam said as she looked at Klaus. “She undaggered him, the bitch. Why are doppelgangers always so predictable and devious?”
Klaus shrugged. “I’ll deal with Elijah. He’s simply not allowed to kill me when I’m in transition.”
Myriam sighed as she pulled her wrist back from him and turned to pour herself another drink. “And let me guess, you’re not interested in sex either until after your transition?” She then turned to face him again. “If you say no, I’ll be leaving right now.”
“That’s not nice.”
“I’m not nice.”
“Don’t be daft, you are very nice.”
“Ugh, I want to vomit,” Katerina remarked.
“And we told you to shut your whore mouth!” Myriam shot at her, forcing her demon to hurt Katerina a little for speaking up.
“We’re ready, Lord Klaus,” Maddox spoke with respect in his voice towards his master as he didn’t want to face the wrath of Myriam. “We can put you back in your own body now.”
“Finally!” Myriam exclaimed as she pushed Klaus towards his own body that was still in the damn trunk.
Maddox and Greta chanted for a while until the candles all lit up brightly. Myriam couldn’t stand to be patient, and when Alaric gasped and fell to the ground after thinking Katerina was Elena, she rushed over to the trunk and opened it.
Klaus walked out of the trunk, looked around and smiled brightly. “Now, that’s more like it!”
Myriam flung herself around his neck, kissing him hard. “Thank God they didn’t fuck up,” she muttered into the kiss.
“I have one more thing to do,” he broke off the kiss and took her hand, gently squeezing it. “Then I’m all yours, I promise.” Klaus then let go of her and shook Alaric awake. “Good, you’re awake. You’re going to have a rest, and in the morning you will tell your friends that the ritual will happen today.”
“I will,” Alaric said as he got to his feet and walked straight to bed.
Klaus then turned to Greta and Maddox. “Tomorrow you’ll acquire me the vampire and werewolf we’ve picked out. Until then, you’ll babysit our guest. I’ll be back in the morning, I have a wife to please.”
“Of course,” Greta and Maddox smiled widely. “Good to have you back in your own body, Klaus.”
~o.O.o~
“I must say, you were right about Mystic Falls,” Klaus said as he and Myriam walked through town followed by Greta and Maddox. The two witches had their mission, and Maddox, in particular, had gotten creative last night by throwing Carol Lockwood of the stairs so that Tyler would return.
Of course, there was a werewolf ready and waiting for Klaus in Myriam’s basement, but even he agreed that that wolf would make a great hybrid. He looked strong. Well built. Lots of potential. “I can see why you love it so much.”
“I don’t love it, I love New Orleans, but the appeal is here. Small towns are almost like a time capsule,” she replied as they strolled down main street together. The moment they had arrived at home the previous night, she had put on her wedding ring again. There was no need to hide anymore.
“But why are you dragging me with you to do something so… mundane?”
“What? Me quitting my job at the Mystic Grill?” Myriam smiled up at him. “Well, because I just know you want to cause some trouble, make some people shiver in their boots. Damon and Alaric are there. Pity drinking.”
“Damon. Right. Your friend.”
“I don’t think he wishes to be my friend anymore,” she winked at him. “Which sucks, but it seems like the stories about you and Elijah’s stories truly made you the big bad. Which, in association, makes me a bitch.”
“They don’t know you’re my wife yet, do they?”
“No, just that I’m on your side and not Elijah’s. They think out of fear.”
Klaus smirked then. “Let’s have some fun,” he kissed the top of her head. “You go, I’ll join you in a bit.”
Myriam giggled as she headed inside the grill and found the manager. “Hey Dwayne,” she greeted him with a smile. “I’m handing in my notice, effective immediately.”
“What? Why? You’re the best we’ve ever had!”
Myriam shrugged. “That’s bullshit. You should promote Matt, though. He’s doing a great job. Keep my pay, put it back into the Grill. I know you’re struggling.”
Dwayne sighed and nodded. “Well, if you ever need a job… you’re always welcome to return.”
“Thanks, Dwayne,” she said as she moved out of sight, observing her husband who had now walked up to Damon and Alaric.
“Gentlemen, why so glum?” Klaus asked, causing Alaric to stand up straight and Damon looking over his shoulder.
“Ugh,” Damon sighed as he looked back at his drink. “Klaus, I presume?”
“In the flesh,” he smiled coyly before looking at Alaric. “Thanks for the loaner, mate.”
Damon angrily got to his feet, trying to intimidate Klaus. “Any reason you stopped by to say ‘hi’?”
“I’m told you and your brother fancy my doppelganger. Just thought I’d remind you to do not do anything you’ll regret.”
Damon barked out a laugh. “Ha! Thanks for your advice,” he said all smugly. “Don’t suppose I could talk you into a postponement by any chance, huh?”
Klaus smiled then, shaking his head as he looked down at the bar for a moment. “You are kidding,” he replied as he met Damon’s eyes before looking over his shoulder to find Alaric. “He is kidding, right?”
“No, not really,” Alaric replied stoically.
“I mean, come on, what’s one more month in all the grand scheme of things?”
“Let me be clear,” Klaus said calmly, turning to Damon and taking a step towards him. “I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So, if you want to live to see tomorrow, don’t screw it up.”
“Hi guys,” Myriam said lightly as she moved between Damon and Klaus. “How’s it going?”
“You and I need to talk,” Damon told her sternly. “Elena told me what happened with Rose. Where the hell have you been?”
“Right here,” Myriam said with a shrug. “In town, helping my husband get situated, what do you think?”
“You’re married?”
“I told you I was, didn’t I?” Myriam scratched the back of her head. “Oh, I must have neglected to say that. Some secrets are meant to be kept.”
“And why are you working with him, of all people?”
“What? With Klaus?” Myriam laughed then. “I’m sorry Damon, I don’t know what scary stories Elijah must have told you, or Rose, or Katherine, but Klaus is not the bad guy in this situation. He merely wants his curse to be removed so he can be truly free. What’s so bad about that?”
“People are going to die, Myriam!” Damon shot at her. “And I thought you said you’d keep Elena safe!”
“From everyone who’d come after her and Elijah, yes. I’m not allowing Elijah to use Elena for the ritual so he can kill Klaus,” Myriam said, shaking her head. “I told her to listen, I guess she needs her ears cleaned or something. I never said I’d save her from Klaus. And vampires can be easily created, so what’s the big deal?”
“What’s the- this isn’t you talking!” Damon cried out. “Did he compel you?”
“No?” Myriam said confused as she pulled vervain out of her pocket. “I drink vervain, and I wear it on me as protection from Elijah. It also means that this fella behind me can’t compel me. Been there, done that.”
“People are going to die, Myriam!”
“No,” Myriam said sternly. “A supernatural doppelganger is. A vampire is. A werewolf is. They’re not humans. I value human life as much as anyone else, but once you’re supernatural doesn’t mean you can’t die.”
“Myriam, in particular, has a hatred towards werewolves, don’t you, love?” Klaus said playfully. “And witches, but werewolves are the worst.”
“Ha!” Damon pointed out. “If Klaus turns, he’ll become a hybrid. A werewolf and a vampire!”
“I’m not stupid, Damon,” Myriam replied with a sigh. “Nothing will change, only that he’ll be a hybrid. He’ll always be the man I married, no matter what changes.”
Alaric spat out his drink, and Damon’s jaw just about fell on the floor. “Excuse you?”
“Klaus and I have been married for over 300 years. Every time I was in Mystic Falls was for him. Especially after Elena was born. Everything I did, was for him. And now that he’s here…” Myriam smiled brightly as she looked at her husband with pride. “I can’t wait to remain by his side for the rest of our lives now. We’ve spent far too long apart.”
“You’re making me sick,” Damon scowled. “You’re better than this.”
“Does your opinion of me really change because I’m Klaus’ wife? And that I’d do anything for him? I’m still the same person you came to know, Damon.”
“Yeah, no. Goodbye, Myriam.”
“You’re such a child, Damon,” Myriam huffed as she put her arm through Klaus’ and followed him out.
“Love, I-”
“Don’t waste your breath,” she sighed. “I kinda knew this would happen. It hurts, but hey, so did him turning because of Katerina. His… exposure to other vampires is limited.”
“Would you like me to kill him?”
“If anyone kills him, it’s going to be me,” Myriam said grumpily. “Come on, you’re buying me an ice cream before we return to the preparations for tonight.”
“Do you think we can trust Katerina in calling out dear Aunt Jenna?” Klaus mused.
“Under the threat of death? Sure!”
That evening, Myriam hid in the Quarry. She could oversee just about everything in the area, and she brought a bag of popcorn and a bottle of wine to entertain herself with. One false move by anyone and she’d snap their heads off their torsos.
The ritual went ahead as planned. As expected. With the backups. Even with Stefan showing up. When Bonnie showed up and started to hurt her husband, Myriam sent her demons over to weaken the witch so she’d stop with the spells. Myriam could have come down to kill Bonnie, but Myriam knew better than to attack someone as powerful as her and Klaus was slightly more durable even in this weakened state.
His cries of agony, however, hurt her.
She was about to step in when Elijah pushed his hand inside Klaus’ torso. “No!” She cried out before rushing over and trying to stop Elijah from killing Klaus. “Don’t! He’s your brother!”
“Stay out of this, Myriam,” Elijah slapped her face, pushing her away from him.
“I didn’t bury them at sea!” Klaus sputtered, gasping between his words.
“What?” Elijah questioned him.
“Their bodies are safe. If you kill me, you shall never find them.”
“Elijah!” Stefan called out to him. “Don’t listen to him!”
“Elijah,” Klaus said in barely a whisper. “I can take you to them. I give you my word. Brother.”
Bonnie took a step forward as she looked at Elijah. “Do it, and I’ll take you both out.”
“You’ll die,” Elijah told her.
“I don’t care.”
Elijah sneered as he seemed to think about his options before looking at Stefan and Bonnie. “I’m sorry.”
“No!” Bonnie and Stefan chorused as they lunged forward but Elijah was faster with taking Klaus away, leaving Myriam by herself. “You bitch!” Bonnie yelled at Myriam before she started to shoot pain infliction spells at the vampire.
“Bonnie, no,” Stefan stopped her. “She’s got nothing to do with this.”
“You heard Damon! She’s with Klaus!”
“That doesn’t mean that she’s a bad person, now release her. We need to go back for Elena.”
Bonnie reluctantly released Myriam, who nodded a thanks to Stefan and ran off in the direction she saw Elijah run off to. Myriam was stopped by Elijah then, who had a heap of clothes next to him. “Leave,” he said easily. “I’ll take care of Niklaus from here.”
Myriam cocked her head for a moment before she scoffed. “Arrogant prick. You haven’t changed a bit. If you truly cared for your brother, you wouldn’t have schemed behind his back. Just fuck off to whence you came.”
“You know what surprises me?” Elijah asked as he finished cleaning his hands with his handkerchief. “That you’re still alive.”
“And you know what surprises me?” Myriam countered as she used all of her demons to subdue him. As he lay on the ground, stiffened, she stood over him with a smirk on her face. “You always think you scare me, but trust me, Elijah, you don’t. Now stay down. I’ll take care of his happy little accidents on the way. I’ll release you when he returns.”
Myriam followed Klaus around for two days and was there when he returned back to normal, completely naked. Too bad she’d brought his clothes with her. “Welcome back,” she smiled at him. “You’ve been busy.”
“That was amazing,” Klaus said, remembering the experience. “How long has it been?” He asked as he got to his feet to get dressed.
“Just under two days,” Myriam said as she looked at him appreciatively. “Full moon came and went. You remained a wolf. And don’t get dressed on my account.”
Klaus let out a chuckle. “You can have me later, love.” He fastened his belt. “I can change at will then. That’s good to know. I remember every single kill.”
“Yeah, good. Because I’ve been cleaning up your little mess along the way.”
“Normally that’s Elijah’s job.”
“Elijah is… incapacitated until you returned,” Myriam replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. “So what, you and Elijah are best buds again?”
“Of course not,” Klaus huffed. “I said I’d reunite him with our family, didn’t I?”
Myriam thought for a moment and then smiled. “And he thinks he gets to walk the earth still.”
“Exactly,” Klaus winked at her. “We’ll have him reunited with our family shortly. And I’ll have my Ripper back.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, you’ll find out shortly. I think you’ll love what I have in mind,” Klaus said all mysterious. “Now, undo what you did to Elijah, it’s time to catch up with my brother, and introduce him again to Katerina. Vervain or not, she’s still compelled not to leave until I say so.”
“Just promise me you won’t push me away.”
“It’s you who always leaves!”
“I don’t want to!” She shot back at him. “I want to live in peace and not having to run all the time, is that too much to ask? Mikael is out of commission, can’t we just go somewhere and settle down? Back in New Orleans, maybe?”
“Perhaps,” he smiled at her as he took her hand. “Once I have what I’m after.”
Myriam knew precisely what he was after; they had discussed this for quite some time, and she wouldn’t stop him. She had her demons, he could have his own pets. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Can I have Kol back?”
“Not at this point, no. He’ll only try to thwart our plans.”
“But when we’re settled?”
“Yes, love. You can have Kol back then until he does something stupid and we’ll have to dagger him again,” he replied. “Now please stop with the questions and let’s find my brother so we can take him to Katerina.”
“You’re such an asshole sometimes,” Myriam muttered. “Kol would have been amazing to have with me while I was doing this for you.”
Klaus let out a chuckle. “Don’t make me laugh. He’d take the moonstone and throw it into the nearest active volcano he can find.”
“Keep it up and who knows, you might end up in an active volcano yourself,” she countered sharply. “It’s your own fault that he doesn’t like you.”
He growled then. “It’s that you’re my wife and that I love you. Otherwise, I would have killed you for speaking to me like that.”
“Oh, is that how things are going to go? Really? You know what, you’ve got what you wanted, maybe I’ll just fuck off and leave you to deal with Elijah by yourself. I somehow have the feeling that I’ll only be in your way while I’ve been your biggest supporter for centuries, Klaus. I’ve always been in your corner.”
“And yet, you’re talking down at me! Threatening me!”
“Because you are doing the same!”
“Then let’s stop!”
“Fine!” Myriam shot back at him. “Elijah can wait,” she then said as she pulled Klaus down into the bushes. “You’re mine now.”
~o.O.o~
She remained quiet and by Klaus’ side as he promised Elijah that he’d reunite him with their siblings shortly, and headed back to Alaric’s apartment where Katerina still resided, and she had an unexpected guest. “Well, you just keep popping up everywhere, aren’t you?” Klaus asked Stefan.
“I need your help. For my brother.”
“Well, whatever it is, it’s gonna have to wait a tick,” Klaus replied. “You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention,” he added before passing Stefan to get something.
“You understand how important family is or you wouldn’t be here,” Elijah said as he approached Stefan. “My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own.”
“And so I shall,” Klaus said before plunging the silver dagger into him, causing Elijah to cry out in pain and fall to the floor. Myriam let out a rejoicing sound as she poked Elijah’s desiccated body with her foot. Klaus then grabbed Stefan and pushed him up the wall. “Now, what to do with you?”
“Nothing too painful, Klaus,” Myriam told him with a slight giggle as she kicked Elijah again. “He did save me from the wrath of a Bennett witch.”
Klaus pushed a stake through Stefan’s stomach. “Oh, well… too late.”
Stefan fell against Klaus and gasped for breath.
“Do you feel that?” Klaus whispered. “It’s scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement and you’re dead.”
“He’s just trying to help his brother,” Katerina piped up, a sudden braveness overcoming her.
“The witches said you had a cure,” Stefan managed to speak out before he looked at Klaus. “Make me a deal. Just give me the cure, and I’ll do whatever you want.”
Klaus pulled out the stake, and Stefan dropped to the ground with a groan. “Oh, right, your brother was bitten by a wolf,” he mused. “Trouble is, Stefan, I don’t know if you’d be any good to me the way you are now,” he said as he poured himself a glass of human blood. “You’re just shy of useless.” He took a sip before moving over to Stefan and squatted down before him. “I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades.”
It was then when Myriam realised which Ripper Klaus had referred to earlier. “Klaus, no.”
“It’s alright, sweetheart, I won’t let any harm come over him, I promise.”
“You can’t, he’s…”
“Just the way I want him to be… if he’s off the wagon, of course,” he smiled at her before looking back at Stefan. “When this bloke was off the wagon, he was magnificent. 1917, he went into Monterey and wiped out an entire immigrant village… a true Ripper,” he got to his feet as he took another sip of his blood. “Sound familiar?”
“I haven’t been that way in a very long time,” Stefan sighed.
“Well, that’s the vampire I can make a deal with. That is the kind of talent I can use when I leave town. Katerina, come here,” he said sweetly. When she gave her his hand, he bit into it.
“No!” Katerina whined. “No!”
Klaus then bit in his own wrist and fed her his blood, curing the bite instantly. “You want your cure?” He asked Stefan as he wiped his mouth. “There it is.”
“Your blood is the cure.”
“Gotta love Mother Nature,” Klaus smiled as he put a hand on Stefan’s shoulder. “Now, let’s talk, you and I.”
They sat down at the bar and Myriam poured herself a glass of wine. She was in two minds about this. She had recently saved Mystic Falls from the beginning Ripper, but to have Stefan go all out? She was afraid of what would happen. Luckily, Klaus could compel him to behave, but still. She still didn’t like Stefan for what he did to Damon, and for what he did to her Zak, but did he really deserve this? Would he be able to come back from this after Klaus would release him from his deal? Myriam finished her glass and poured herself another while Klaus used a knife to put some of his blood in a vial.
“You want the cure, how about a decade-long bender?” Klaus asked Stefan. “You know, I have big plans for you when we leave this town.”
“I’m not like that anymore.”
“Well, that’s too bad. You would have made one hell of a wingman,” he said as he started to pour his blood down the drain.
“Wait,” Stefan quickly said.
“Now that’s more like it. Join me for a drink, Stefan,” he slid the big bag of blood across the counter.
“Yeah, I’m not sticking around for this,” Myriam said as she snatched Klaus’ bottle. “Release Katerina, she and I are going to bring this to Damon and then she’s free to go.”
“What!”
“Do it, Klaus,” Myriam told him, eager to get out of the apartment as she knew what Klaus was going to do, feed the Ripper, and she really didn’t want to see that with her own eyes. “And once you’re done playing, you can join me at our home.”
He rolled his eyes at her before motioning Katerina over to release her. “Bring this vial to Damon, and leave. I’d hurry if I were you, he might not have long.” Once Myriam and Katherine were out, he turned back to Stefan. “Women, right? Drink up, I’ve got more for you!”
