Next Day
Alaric's apartment Klaus/Alaric opened the closet and took out 2 shirts, while Katherine sat in a chair "Oh! Who is this guy, Safari Sam?" he muttered to himself, before he took out two shirts and turned to Katherine "Ok, bad, or badder?"
"The dark colors suit you better." Katherine said "Oh, thank you, honey. Ok, pop quiz. The dagger and white ash are in the Salvatore's possession, correct?" Alaric/Klaus asked
"The dagger was used to kill Elijah. You'll find him in the basement of the Salvatore house." Katherine said "Ok, that dagger needs to stay exactly where it is. The last thing I need to do is resurrect Elijah. Ohh, that guy is a buzzkill." Klaus/Alaric replied "Don't forget you're on the outs with your girlfriend Jenna." Katherine said
"Right. Elena's aunt. For all the lies about Isobel. What else?" Klaus/Alaric said
"That's it." Katherine replied only for him to get closer and touch her face while she flinched "Oh, so jumpy." Klaus/Alaric said
"Please, just... kill me. I've told you everything that I know." Katherine said "You see, I believe that you believe that, but what would you not know? What could they be keeping from you? Hmm? Anything? Tell me." Klaus/Alaric said compelling her
"They were trying to see if Bonnie could find a way to kill an Original without a dagger." Katherine said
"Bonnie the best friend? I thought you said she didn't have her powers anymore." Alaric/Klaus replied
"She doesn't or didn't. I don't know. You kidnapped me, remember? I'm kinda out of the loop." Katherine retorted
Klaus/Alaric stood up straight with a sigh before he said "Well, we'll have to get to the bottom of that."
Katherine looked ahead as she spoke "Please, just kill me, Klaus, and be done with it."
"And show you kindness? I've searched for you for over 500 years. Your death is going to last at least half that long." Klaus/Alaric replied before he took a knife out of his pocket "I want you to take this knife... And stab yourself."
Katherine took the knife and stabbed herself in the thigh, causing her to grunt "Now take it out." he ordered which she did and moved the blood out of the way juast in time to see the wound heal "Now while I'm gone, I want you to do that over and over and over again and if you get bored, switch legs."
"Where are you going?" Katherine asked
"I'm gonna go lay eyes on my precious doppelgänger." Klaus/Alaric said before he kissed her on the forehead "Oh, don't look so glum, Katerina. The fun is just beginning. Again." he ordered causing Katherine to stab herself again.
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Salvatore Boarding House.
The scratch of a pen echoed faintly through the parlor. "Please sign here… and here," the lawyer said, sliding the documents forward.
Elena nodded. "Okay." She leaned over the table and signed, her handwriting careful, deliberate.
Bonnie watched from the arm of the couch, eyes roaming the room. "So this place is all yours now?" she asked. "They just… gave it to you?"
"For now," Elena replied, setting the pen down. "As sole owner, I'm the only one who can invite a certain type of person inside. If you know what I mean." Her eyes flicked briefly to the lawyer.
Bonnie smirked. "Your own personal safe house."
"That's the idea." Bonnie glanced around again, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Still wouldn't want to clean it." Elena laughed under her breath.
The lawyer cleared his throat. "If you'll excuse me, may I use the restroom?"
"Down the hall, second door on the right," Elena said, pointing. The man thanked her and disappeared down the corridor.
The moment he was gone, Bonnie leaned forward. "Okay," she said quietly. "What about the guy you told me about? Michael."
Elena exhaled. "Yeah… him." She hesitated, then continued. "He said he knew my mom. Like really knew her. He was a student of Alaric's, back when my mom was doing her research. Apparently, they were friends." She paused. "And he's… old, Bonnie. Like, Originals-old."
Bonnie's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, great. Another ancient vampire with mystery motives and a possibly superiority complex."
Elena shook her head. "That's the thing, he's so polite and I don't think he's a vampire."
Bonnie blinked. "What?"
"He said my mom tried dosing him with vervain once. Didn't work. And Stefan swears he's never seen him drink blood. Not once."
Bonnie frowned, thinking. "Okay, but that doesn't mean much. He could have some kind of charm. Or a spell anchored to his body. I mean, how else—" She stopped, expression hardening. "Speaking of bodies… what are we doing about Alaric? Or Klaus-in-Alaric?"
Elena didn't answer right away.
Outside, Stefan and Damon stood near the porch, the late afternoon air heavy with tension. "So," Damon said, arms crossed, "you really trust this Michael guy that much? You just… called him in for backup."
Stefan didn't look at him at first. "Yes."
Damon scoffed. "Why?" Stefan finally turned, jaw tight. "I already told you, Damon. He helped me when I needed it most. When I was the Ripper." His voice dropped. "He helped me when I deserved to die."
Damon rolled his eyes. "You always say that."
"I provoked him Damon," Stefan snapped. "I begged him to kill me. And he didn't. Instead he chose to help me"
Damon went quiet at that. Just for a second. Then he waved it off. "Fine. So what's he been doing for the last thousand years, huh? Because the way you describe him, he sounds like he should be right up there with the Originals."
Stefan shook his head. "That's the thing, he isn't."
Damon groaned. "Fantastic. An immortal mystery man with identity issues. If this blows up in our faces, you're answering for it."
Stefan didn't argue. Damon shifted gears, glancing toward the house. "You think Bonnie can actually take on Klaus?"
"She said she could channel enough witches to kill him," Stefan said slowly. "Elijah thought it would work and he was an Original, so…"
Damon smirked. "Well, at least we don't have to look far to find Klaus, do we?" Stefan's expression darkened. "Yeah. And that complicates everything."
"She still has to go through with it," Damon said bluntly. Stefan turned sharply. "What?"
Damon met his gaze, eyes unblinking. "It's what Ric would've wanted."
"Hell no," Stefan snapped. "We're not killing Alaric." He shook his head. "Besides, Michael said Klaus is only using his body to spy on us. To figure out what we're planning."
Damon frowned. "And?"
"And we use that," Stefan said firmly. "We turn it into an advantage."
"We have the opportunity now," Damon said, breaking the tension as he leaned against the railing. "We catch him off guard. We might not get another shot like this."
Stefan nodded. "Exactly. Klaus thinks he has the advantage, but his element of surprise is gone. We have him right where we want him."
Damon frowned. "So we're really not killing him now?"
"No," Stefan said firmly. "We rip him out of Alaric's body first. Then we kill him."
Damon exhaled sharply. "This is a mistake."
"Maybe," Stefan admitted. "But at least this way, we try to save Alaric."
After a moment, Damon spoke again, quieter this time. "Do you think he killed her?" Stefan didn't need clarification. "Katherine? Probably." Both brothers looked away, something unspoken passing between them.
"It's not like she didn't have it coming," Damon said suddenly, forcing his usual edge back into his voice.
"Well," a voice cut in smoothly, "that's one way to memorialize a centuries-old sociopath."
Both brothers turned immediately .
Michael stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, expression mildly amused. "I leave you alone for five minutes and you're already rewriting history."
Damon squinted at him. "You ever consider knocking?"
Michael tilted his head. "You ever consider lowering your voice when plotting regicide? Because that's what Niklaus is"
Stefan sighed and Damon smirked at that
"You know," Damon said, circling him slowly, "for someone who claims not to be a vampire, you really enjoy the dramatic entrances."
Michael shot back instantly, "And for someone who claims to hate authority, you do a lot of posturing for approval one way or another."
Damon blinked once.
"…Okay, that one hurt."
Michael smiled thinly. "Touché?"
Damon grumbled. "Touché."
Michael's gaze sharpened slightly. "So. What exactly are you planning to do with the information I gave you yesterday?" Before either brother could answer, the front door opened.
"Thank you, Mr. Henry," Elena said politely as the lawyer stepped out and walked past them down the path.
Michael turned toward her, his expression shifting into something charming and undeniably dangerous. "Elena," he greeted, offering a small bow with a devious smile. "Congratulations on your new acquisition."
She barely had time to respond before Michael walked straight past her and into the house.
Stefan and Damon froze at that.
Elena spun around. "Wait—!" Michael stopped just inside the threshold, clearly enjoying himself far too much. He glanced back at their stunned expressions, lips twitching as if he were fighting laughter.
"Oh," he said lightly, "don't look so shocked. You're all staring like I just grew another head."
Elena stared at him. "How could you get in?"
Michael turned, unbothered. "Simple." He walked further inside, settling onto the couch like he owned the place. "I keep reminding people who ask that I'm a very special entity."
He leaned back, fingers steepled. "And no, I'm not a vampire." A pause. "But I am something."
The way he said it sent a chill through the room. That's when he noticed Bonnie.
She stood near the stairs, staring at him openly, completely speechless. Michael's expression softened just a little. He smiled. "Hello."
"H-hi," Bonnie stuttered, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
Michael stood. "Apologies. Where are my manners?" He offered a polite nod. "Keller. Michael Keller."
Damon scoffed. "You know, you say your name like an Original we know. One with great hair and even worse intentions."
Michael ignored him completely, smirk intact, his attention focused solely on Bonnie. "And yours is?"
"B-bonnie Bennett," she said, placing her hand in his. The moment their hands touched, Bonnie gasped.
Power surged through her and she felt the ancient, overwhelming and vast magic. Magic so dense it made her knees weak. But beneath it was something else. Death and it was raw and primal.
Yet unlike the cold, hollow void she felt around vampires, this death was… warm.
Like sitting beside a fire after being lost in the forest cold for too long.
Bonnie pulled her hand back slowly, eyes wide.
Michael watched her carefully. "…Interesting," he murmured.
Michael was doing his absolute best to keep a straight face.
Outwardly, he looked calm, polite, composed, the picture of a gentleman leaning casually near the couch. Inwardly?
He was absolutely losing it.
'Okay… wow, he thought, glancing at Bonnie when he thought no one was paying attention. So she really does look like that in real life… hmm give her a decade and she'll look as good as she did in 2021. Man older ladies always takes the cake bus I can't deny she does look ravishing right now.'
A slow breath. 'Alright, focus. You're not watching a show anymore.'
His gaze drifted Elena, then briefly to the Salvatores. 'And let's not pretend the rest of you didn't win the genetic lottery too.'
He sighed inwardly. 'They're not characters. Not actors. This is real flesh and blood.'
That thought alone sobered him instantly.
Bonnie exchanged a small smile with him, clearly about to say something but Elena walked in with Stefan and Damon right behind her.
Bonnie stepped forward and handed Elena her jacket.
"Thanks," Elena said, slipping it on.
"Wait, where are you going?" Stefan asked.
"To school," Elena replied casually.
Stefan blinked. "Huh?"
"No, no, no," Damon cut in, already pouring himself a drink. "We did not create a supernatural panic bunker just so you could go to homeroom."
"Yeah," Stefan added, tension creeping into his voice. "Klaus is out there. And he's wearing Alaric's face. If he's at the school, he'll have the perfect position once you're in his sights."
Elena didn't back down. "Exactly. Which means we can keep an eye on him too. He doesn't knows we know it's him." She glanced at Bonnie. "And Bonnie will be with me. If he tries anything—"
"We're also trying to reverse the spell," Bonnie added. "Expel Klaus from Ric's body before it gets worse."
Stefan shook his head. "That's too dangerous. Klaus could have his own witch nearby."
A soft crunch echoed through the room.
Everyone turned to see Michael was sitting comfortably, eating popcorn. Stefan stared before asking "Where did you even get that?"
Michael shrugged. "Kitchen. Bottom cabinet. Excellent choice, by the way." He gestured between Elena and the brothers. "Please, continue. I'm enjoying this."
Damon snorted. Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose, then turned fully toward Michael.
Michael sighed, set the popcorn aside, and stood. "Elena is right," he said calmly. "Having Niklaus within your sight is both the best and worst possible position."
He stepped closer to the girls.
"Do you have any idea," he continued, "how many hundreds perhaps thousands of beings vastly stronger than you" he briefly pointed at the Salvatore brothers, "would flee the continent just knowing Niklaus Mikaelson was nearby?"
The room was silent.
"Most would consider it wisdom not to be anywhere in his general vicinity," Michael went on. "So I suspect telling you not to go won't work."
He turned to Bonnie, studying her with sharp interest.
"The power flowing off you," he said quietly, "will be enough to slow him down. And when I sense you using it, I'll appear." His eyes glinted faintly. "From there, I handle him."
Bonnie swallowed but didn't look away.
Michael continued, "If you want Klaus out of Alaric's body, then you don't confront him head-on. You let him believe he's playing you."
He paced slowly. "You reveal just enough. Let him feel in control. Let him think he has the upper hand."
"You get Ric back," Michael said simply. "Then I deal with Niklaus."
He stopped in front of Bonnie, his tone softening.
"So," he asked, "are you ready to play a little trick on him?"
Bonnie smiled nervously at that.
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm ready. If he shows up, I'll do my best."
Michael clapped his hands once, sharp and decisive.
"Now then," he said pleasantly, stepping back from the group, "off you go, kids."
Stefan hesitated. "This could fail. There are too many variables—"
"Oh, it's going to fail," Damon cut in smoothly. "None of this is planned right. We should just lure Klaus out, use Bonnie on the problem, and be done with it."
Michael stopped walking.
"And kill Alaric in the process?" he asked calmly.
Damon scoffed. "Collateral damage." Michael turned, his expression still polite but there was a certain coldness behind his eyes now.
"Well," he said lightly, glancing around the room, "if this is a democracy, I'd say you lose that vote, Damon." A pause. "Besides, I don't rush to kill people who were once important to me."
That landed heavier than anyone expected.
He moved toward the door just as Elena and Bonnie started ahead.
"Wait—um, coming," Stefan called after them, following quickly.
Michael watched them go, then shook his head faintly. "I must admit," he murmured, "it will never cease to amaze me how you manage to attend high school again, Stefan. It's almost… mythically cliché."
Damon shrugged. "That's his thing."
Then his tone sharpened as he stepped closer to Michael.
"So how do we trust that you won't screw us over?"
Michael chuckled low, amused, ancient.
"I've been alive a very long time," he said. "And in all that time, there is one thing I have never done." He met Damon's gaze directly. "I do not break my word."
He continued walking as he spoke, unhurried.
"I promised I would help you. That promise stands."
"Stefan asked me for a favor and I consider him something close to a brother."
Damon's expression shifted, just slightly at that little fact.
"And," Michael added quietly, "a dead woman once asked me to protect her daughter." He looked toward the doorway Elena had passed through. "Tell me, Damon, what kind of guardian would I be if I went back on that?"
He reached the door, hand resting on the frame.
"Oh and for what it's worth," he said casually, "I'm fairly certain I'm the one who taught Elijah the value of keeping promises in the first place."
That shut Damon up as he looked utterly surprised at the little information.
Michael's phone buzzed and glanced at it before he sighed deeply.
"For the love of—"
"What?" Damon asked.
"Vermin," Michael replied flatly. "The sort that refuses to quit an already overused, overly extended game."
He slipped his phone away, opened the door, and paused just long enough to look back with a faint smirk.
"See you tomorrow."
And then, he was disappeared.
Damon stood there for a moment, staring at empty air.
"…Great," he muttered. "A Houdini with a messiah complex."
His phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and answered.
"Yeah?" Liz's voice came through and she sounded tense.
"Damon we've got a mysterious fire report few miles out of town at an old abandoned house… people say they heard fighting there yesterday so I might need your help with this one"
Damon closed his eyes slowly.
"Of course you do," he said dryly, already grabbing his jacket.