Katherine had been keeping an eye on Klaus since Julie had stupidly left her side. It wasn't common for the 500 years old vampire to get attach to a human and if someone had told her while she was on the run that someday she was going to stick around a town where the psycho hybrid was to make sure someone else than herself was going to be okay, she wouldn't have believed it. But there she was, a street across the Original hybrid, who was shopping with his sister, trying to get Stefan Salvatore's attention.

Julie kept awake all night. She didn't want to sleep when she knew exactly where Elijah was and what she needed to do to help him. But she knew Klaus would never let her and she had to be honest with herself, she was scared to death of him. His sister, Rebekah, was back from a 90 years "nap" and she wasn't in a good mood. Julie was relieved Klaus didn't have the idea to put them both in the same room even though she had been pretty friendly with her and happy her brother had found someone to care about despite Klaus.

Rebekah had been trying on expansive dresses for over an hour and she had liked none of them. She kept asking Julie's opinion and she didn't like half of the things that were in the shop. Klaus was drinking champagne like it was water at 10 in the morning and Stefan couldn't be more bored.

"There has to be more to this dress," Rebekah said, trying on another expansive outfit.

"There is not," Klaus told her.

Rebekah appeared in front of her brother with an annoyed look on her face. "So women in the 21st century dress like prostitutes then."

Klaus chuckled but didn't look up at her.

"You know I got dirty looks for wearing trousers," she said.

"You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing," Klaus told her.

"And what is this music?" she asked.

"It's dance music," Stefan told her.

"People dance to this?"

"Are we done?" Klaus sighed. His sister raised her eyebrows and took a few steps towards him.

"And why are you so grumpy?" she asked.

"I needed one thing from you for my witch to find out why my hybrids were dying, one thing, your necklace and you lost it," he said.

"I didn't lose it," she told him. "It's just been missing for 90 years." Klaus raised his eyes, unconvinced and not happier. Rebekah shrugged and turned to Stefan. "So what do you think?" she asked him.

"I like it," he said not really convincing.

"I can always tell when you're lying Stefan," she told him. "You, human girl." Julie looked up at the blonde then at her dress. "What do you think? And don't lie."

"I..." Julie shook her head. "I don't like it," she sighed.

"I knew it," Rebekah said before she went to change.

"Nice one, good work," Klaus sighed and Julie shrugged. She had no intention of making his life easier. She was bored to death and she couldn't think about anything else but Elijah but she'd rather stay in this shop all day if it meant him being miserable.

"You're the one that pulled the dagger out of her," Stefan said.

"I heard that!"

"Alright, I'm gonna get some fresh air," Stefan said before he put his glass down and left the shop.

"Can I go too?" Julie asked.

"No," Klaus merely said.

"Why not?" she whined.

"Because I know exactly what you're going to do," he sighed. "And I'm really not in the mood to face my brother right now." Julie sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed.

"Are you ever going to be in the mood?"

"Don't pout, love," Klaus chuckled as he served himself more champagne.

The first thing Stefan saw as he was about to step out of the shop was Katherine. He was surprised to see her standing across the street, he made sure Klaus wasn't looking and he followed her, curious to know why she was there.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"You look chummy. Klaus your new bestie?"

"You know, if he finds out you're in Chicago, you're dead," he told her.

"Happy to know you still care," she grinned. "So, tell me if I'm wrong. The necklace Klaus is looking for...That's the necklace you gave to Elena."

Stefan rolled his eyes and started to walk away. "Bye, Katherine."

"Hey, hey, wait..." she stopped him. "You're up to something, tell me."

Stefan sighed. "They don't know where the necklace is. I just have to keep them from figuring it out. I have it all under control."

"Please, tell me you have a better plan than that," she asked. "You do?" she waited for him to tell her but he said nothing. "Please, Stefan, you're not the diabolical type. Whatever you're planning, it's not gonna work," she said.

"Well, if the most diabolical woman I know can't seem to figure it out, then I must be doing something right," he smiled.

"Uh-huh, I forgot," she laughed. "You're bad now. Don't get too cocky," she advised him. "Klaus is smarter than you, he's smarter than everyone." Stefan grinned and then walked away. "Is Julie okay?" she asked him which made him curious and he stopped.

"I knew Damon hadn't told her about my apartment. Must have been you."

"She went through my stuff, she wasn't supposed to leave my side," she said, guilty and worried. "What is Klaus gonna do to her?"

Stefan shrugged. "I don't know. He seemed to have taken an interest in her. Plus, Rebekah likes her too. She wants to protect her brother's girlfriend. I wouldn't worry about her," he said.

"Tell her I'm around for her."

"Happy to know you still care," he said before walking away.

Katherine watched him walk away and sighed, feeling something she hadn't felt in centuries. A knot was forming in her stomach, which usually wasn't so painful. For the first time in years, she was worried about someone else than herself and she wasn't going to stop looking for Julie before she was sure she was safe.

Julie had asked Klaus to bring her back to Elijah, promising she wasn't going to pull the dagger out but, whether he knew she was lying or he just didn't want to take the chance. They went back to Gloria's bar who tried to locate the necklace but when Stefan stepped in she still hadn't found it.

"You left us!" Rebekah said as he was coming down the stairs. She was sitting on the bar, next to Klaus, who had a drink in his hand and Julie couldn't be farer away from them, sitting at a table near Gloria.

"Yeah, sorry. Retail therapy was making my head explode," he lied.

"Tell me about it," Klaus sighed.

"What is she doing?" he asked, looking at Gloria.

"She's failing," Klaus answered, clearly unhappy.

"It's hard to find something when you don't have anything to go on," she told him.

"So use me," Rebekah sighed, getting of the bar to sit at Gloria's table. "I only wore it for a thousand years."

"See? Now, this one offers a solution. Alright, give me your hand sweetheart."

"She's uh...She's looking for the necklace, hu?" Stefan asked, worried.

"I can sense something," Gloria said and Julie noticed that Stefan looked more and more worried. Gloria was chanting words Julie didn't understand but she payed close attention as she herself might have similar powers. "I found it," she finally said, letting go of Rebekah's hand.

"So where is it?" Rebekah asked.

"It doesn't work like that, doll," she said. "I get images. There's a girl with her friends..."

"Yes, a dead girl with her dead friends if I don't get my necklace back."

Rebekah's threat made Julie shiver. Being in their company was the scariest vacations and it just made her want Elijah back more. She knew if he was there he would make her feel better, tell her everything was going to be okay. But right now she had no idea what Klaus was going to do to her. He could get bored or angry or decide she was too annoying and kill her like he killed Jenna. She had no idea if she was ever going to see Mystic Falls again. Or Katherine. Even now, being friends with Bonnie and Elena didn't seem so bad.

"Well, I'll have to dive back in to get the details," Gloria said.

"So dive," Klaus said, walking towards her.

"I need more time," Gloria told him as he approached her. "And space. You're harshing my ju-ju."

"We can wait," Klaus told her, his face close to hers.

"I'm sure you can. But it's not what I asked."

Julie watched carefully Klaus' amused face. She feared he would get mad and make a mess. Which is what Stefan must have thought too because he broke the uncomfortable silence and asked Klaus to leave Gloria work alone.

"Hey, you know, why don't we just come back later," he said. "I'm hungry anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat."

Julie's eyes grew big and she thought she was going to get sick. She hoped Klaus would leave her here so she wouldn't have to see what they were going to do to innocent people.

"Come, love."

"Can't I stay here?" she asked with a trembling voice and Klaus raised his eyebrows and gave her an amused look. "I really don't want to watch you eat any more people," she said in a whisper which made him chuckled.

"The girl can stay here," Gloria said. "She's quiet."

Klaus sighed. "Fine. But you better be here when we come back."

"Where else would I be?" she sighed, sad.

"Do you want a cup of tea?" the witch asked after the vampires were gone. Julie looked up at her and she saw the witch was waiting for an answer. She nodded and she got up in silence and prepared the beverage. "I know you're not human," she said. Julie's heart stopped for a second and she stared at the witch, scared. "Relax," she said. "I won't say anything to Klaus." Julie took a deep breath before she asked.

"How do you..."

"Know?" she cut her off. "I'm old but not senile. I can sense power when there is power to sense. And you got power alright," she chuckled. Julie slowly approached the bar and took the cup of tea the witch handed to her. It had a new taste but Julie drank it anyway, it didn't taste bad. But she started to feel weird before she could finish it all. The room started spinning and she tried to stay on her seat.

"Don't worry. I'm expecting your friend Stefan to come back and I don't want you to intervene in what is going to happen next." Gloria's words seem so far away as Julie fell off her seat.

When Julie woke up, she didn't know where she was. She could hear familiar voices talk in the other room.

"I've been thinking about your diabolical plan."

"Katherine..." she breathed out, as she recognized her friend's voice. She felt like she woke up from a very long nap even though it could only be a couple of hours top. She was in a small room that looked like a broom closet. She was lying on the ground and she almost fell as she tried to get up.

"Oh! Do tell!" Stefan's voice echoed in the bar.

"Well, you must know that Klaus is too paranoid to ever fully trust you. But the sister, she loves you like it was yesterday. She's the easier mark. But you can't just pretend to care, because Klaus will know better, so you do the opposite. You bond with him, make her feel left out. That will only make her want you more."

"Oh! So you mean, I'm uh, I'm taking a page out of the Katherine Pierce playbook."

"The only question is why, Stefan? I mean, I get it, you want to keep Klaus away from Mystic Falls, but...what else do you expect to get from it?"

Julie opened the door and saw Katherine and Stefan in the middle of the bar. There was blood on the floor and a sheet was covering what could only be a body.

"Katherine..." Julie breathed out, relieved.

"Julie!" the vampire smiled when she saw her friend. "I knew you must have been somewhere around here!"

"What did you do?"

"That's Gloria," Stefan told her. "She tried to kill me."

"Why?" Julie asked, confused.

"Because Elena has the necklace Klaus is looking for," Katherine told her.

"You killed her so she wouldn't tell Klaus," Julie sighed.

"So, Stefan. Back to me. What do you expect to get from it?" she asked again.

"You know what's funny?" Stefan asked. "You keep talking to me like I actually trust you enough to tell you anything."

"Oh, come on Stefan, we're beyond that! I save you from Hilda the high voodoo priestess."

"...Ok," Stefan sighed. "I knew them. Back in the twenties. They were running from someone. Someone who scared them."

"The Hunter..." she said and Stefan nodded. "I heard stories about him centuries ago."

"I thought nothing could kill an Original?" Julie said. "Why would they be afraid of a hunter?"

"Exactly," Stefan grinned. "Don't you wanna know why an Original vampire who can't be killed is afraid of a vampire Hunter?"

"If you're planning on making a move against Klaus...I want in," Katherine said.

"Katherine, no!"

The vampire turned towards Julie and frowned. "He'll kill me the first chance he got! Why do you want to save him?" Julie didn't know what to answer because she didn't know why she wanted to save the Hybrid so badly. But as scared as she might be of him she didn't want him to die. She didn't want Elijah to lose a brother.

"That's good," Stefan nodded. "It's good to want things Katherine," he smiled before he picked up Gloria from the floor.

"Stefan..."

"Katherine. I'm in this alone. If you're looking for a diabolical partner in crime, I'm not it," he said before he left with the witch over his shoulder.

Katherine sighed, anxious and disappointed.

"He can't kill Klaus alone," Julie told her. "He'll get killed, so will you."

"What were you thinking?" Katherine suddenly changed the conversation. "Going off alone? I was worried sick!"

"I'm sorry," Julie apologized. "I got bored and I felt useless. Plus...I know where Elijah is now!"

"What good is it if you can't bring him back? Klaus will stop you and then he'll kill you!"

"Yeah well what do I have to live for anyway?" Julie shouted back with tears in her eyes. Katherine was taken aback by her question and calmed down.

"Well, you got me," she said. "Now, help me clean this up. Klaus can't know what happened here."

Half an hour later the place was as good as new.

"Now, we have to go before he comes back."

"Go? I'm not leaving with you, Kat'!"

"What? Are you crazy? Klaus will ask you where Gloria went!"

"So, I'll tell him she drugged me and when I woke up she was gone! That's what happened, isn't it?"

"I'm not leaving you here!"

"Katherine, I'm not leaving Elijah!"

Katherine glared at her friend in silence for a minute.

"I promise you, I will help you get him back. But now is not the time. Klaus is too close. It's too dangerous." She saw Julie was still unconvinced and she sighed. "Julie, I'm going back to Mystic Falls. You're free to follow me."

Julie thought about it for a few minutes. Staying here but being unable to do anything to help Elijah was just torture. But if she followed Katherine she was going to help her kill Klaus and she didn't want to do that. Julie sighed and hugged the vampire. Katherine was surprised at first but she knew what it meant.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay. I'll see you again, soon."

"Be careful, Kat'," Julie sniffed before she let go of her.

"You too," she nodded before she disappeared.

Julie took a deep breath and looked around. Now, she was truly alone. Her back against the bar she slowly sat on the floor. She brought her knees to her chest and buried her head in her hands and started crying. She had no family and no plans for her future. She was a thousand years old Original Hybrid hostage who had dropped out of high school in the hopes of rescuing her thousand years old Original vampire boyfriend of 2 minutes. She was pathetic.

"What's wrong, love?" Julie quickly looked up as she heard Klaus' voice. "Where's Gloria?" he asked.

Julie wiped the tears of her cheeks and cleared her throat. "I don't know," she said with a broken voice.

"She didn't tell you where she was going?" he asked, starting to get suspicious.

"She drugged me and when I woke up I was alone," she said with such an angry tone Klaus didn't suspect she was lying.

"What's wrong with you?" he groaned. He wasn't angry at her, he was just angry.

"Nothing," she sniffed. Klaus's face soften as he looked at her small and tired figure.

"Come," he sighed before he turned around and climbed back up the stairs.

He brought her back to the storage where Rebekah had been staying all afternoon.

"Gloria's gone," he groaned. "She cleared out. We need to find a new witch immediately." But when he looked up he saw Rebekah and Stefan were having an argument. "What's going on?"

"Something's wrong," the blonde said. "He was asking about Michael. He's not with us, Nik. I can sense it."

Julie's heart started to beat faster as she worried about Stefan's plan being discovered.

"She's wrong," Stefan said. "Klaus..." But he didn't get the chance to say whatever he was going to say. Klaus jumped on the vampire and broke his neck. Julie brought her hands to mouth and gasped.

"What do you know about this?" Klaus asked Julie. She looked at him with big eyes, terrified and shook her head.

"About what?" she said with a trembling voice.

"The girl doesn't know anything, Klaus. She's just here for Elijah!" Rebekah told her brother. "So what are we going to do now?"

"Now?" Klaus took a deep breath and calmed down. "Now we're back to Mystic Falls."

//

Damon Salvatore was alone once again in his huge house, trying not to feel anything. He could be feeling remorse for "killing" his friend Alaric. He could be feeling bad for making Elena mad at him. But Damon wasn't one to feel anything, yet alone regret. When someone knocked at his door he wondered who he might be as he had pissed off everyone in town in one day. He was surprised to see Elena standing in the doorway.

"I'll accept written apologies only," he said. Elena started to smile but then it turned into a grin he knew too well.

"Are you two love birds fighting already?" she mocked.

"Katherine," he sighed. "Wonderful...What do you want?" he mumbled.

"I'm just a girl looking for a partner in crime," she said. "Feel like hitting the road? Getting the hell out of the dodge?"

"You got impeccable timing," he said. "I was told I need to take a beat."

"Is that a yes? I'll drive."

"Why not? Walls are starting to close in on me around here. Where are we going?"

"Away from here. That's all I'm going to give you for right now. But believe me...it's good," she grinned, showing him Elena's necklace which she had just took from Bonnie.

"Is your friend...what's her name? Julie? Coming with us?" he asked and Katherine lost her smile.

"No. She's still with Klaus."

"So, you let your new friend with the worst psycho on this planet, good to know I can trust you..."

"She chose to stay with him. Well, not with him," she sighed. "With Elijah..."

"Ah, love," Damon chuckled. "Something you'll never understand," he grinned.

"Shut up."

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