lovewhentheyrun | Even angels have their wicked schemes [For jackcaptainjack]

Klaus had been thinking. Admittedly, deep introspection was not his strong point, but that's what happened when you didn't have anything else to do. He could breathe in London, look back at how things had gone wrong in Virginia, try and figure out where he'd misstepped. Obviously, Esther had been something he hadn't counted on, and, really, he should have seen Stefan's betrayal coming, but he'd wanted to believe in him so badly.

Esther, though. That had been his real blindspot. In that way, at least, he knew his siblings were on his side. She'd wanted all of them dead, not just him, and Elijah was never going to let that happen.

That didn't mean Elijah wanted him back, or even that Rebekah did. What Jack had said, though, had given him hope. He was going back. He just...needed the right approach. The way in. Showing up on their doorstep, all, "honey, I'm home," actually had appeal, but it turned out he was a bit of a coward when it came down to it.

So, he was still in London. He didn't think Jack was, but he was hanging around the pub where they'd had dinner. That was getting boring, though, so he finally reached out, searching for him through the compulsion he'd already laid, and sent a call, strongly suggesting he bring himself back to Klaus's house for a visit.

Then all he had to do was wait.

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"Depends on what you mean by worse," he said, and shrugged a bit. "I'd rather be reckless, any day of the week, but cold is probably safer for other people."

Klaus arched an eyebrow, then shrugged as well. "Huh. I'd say it's the opposite for me."

"The preference, the safety, or both?"

"Both," he said after a moment's consideration.

"I told someone, right after I nearly stayed dead, that I'd never felt more alive. I get cold and cut off, I don't care, no, but I don't do anything, either. I just shut down. Reckless and frantic, I'm throwing myself and everyone who cares about me in front of metaphorical buses. But I'm just... a guy."

Which was to say 'not a vampire'.

Klaus listened, nodded slightly. "When I get reckless..I get careless. Things go wrong. When I shut down...it's easier. I don't care who gets hurt. But a lot of people do."

Some he,shockingly, cared about.

"If I was a vampire, with everything that comes with that? I can see how reckless would be safer for people around me. At least physically safer. Shut off is probably a different kind of pain, though not physical threat, for people you love."

Klaus smirked, just slightly. "Me shut off is far more dangerous than me reckless, in the end. But neither s good."

"Then I guess we're just going to have to keep you on, and on even keel." ...Apparently Elijah's overinflated sense of responsibility was catching. Except the part where Jack felt responsible for the entire damned planet. Or had, when he'd had something to do. Apparently lack of Torchwood meant that he was going to lose his mind and take responsibility for vampires, instead.

Klaus laughed, just a little. "Funny. That's what my brother usually says...."

Which didn't surprise him, that Elijah would choose someone with his own values.

"Then you can consider yourself very well balanced. Just... externally."

"If I listen...." Which he was bad at, but honestly...trying.

"If you're over about 12, then yeah. At some point it's gonna come down to you keeping up your half."

Klaus blinked a bit, then gave him a wry smile. "Point."

"Did that... surprise you?" The blinking had thrown him.

Klaus shrugged a bit. "Not really. I just...." He shook his head. "You just sounded a ridiculous amount like both of my elder brothers there."

"It's a big brother thing. Maybe you should consider yourself adopted." He was joking - mostly - and not thinking of Gray. Or Elijah at all; he could never seem to really remember that there was a fifth sibling.

"Well, if my family won't take me back..." he quipped, the irony amusing him, even if Jack couldn't see it.

"If your family won't take you back, you have yourself a deal. But we're going with human family dynamics. I promised my boyfriend not to sleep with anyone else."

Klaus gave him a particularly angelic smile. "You think vampire family dynamics involve rampant shagging?"

"If they don't, don't tell me. You'll ruin my fantasies." He was outright lying about that. Probably. "I have never seen an ugly vampire." That he wasn't lying about.

Klaus laughed. "I'll not say a word. Except...well. They've existed, but they don't usually last long."

That, unexpectedly, caught his attention. He turned his head to look at Klaus, openly curious and maybe a little confused along with the surprised. "Why not?"

Klaus gave him a wry smile. "No charm. And these days, a very big chip on their shoulder. Think being a vampire means they can get back at everyone who ever snubbed them. They get reckless, indiscreet. Someone generally has to put them down...or a hunter gets them." He sighed. "They made good minions, back in the day, though. Sometimes. Til a pretty girl turned their heads."

Jack almost protested the charm and chip on the shoulder remark, then thought about the apparent age -as in point they had been turned- of most of the vampires he knew, and translating that to current time, kind of got it. He thought. Maybe. But. "Minions?" He shook his head. "Couldn't they just compel the pretty girl?"