Even angels have their wicked schemes [For jackcaptainjack]

[lovewhentheyrun]

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.

Comments

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

"See, that just confuses me." Jack took a drink from his cup and then leaned back, himself. "If you want them to enjoy it, and are doing the work to make sure they do, how can they not? Or are we talking fickle people who didn't like that they liked it?"

Sorry, Klaus. You've gotten him in a Mood.

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

"Oh, well. There are plenty of those fickle people out there." Stefan Salvatore, for one, who liked to blame Klaus for everything in his life. Klaus hadn't made him what he was, though. He'd just tried to free him of the guilt of it. Caroline Forbes, he was beginning to think, was another. She liked it when she thought about it, then got back on the "but I shouldn't" train and tossed it all out.

"Though, to be fair to some of them, I have to be fairly invested to do the work."

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

Jack was a little surprised by the seriousness of the response and studied 'Nic' in silence, for a moment. Then shrugged, slightly. "Most of us have to be invested to do the work. The real problems happen when you won't even do the work necessary to get invested. And still blame the lack of investment for relative isolation or loneliness. At some point, you've gotta take the risk and gamble."

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

In Klaus's mind, he'd done that a lot this past year, actually. He'd tried to woo Stefan back to the friendship they'd once had--offered him a fair deal, one he'd taken willingly, and then Klaus had asked very little but for him to be himself. He'd been kind to Caroline, saved her life, shown her a side of himself he hadn't shown anyone in centuries. He'd tried to make up with his siblings, had realized why they were angry and acknowledged their right to be.

Honestly, he'd worked harder at this shit than he ever had before.

He just, legitimately sucked at it, and no one had the patience left to show him a different way.

"And sometimes you have to pull back and lick your wounds from the last gamble before you're fit for the table again."

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

"You don't seem to be doing half bad right now," Jack pointed out, gently. He liked Nic, he'd enjoyed their time together.

Of course, that was based on what he knew and remembered, and god only knew what was going to happen if and when that changed, but the sentiment was sincere.

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

Klaus gave him a smile, small but real.

"Well, apparently sometimes I can manage it."

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

"Given ample time to lick your wounds?" Jack got a sense of satisfaction out of the real smile, however slight it was.

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

Klaus nodded. "Exactly."

He was starting to get antsy again, which signaled...he probably was about ready to make a move in one game or another. Honestly, he wasn't much suited for sitting around brooding. That was Elijah's game.

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

"Sounds like you're just about ready to get back to the the table, then. I'm glad."

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

Another small nod. "I think so, yes. Putting it off any longer is getting...painful in a lot of ways."

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

"What's the next step, then? Do you know, yet?"

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

Klaus frowned a bit in thought, then shrugged a little. "Go back to New York, I suspect..."

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

That rang a bell hard enough to make Jack's ears ring right along with it, but - "Congratulations?"

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

Klaus shrugged. "Not certain congratulations are quite in order yet, mate."

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

"Sure they are. And if it goes well, more congratulations will be in order."

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

"Yeah...I'll accept them, then."

If Jack wanted to give them.

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

"Congratulations," Jack repeated, fairly quietly and without a hint of anything but some vague amusement to mar the sentiment.

He took a drink of his tea, and inclined his head a bit. "Do you have a timeline, yet?" If he was going back to New York for London, there was probably travel involved. Packing. Something.

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

Klaus smiled slightly, not arguing anymore, but the question took him aback just a bit, just because, no. He didn't really have a plan. Usually he had a plan. Right now? Winging it.

"Not really, no," he admitted.

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

"Coasting on having made a decision for now?" It was rhetorical, and a bit of very gentle ...chiding, he supposed. He moved on quickly. "I'm sure when you're ready to move, the staff and money will enable you to move as quickly as you want."

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

"Pretty much." The smile on Klaus's lips was ironic, self-deprecating, acknowledging the chiding. He shrugged at the comment about staff and money. "Not much to move, really. Just pack a bag and head to the airport." He could buy a ticket day of, whenever he decided to go.

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

"And the house will carry on without you, and be here if you have to come back." He got it, at least he thought he did, but only a little. "Have you been out, recently?"

He was... worried about Nic. Lovely.

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

"It always does." He'd been away well over a year now, and it was fine. A hop to New York wasn't anything they couldn't handle.

He frowned a little bit at the question. "Out of the house? Yes.: He had to feed, after all. "Out to do something fun? Not really."

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

Jack wouldn't have been surprised if the staff doubled as convenience food. He flashed a smile at Klaus, anyway. "Wanna?"

[lovewhentheyrun.livejournal.com]

Admittedly, sometimes they did, but there weren't quite enough of them to feed on daily without them getting ill, and Elijah got cranky when he killed the help.

"What did you have in mind?"

FINALLY working HTML and without dumb errors.

[51stcenturyjack.livejournal.com]

Good question, Klaus.

Jack tilted his head and thought fast - wanting to answer Klaus' questions helped a lot, right about now - about what was going on in London, what was in London, and what he knew of Nic.

"Have you heard of the Affordable Art Fair (http://www.londontown.com/LondonEvents/TheAffordableArtFair/434e7/)?" He was kind of hoping the 'cheap' aspect meant it wasn't necessarily something Klaus would have already done on his own. Or that it was appealing. "Or barring that, we can go find where the teenagers are hiding, you can pretend to be Edward, I'll be Jacob. Then we can see who picks up the most women. Loser buys the winner dinner." He pauses. 'Or is dinner. Compulsion not allowed."

No, he didn't expect that to do more than open the way for Nic to talk to him.