Hey there! This is the second to last snippet (yes, I can't believe this fic is nearly finished either) and it's one I'm particularly proud of. This is set at an indeterminate point during season two. For the purposes of plot, Katherine here has a secret. What it may be… well, let your imagination roll. Enjoy!

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For the fifth time since they'd sat down ten minutes ago, Elijah cursed his brother. He must have known this dinner would end in disaster. In fact he was probably revelling in it.

The six of them: himself, his illustrious brother, both Salvatores and (here was the part to make a comic weep) both Katerina Petrova and her human doppelganger, were sat around an elegantly set dining table. He and his brother occupied opposite heads of the table, and Elijah had Damon on his right and Elena on his left. On Elena's other side sat Katherine, hair falling in elegant waves and resplendent as ever. Elijah was sure Klaus had positioned the two side by side on purpose, but Elijah was not affected by the painful similarity.

However, he could not help but remember how Katerina had once been more like Elena. Sweeter, innocent. Well, innocent to a certain degree; there was no need to idealise the situation. Women got up to all sorts of things these days, and there was more than one Salvatore.

'How do you find the wine, my dear?' Klaus smiled condescendingly at the human girl. Elijah resisted the urge to scowl in distaste; his brother's erstwhile noble tones had clearly been marred by the inordinate number of years he'd spent surrounded by Americans.

'Lovely, thank you,' Elena smiled thinly, picking at the starter (slices of melon and parma ham with lacings of cranberry sauce).

Had Elijah been less refined, he might here have had to disguise a snort in his own glass of wine. As if this girl – this mere child – was cultured enough to appreciate the bottle of Castle Margaux his brother had himself selected from his extensive wine cellar. Klaus was teasing the poor girl. Elijah had to admit that he was impressed at how steady her heart-rate was in the presence two Originals, but his brother had been gadding about town in a most tiring fashion for the best part of a year now; it was no wonder she was unimpressed by his unbecoming antics and overblown gestures.

If anything, the person who seemed the most ill at ease was Stefan. His eyes flickered continually to his brother, who seemed deeply engaged with pulling shapes with his eyebrows at Elena over the top of his wine glass. Elijah stifled a sigh. Must the young vampire insist on being so unbearably immature? Elena, fortunately, seemed determined to ignore him.

'And what have you been up to lately?' Klaus turned to Katherine. There was a silence during which they stared at each other, until Katherine turned away uncomfortably. Elijah wondered what his brother had over her this time.

'If you must know, I've b - '

'Please excuse me while I fall asleep from lack of caring,' Damon interrupted loudly.

Katherine ignored him. 'You know exactly what I've been doing,' she said to Klaus sweetly.

He smiled sweetly back. 'Indeed I do.'

Stefan glanced at Elijah, eyes questioning. Elijah ignored him and took a sip of his wine, giving an impeccable impression of someone who knew exactly what was going on.

There was another minute of painful silence, during which the next course was served (loin of roe deer on brioche with chanterelles and elderberry jus). Elijah had to admit, his brother really had gone to some effort – or rather his chef had. If only more than one of the party was alive to appreciate it.

Elena gave a snort poorly disguised as a cough; apparently Damon's antics had finally managed to garner a reaction. Elijah raised his eyebrows; it wasn't becoming for a young lady to be so amused by her boyfriend's brother. Their behaviour bordered on flirtatious.

Stefan suddenly knocked over his glass, catching it just before it hit the table.

'Something wrong?' Klaus asked blithely.

'Not at all,' Stefan sounded strained.

Elijah frowned.

'How do you find the venison?' Klaus beamed.

Dry, Elijah thought. There was a chorus of responsive mumbling. Elijah made a mental note to have the chef deported to North Korea.

Suddenly Katherine gave an exaggerated sigh and put down her fork. 'Since no-one else is going to bring up the elephant in the room, I will. None of us want to be here. None of us like you. In fact, I'm pretty sure you want most of us dead. So what's your game, Klaus?'

'On the contrary my dear,' Klaus had the impertinence to look offended, 'There is no game. I merely wished to spend some time with my fellow residents of Mystic Falls. We're so often at each others' throats, and yet I feel that there is something which bonds us together.'

'Mutual hatred?' asked Damon.

'Why, I'm almost offended,' Klaus was the picture of sincerity, 'I hoped we could forget all the little escapades which have so needlessly set us against one another.'

'By which you mean all the times you've tried to kill us?' asked Elena.

'I wouldn't put it quite like that,' said Klaus softly, 'You just insist on getting in my way.'

Elijah suddenly became aware of a shuffling under the table, but he ignored it. Then something hit the side of his leg and he saw Elena's face become white, then red.

'Please excuse me,' she said, 'My foot slipped.'

'You are forgiven,' he said stiffly. Had she and Damon been… playing footsie?

'Stefan,' said Klaus, 'How's school?'

'Fine,' said Stefan, 'How's the masterplan?'

'Now that's a little unfair,' said Klaus, 'I've invited you to dinner. I'm making amends. This is one happy vampire – oh, and human - ,' he nodded at Elena, '-party.'

'Urgh,' Katherine rolled her eyes. 'I'm not even part of this town. Remind me why I'm here again?'

Klaus' voice was cold, 'Because I have information you need. And as long as you want it, you're going to have to dance to whatever tune I play.'

Well, thought Elijah, that hadn't lasted long.

Klaus smiled again, all warmth gone. 'Eat your steak, Katherine.'

'You mean this is coercion and blackmail?' said Damon, sounding disappointed. 'And there I was, thinking this was just one big friendly get-together. I'm positively heartbroken.'

'So sorry to disappoint,' Klaus took a sip of wine.

'Thank god you've dropped the façade,' said Katherine, 'it was astonishingly boring. Plus, you're much sexier when you're evil.'

'So what have you been doing lately, Elena?' Klaus ignored Katherine. 'How's your brother?'

'Stay away from him.'

Elijah admired a woman who brooked no argument. He was aware of Damon's legs pressed against Elena's under the table; clearly, it provided her with comfort. He had liked to believe that Elena had more integrity than her vampiric counterpart, yet history appeared doomed to repeat itself between these poor children. On one hand, Elijah found the Salvatore brothers' hapless love triangle highly amusing. On the other, it made him feel ever so slightly ill.

'Thank you for reminding me what I like most about this town,' said Klaus, 'Its charming, helpful inhabitants.'

'And thank you for reminding me what I love most about this town,' said Damon, 'Its infestation of megalomaniac, geriatric undead.' He clapped a hand on Elijah's shoulder. 'Honourable exception goes to my man here of course, who's proved on a grand total of one occasion that he's not a total dick.'

The table was silent. Klaus' eyes burned.

Damon removed his hand from Elijah's shoulder.

'I am many centuries beyond the age where I would murder peasants for insulting my honour,' said Elijah, 'But I must warn you that my brother is not yet so refined.'

'Duly noted,' said Damon in a small voice.

'Butler,' said Klaus, and Elijah saw the man in the corner jump. 'Fetch a larger knife.'

Four members of the party hunched slightly further in their chairs.

'For the meat, of course,' Klaus said.

Four members of the party visibly relaxed. Elijah delicately wiped his lips with a linen napkin and smiled.

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Hee hee, Elijah was fun to write. Thanks for reading, and please review. The final snippet will go up in a few days, starring my ever present favourite Alaric. :D