After School Shenanigans
Title: After School Shenanigans
Fandom: Vampire Diaries
Pairing: Alaric/Rebekah, Alaric/Elena
Rating: PG-13
Summary: one-shot written for an LJ prompt.
Genre: Romance, Humor
Word count: 3K
"Heard he's shacking up with Elena," a heavily accented British voice snarked in a snide whisper as Alaric walked down the hallway, keeping his head fixated to the ground. A girlish giggle followed his footsteps, "Yeah, talk about making the grade..."
Alaric's head snapped up and he shot a venomous glare in Rebekah's direction. She openly smirked at him, raising an eyebrow-the unmistakable dare glinting in her eyes. His steps faltered, but one look at the small clique of cheerleaders standing in circle around her (hadn't they once been Caroline's friends?) had him coming to his senses. He shook his head at her once-a small jerk of the head that no one would notice, except perhaps a vampire.
Rebekah tilted her head (did she look slightly disappointed?) and shot him a look that clearly insinuated she had won this round. With the smirk still playing at her lips, she spun on her heel and flipped her hair over her shoulder. The cheerleaders surrounding Rebekah all imitated her movements with frightening precision, and Alaric blinked-had he just stepped into the Mystic Falls version of The Stepford Wives?
As they disappeared down the hall, however, another voice called out to him. "What?" Alaric snapped as he turned around, expecting to see another gossiping busybody sticking her nose where it didn't belong-but he stopped short when he saw it was Principal Lockwood (one of Richard Lockwood's distant relatives who had just recently shown up in Mystic Falls. Needless to say, Alaric didn't trust her one bit). She had poked her head out of her office door and was unnecessarily beckoning him over.
"Great," he muttered under his breath. Now to top off his terrifically bad week, he was probably going to get fired. Seriously, if Damon ever found a legitimate way to kill Rebekah, Alaric was so going to be the one shoving the stake up her-
"Mr. Saltzman!" Principal Lockwood sounded mildly annoyed, "I asked you to please step into my office?"
He clenched his jaw once, firmly ordering himself not to bark out a scathing reply. Then his lips twitched at his own choice of words (bark…dogs…werewolves…maybe she's a werewolf too? Has she triggered the curse yet? But that would mean she had to kill someone…she doesn't look like a murderer…well, right now she's looking like she's going to murder ME if I don't step into her office…)
"Of course," he gave her a tight smile as he slid past her, glancing over his shoulder to watch as she shut the door behind him. To his confusion, Alaric caught sight of Rebekah standing in the middle of the hallway (when had she come back?). His brow furrowed at the expression on her face-her eyes were narrowed, her chin held up as she stared down the principal with a haughty gaze. Was it just him, or was there something vaguely threatening about her demeanor?
There was no time for Alaric to ponder this issue, however, because then the blinds were shut and he was left in a tight, enclosed space with someone who may or may not be a werewolf.
"Please, sit," Principal Lockwood smiled at him quite warmly, momentarily rendering him speechless. What was she playing at?
Then he realized she was staring up at him expectantly so he sat down across from her and crossed his legs, trying to aim for a casual pose and failing spectacularly. "So," he cleared his throat, wondering what the conversation protocol was for someone who knew he was about to be fired, "What can I do for you?"
"Actually, I was more wondering what I can do for you?"
Hold the presses...was she hitting on him?
Alaric stared at her blankly, "I..."
"I mean, I know it must be difficult teaching AP History when half the senior class seems to think every day is Senior Skip Day, but that's why Carol hired me," she explained, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort. "We'll be changing some of the rules around here, make sure these students realize that their actions have consequences."
"Right," he folded his hands in his lap and gave her a mindless smile. If one of her upcoming changes was to get rid of him, then he certainly wasn't going to make it any easier on her.
"But I digress, Ric-can I call you, Ric?" She didn't wait for his answer. "As the new girl in town, so to speak, I'm doing my best to touch base with all the teachers-you know, just find out if there are any concerns that need to be voiced?"
Wait, was he not getting fired?
"I looked up your schedule and noticed you were just coming off a free period, so I was hoping to catch you on the way to your next class," she smiled at him again, "So, is there anything you'd like to talk to me about?"
HE WASN'T GETTING FIRED!
With this sudden realization, Alaric breathed out a rather obvious sigh of relief that left Principal Lockwood looking slightly baffled. "Nothing that I can think of," he replied cheerfully, "Though I'm all for buckling down on the attendance policy."
"Glad to have your support, Mr. Saltzman," her voice abruptly lost some of its initial warmth, and Alaric felt his trepidation return. "I'll be honest with you; there is actually another reason I called you in here."
He frowned, "Oh?"
She leaned forward, "The rumors, Alaric. Are they true?"
"I don't know what you're-"
"Cut the bullshit. I've only been here a week and even I've heard the malicious rumors that Rebekah Mikealsen girl is spewing. Is there some bad blood between you two? Did she fail one of your classes? I would like nothing more than to believe that this is just a typical mean girl prank, but the allegations are quite serious." She took a deep breath, "So I repeat, are they true?"
"No," Alaric replied vehemently, "They are not."
Quicker than he could blink, she had whipped out a notepad, her hand poised to write down the next words he said. "So to clarify, you do not live with the Gilbert girl?"
"I have my own apartment." Alaric glared at her, "I do not trade grades for sex, or whatever else you may have heard. So if you're done insulting me, I think I'd better get to my next class." He got to his feet, but his planned dramatic exit was ruined when she grabbed ahold of his arm.
"No insult was intended," Principal Lockwood said to him, her expression unfathomable. "But I do have another favor to ask you..."
An hour later, Alaric grumpily made his way to the Detention room. He wasn't so much "doing a favor" as he was "following orders" and he was less than pleased about it.
He threw himself into the desk chair, just as his cell phone started ringing. He glanced at the caller ID and heaved an exaggerated sigh before answering with a terse, "What?"
A pause, then: "Is that how you always answer your phone? Because that might just explain why you don't have more friends."
Alaric snorted under his breath, "Or maybe you just happen to kill all the people in this town before I get a chance to befriend them, ever think of that?"
"Well, who else is going to get rid of the riffraff in Mystic Falls?" Damon drawled, "It's a tough job, but hey somebody's gotta do it."
"We'll be sure to write that on your tombstone," Alaric responded wryly, "Damon Salvatore, Town Cleaner. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"My tombstone?" Damon sounded amused, "Exactly what makes you think you're going to outlive me, Ricky?"
"Don't call me that. I hate it when you call me that."
Damon sounded positively gleeful, "I know." Then he paused again, "But seriously, we have a situation involving Klaus and the-"
"I'm in detention," Alaric interrupted, "So you'll have to deal with the situation on your own."
"Teachers can get detention?"
Alaric groaned.
"Oh, but this opens up a whole host of possibilities," Damon went on in a teasing voice, "All those pent up teenage hormones, and you in deten-"
"Will you shut it," Alaric hissed into his phone as the final bell rang, "That's why I'm here in the first place, Rebekah was-"
"Ahem."
Alaric looked up to see the devil herself standing in front of him, holding out a detention slip. "Great," he muttered, hanging up on Damon without explaining himself further. He peered up at Rebekah in distaste, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she asked in a clipped tone, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm here for detention."
He merely continued staring at her in exasperation.
"What?"
Alaric leaned back in his seat and folded his arms behind his head, "Now tell me, Rebekah, what on earth could you possibly get detention for?"
"The new principal," Rebekah answered flatly, "Gave me detention for spreading entirely untrue rumors. Little does she know." She placed a hand on the desk, her fingernails tapping against the wood at an unnerving pace. "I suppose I have you to thank for that."
He glanced at the door to make sure no one was listening before he glowered back at her, "Nothing that a little Original-vampire Compulsion couldn't take care of, I'm sure."
A ghost of a smile flitted across Rebekah's face, but it disappeared so quickly that he wasn't sure what he had seen. "Yes, well..." She eyed him speculatively before perching on the edge of his desk and crossing her legs so that her skirt hiked up a couple inches.
Alaric purposefully didn't let his gaze drift anywhere from her face, causing her lips to purse into a pout. "Take. A. Seat," he enunciated under his breath, his voice barely above a growl, "Before the principal decides to come in here to check up on me and finds you...like...that."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry," Rebekah made herself comfortable as she slid further onto the desk and stretched out her legs. "No one else shall be joining us."
Alaric straightened in his chair and stared up at her in bewilderment, "What are you talking about?"
She shrugged carelessly, "I might or might not have found the list of people who had detention today and Compelled them to go home."
"Then it looks like my work here is done," Alaric spun around in his chair and began to get to his feet but before he could even blink, Rebekah had blurred to the door and slammed it shut. Then she stood in front of it, effectively blocking the only exit in the room.
He shot a look towards the windows. Perhaps he could jump out and...wait, would his ring heal him if he fell to his death? Technically he was trying to get the hell away from something supernatural, so its healing properties would hopefully kick in...? Alaric was so preoccupied by his musings that he didn't notice the predatory look in Rebekah's eyes until she was right in front of him. Too late, he took several hasty steps backward, and felt the chalkboard press against his back.
"Okay, that's enough," he said in what he hoped was a firm tone, "Someone could walk in here any minute and-"
Rebekah grinned, her eyes alight with mischievousness. "Then shall I blockade the door to ensure we're not interrupted?"
"N-no," Alaric sputtered, "Look if you're going to kill me, you should know that Damon is expecting me to-"
"Let me worry about Damon," she breathed, and he involuntarily closed his eyes as he felt her words flutter against his cheek. When he opened his eyes again, he found her peering at him curiously. After a second, she added slowly, "Or I could call him to join us if you'd like..."
"No! What? No, I don't...no," Alaric fumbled over his words, and Rebekah laughed.
"Yeah," she patted his chest once before abruptly stilling her hand and digging her fingernails none too gently into his shirt. He winced slightly, but otherwise made no comment as she continued in a patronizing tone. "Somehow I think you'd enjoy it even more if I called Elena instead, wouldn't you?"
Alaric clenched his jaw, but didn't answer her question. Instead, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist and forcibly flung it off his chest. "Listen," he hissed, getting into her face angrily, "I don't know what the hell kind of game you think you're playing here, but it ends now. I'm not Damon." Before he knew what he was doing, he had grabbed onto her shoulders harshly, "Do you understand?"
Rebekah crossed her arms, "Perfectly."
"Good," he let go of her and had just reached the door when something (or more accurately, someone) spun him around and slammed him back into it. He grunted as he felt the doorknob jab into his back, and haphazardly grappled for the stake in his bag. In the ensuing struggle, Rebekah somehow managed to kick it away from him and it landed with a clattering thud halfway across the room.
Great.
When he reluctantly met her gaze, he was startled to see that the look on her face was murderous."It's because I'm not Elena, isn't it?" Rebekah screeched at him, the brattiness in her voice coming out full force. "Don't try to deny it," she nearly screamed when he opened his mouth to do just that. "We've all seen how you look at her, Ric! Like you're just biding your time till she gets sick of her precious Salvatores and finally notices you! ISN'T THAT RIGHT?"
"No!" Alaric bellowed at her, finally losing his temper. "You are delusional, Rebekah! I don't know what you were planning here today, but if making Damon jealous is-"
The rest of his words were cut off when she suddenly launched herself at him, her fangs out. He shouted in pain as he felt her pierce his neck, and he instinctively wrapped his hands around her throat as he desperately tried to fight her off. His vision became tunneled as the two of them whirled around the room, colliding into various objects and sending them clattering to the floor. With one last ounce of strength, he eventually managed to shove her against the desk, causing her to bounce off and knock them both to the ground.
Completely disoriented, it took Alaric a full minute to realize that he was laying on the floor-and Rebekah was still attached to his neck. "Get off me!" Alaric spat up at her, and she finally disentangled herself and straightened so that she was straddling him.
Her fangs glistened with his blood, and she licked her lips with pleasure, "That was..."
She was interrupted by a frantic knocking on the door. "RIC? Are you in there? What's going on?"
"No, don't-!"
He groaned as the door opened anyway, and Elena stood there, her mouth agape as she looked from him to Rebekah in obvious horror. "Oh my god, get away from him!" She at least had the sense of mind to shut the door behind her before she hurriedly fell to her knees beside him, "How much blood did she take? Should I call Meredith? Are you okay?"
"Fine," he answered hoarsely, "Just get her off me."
Rebekah grinned devilishly, "Oh I don't know, I'm rather comfortable in this position."
Elena's head whipped around to glare at Rebekah, "Get out of here. NOW."
"Why?" Rebekah drawled, not moving an inch, "Are you jealous?"
"No," Elena hissed through gritted teeth, grabbing Rebekah's arm and uselessly trying to pull her off Alaric. "I just think that you should stick to Damon if you're looking for an easy target."
Rebekah sighed, "I'm rather bored with the Salvatores, to tell you the truth. Stefan, Damon, Stefan, Damon...it's time to move on to new conquests, don't you think?"
Elena looked furious, something that neither Alaric nor Rebekah failed to notice. "Stay away from Alaric," she warned heatedly, "You can mess with Stefan and Damon as much as you want, but Alaric deserves better than you."
"Oh really?" Rebekah sounded politely curious, "And who might that be?"
Elena didn't answer.
"Just as I thought," Rebekah said cattily as she lifted herself off Alaric and narrowed her eyes at Elena, "You?"
Alaric waited for Elena to deny the accusation, but the room remained deathly silent. He hastily got to his feet, looking at Elena with a mixture of surprise and...what was he feeling? It took him a second to identify the emotion, but he finally realized what it was: relief.
Now they could finally stop this ridiculous charade they had been dancing around for weeks.
She still wouldn't meet his gaze, "Ric..."
"Come here," he said roughly, pulling her forward into his arms. He felt, rather than heard, her gasp of surprise as her body molded itself into his embrace. Then he heard her quiet sigh as she snuggled into his chest, murmuring his name. He briefly buried his head into her shoulder before something made him look up to see Rebekah standing silently by the door.
She met his gaze, and gave him a little smile before turning around to leave. The resignation in her expression pulled at something deep within him, and he found the words, "Wait!" spilling from his mouth before he knew what he was saying.
Rebekah turned back around, frowning, "Oh please, if you think I'm going to stick around to watch you two-"
Alaric pulled slightly away from Elena so that he could grin at both of them, "Who said anything about watching?"