This is just a little one-shot that popped in my head, rated M because of some mature themes. I got the inspiration from the song Dead Boy's Poem by Nightwish.

Illinois, 2010

There weren't many things that would have made Klaus nervous. In fact, he could count those things with one hand and he didn't have to use all his fingers. Now his body had instinctively tensed, it knew where he was heading to. His thoughts were conflicting, as always when he thought about her. A part of him wanted to drive faster, get to her sooner, but then there was another part that wanted nothing more than turn the car around. He almost huffed; there was no way that he would turn around.

His fingers turned carelessly the radio on; it was strangely quiet now when Stefan wasn't here. He had left the ripper at some hotel; hunting werewolves could wait for couple of hours. This was definitely something he wanted to do without any audience. The journey seemed to last forever, but finally he saw the familiar gate ahead. Almost there… Impatiently he typed the security code and finally reached the driveway. The old two-storey Victorian house looked as dark and quiet as ever, but he knew how important this place was to her.

After parking the car, he checked his reflection in the rearview mirror. Perhaps he should have shaved this morning… Well, it was too late for that now. He cleared his throat and picked up a bouquet of daisies and a small box wrapped in flower print wrapping paper. The saleswoman had asked would he like it wrapped and for some reason that had sound like a good idea at the moment. He always brought her gifts, but this was something very special. Slowly he headed to the front door and rang the doorbell. The door opened almost immediately, his gaze met an elderly witch called Eileen.

"Good morning," she said calmly. "We have been expecting you."

"How is she?" Klaus asked, skipping the small talk.

Eileen stepped back, letting him in before replying.

"Last night was…difficult."

Klaus' eyes narrowed.

"How difficult?"

"Perhaps you should see for yourself," the witch replied callously. "She killed one of the guards."

Klaus couldn't have cared less about that.

"Have she fed?"

Eileen shook her head.

"I was planning to give her a blood bag later; she really can't feed on humans; that is always very…messy."

"Hmm," Klaus huffed and headed towards her room. It was on the second floor, there were two male vampires standing in front of her door.

"Sir," they greeted him.

"You can go," he said without even looking at them. This was his private time. Yet it took a moment before he managed to open the door. What he saw didn't really surprise him; the whole room had been ripped apart. Furniture, clothes, pillows, sheets, curtains, ornaments, everything had been destroyed. The only thing that hadn't been touched was a painting on the wall. He had painted that for her a long time ago. For a moment he felt a glimpse of hope, maybe she wasn't completely gone, even when she was in her darkest place.

His eyes scanned the room until he saw her sitting on the floor beside the fireplace. She was wearing a white tank top and pink and white pajama pants. Her brown hair had been plaited and her pale green eyes stared into emptiness. She had curled her legs up against her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them. It hurt Klaus to see her like this, even after all these years he never got used to that.

"Belle?"

She didn't move or look up; she simply stared in front of her. Klaus sighed and approached her cautiously; she had managed to catch him off guard few times with a surprise attack.

"It's ok, Belle, I'm not going to hurt you…"

He didn't know if she could hear him, but he couldn't just stay quiet. He placed the flowers and the box on the floor, since there wasn't any other place to put them, and sat down next to her. There seemed to be some feathers on her hair, but he knew better than to touch her. Not yet. He pressed his lips together and took a deep breath before grabbing her arms. She growled like a wild beast, ready to defend herself, but he was faster, he managed to make an eye contact.

"Calm down," he ordered firmly, struggling to reach the part of her that was buried somewhere deep under the dark silent desert that was her mind. Finally she stopped fighting and looked at him callously.

"Belle," he said, his pupils dilating even more. "Now you will remember me."

She blinked few times, looking confused, then there was finally some light in her eyes. Her smile was just like before, she was herself again.

"Nik!" she said and jumped on him, ending up in his tight embrace. "I've missed you so much…"

That was a perfect moment; Klaus never wanted it to end. She was there in his arms where she belonged to, he closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair. Her scent hadn't changed; it was still as sweet as the day they had met. An apple blossom… His, she was his, every part of her. Slowly he pulled away, running his fingers gently over her face, caressing her soft lips.

She laughed and leaned closer, playfully nipping his bottom lip. He would have wanted nothing more than take her right there on the floor, but he didn't know how long he could keep her with him. Their time had become shorter and shorter along the years; that was the price of his compulsions. Her mind was rejecting them and someday he wouldn't be able to bring her back at all. He had no idea what he would do when that day would come.

"Nik…" she moaned, her hands sliding under his shirt. "Make love to me."

God, she wasn't going to make this any easier for him… He was only a man for heaven's sake, even if he was now invincible.

"Please…" she purred, caressing his cheek.

That was too much, his arms tightened around her; with a groan his lips were on hers, his tongue moving out to coax her lips open. She kissed him back with the same urgency, their tongues playing with each other. Her hands were already unbuckling his belt; she knew that they didn't have much time. She deserved so much better than this, she deserved champagne and satin sheets, not a quickie on the cold floor. But he wanted her as much as she wanted him and he needed this moment with her.

"My Belle…" he groaned, his lips devouring hers. Her hands were pulling his shirt up and he helped her by raising his arms. She grinned and started to kiss and nip his chest, sending shivers up his spine. It had been too long… Quickly he slid her tank top over her head and laid her down in front of the cold fireplace. She smiled and looked at him trustingly, her eyes full of warmth.

"I love you, Nik."

Her words, as much as he wanted to hear them, cut him like a knife.

"I love you too, I always will."

Gently he placed himself on top of her, making sure that she was ready for him before spreading her legs. His eyes were on her the whole time; he didn't want to miss a second. Every sound that she made for approval was precious to him; he never wanted this moment to end. It wasn't fair, he was invincible, he should be able to fix her. But without him she would never be broken in the first place…

He had been the one who had insisted on turning her, he hadn't cared that there could be consequences. She never should have become a vampire and now she was paying the price for his selfishness every singly day. What a great eternity. His vision blurred as he felt her reaching her climax, she cried out his name. How beautiful she was… It didn't take him long to follow her, she moved her hands up his arms and pulled him closer. For a moment he allowed his head to rest on her chest, he needed to feel her close to him.

"You brought me flowers…" she murmured, her hand stroking his hair.

For a moment he had no idea what she was talking about, then he noticed the bouquet and the box on the floor.

"Daisies are your favorites, aren't they?"

"Yes, you're sweet."

He raised his head and smiled down at her, his fingers softly caressing her cheek.

"This is also for you," he said and reached for the box. She got up to a sitting position and looked at it curiously.

"It's not my birthday…at least I don't think so, what days is it? Or what year?"

"2010," he murmured tensely.

She looked thoughtful.

"Good to know. Now give me my gift, mister."

He couldn't help but smile, she unwrapped her gift eagerly like a child. Her eyes widened when she saw the walnut music box, there were angel figures carved on it.

"Nik… My music box… Where did you…"

"It's not the original one, I'm sorry," Klaus said. "But it should be almost an exact replica; I found it from an antique store."

She was quiet for a long while, touching the small object softly with her fingers. Her eyes were watering up when she finally looked at him.

"Thank you, this is beautiful."

He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"You're welcome, my love."

She smiled warmly, but her expression changed when she finally noticed her surroundings. Obviously she wanted to ask had she done this, but she didn't say anything. Klaus felt completely helpless, he had no idea what to do or say in order to help her. He stood up and grabbed the first cloth he could find; apparently it had been a curtain. Belle tried her best to smile when he sat down next to her and wrapped the cloth around them both. She opened the music box and leaned her head on his shoulder when the familiar solemn melody started.

"Just like I remembered…" she murmured.

They were both quit for a while, enjoying each other's presence.

"How are things with you?" she asked, tracing patterns down his chest.

"I broke the curse," he replied callously. That should have been his greatest victory, but it certainly didn't feel like it right now. She looked up, her eyes widened in surprise.

"You did? That's great! I'm so happy for you," she said and kissed him. "How does it feel?"

"I've never felt so strong," he replied tensely.

She nodded.

"That's good, that's what you have always wanted, right?"

"Yes…"

He couldn't bear to see the love in her eyes, it burned him. He certainly didn't deserve her love.

"I love you, Belle," he murmured and pulled her close to him.

"I love you too."

He held her as tightly as he could without hurting her, he couldn't let her go. She hummed the melody from the music box, she had always loved it. He could tell the precise moment when she was gone, her body tensed before she started to scratch his chest in panic, growling like a caged animal.

"No, Belle, don't…"

He felt a tear coursing down his cheek, but he couldn't let go, no matter what his mind told him. Belle's body was maybe still in his embrace, but her mind was gone, vanished somewhere in that dark desert. No, he refused to accept that. He had to really struggle before he managed to capture her small frame under him, she was fighting for her survival since she couldn't understand who he was and what he wanted from her.

"It's alright…" he murmured. "I'm going to fix you…"

He could barely start the compulsion when she was screaming in pain; her mind couldn't take it, not so soon.

"Klaus," Eileen's calm voice said from the door. "That can shatter her mind for good."

He was full of helpless anger, but he knew that he had to stop. She was in panic, as soon as he got off her, she jumped to her feet, revealing her fangs.

"I'm sorry, Belle," he murmured and got dressed. She was still naked, but there was no chance that anyone could have made her to get dressed, not before she would feel that she was safe. That wouldn't happen as long as he was here.

"Stay with her and make sure that no one sees her like this," he said to Eileen.

The witch nodded calmly.

"And I want her room cleaned today."

"That can be…" Eileen started, but didn't finish her sentence when she saw his glare. "I'll take care of it."

Klaus gritted his teeth and allowed himself to look at Belle one more time. The love of his life didn't recognize him; all she saw was a potential threat. Somehow he managed to turn around and walk to the door.

"I'll be in touch later today," he said to Eileen on his way out. The damn music box was still playing. He clenched his fists and suppressed another tear, one was more than enough. His face was blank when he walked downstairs and headed to his car. Stefan was probably wondering where he was, but Klaus certainly didn't owe him any explanations. They finally had a lead, a fellow called Ray Sutton. It was time to go hunting.