I really like TO, and of course Klaus's character. I did admire Klaroline in the beginning in TVD, but of late it lost its charm for me (No offences to admirers :) ). Hayley has been fitting better with Elijah and Cami seems pretty mad at him right now, and I don't really see how they'll make sense, so I just toyed with the idea of Klaus with a different absolutely new character. I'd heard Joseph Morgan say in an interview once that he's love to visit India sometime, so I made the other character have Indian roots
This is more of a one shot. Maybe if it's received well, might think of continuing.
Published something like this for the very first time, so yeah I 'm pretty nervous, but do let me know your comments/feedback/suggestions. Hope it's a near decent effort. There are some amazing writers here. Happy reading
It was towards the end of another day for Niklaus Mikaelson. He had spent his time scheming, plotting, compelling and threatening. He had been his diabolical self. Hayley was missing, Marcel finally had figured out his den, much to his dismay, Elijah had been taking over the control of the situations ever since his return, even Cami was seething at him despite the fact that he had kept his word. He was frustrated, angry and that made him all the more dangerous. But then this wasn't much further from just another normal day for him was it… This was how his life had been, for a millennium, action packed. It had to be like this especially now, when he was in the midst of a battle anyway, the ultimate battle of one-upmanship, of regaining what he had built, the battle for New Orleans, the battle for that 'thing', his unborn child.
Having laid out the blueprints of his next grand plans he was walking towards Rousseau's for a quick drink, before he headed home to join forces with Elijah and Rebekah.
She was kneeling on the sidewalk, trying to pick up the files that had strewn on the ground following a collision with a tourist too immersed in her camera. The tourist kept mumbling a string of apologies and she laughed lightly and said in a chirpy voice, -"It's okay, seriously, I am worse when I am taking pictures, trust me"
Klaus heard her acceptance of the apology and something caught his attention. He didn't quite know what it was that drew him, probably the accent, it was a very different accent, he couldn't even place it to a particular country/region. Or probably it was the small chortle of laughter she issued. It almost rang. The mere sound of her laughter slightly eased the immense pressure bubbling up inside that mind of his.
The girl had almost picked up all her things, and was now attempting to get up. She turned her face, which till now was completely hidden by a curtain of long black hair, and there was a breeze which ruffled the strands of her mane, and lifted the curtain partially. On her semi exposed face now, only her right eye was visible, but that was enough to stop Klaus in his tracks, who was about to turn around and enter Rousseau's by now.
She had the most captivating eyes the 1000 year old Original had ever seen in his considerable lifetime. They were huge, and deep. She had black eyes, like her hair, and they were framed by thick black natural lashes, fanning out. Even from a distance, Klaus could discern a spark in those eyes.
He walked upto the girl entranced and told her in his smooth cadence, -"You look like you could use some help love"
He was somehow very eager to see the girl. His brain was choc-a-bloc with a thousand other pressing matters, the primary being ensuring Hayley's safety, yet he lingered…
She got up and flicked all of her hair behind with her arm, and looking at him said, "That's very kind of you Sir, but I managed. Thanks anyway". She flashed a sincere smile, which Klaus returned.
-"You're new here"
-"It's that obvious is it?" she said and chuckled, and continued arranging her things in her bag.
Klaus smiled and kept gazing at her intently.
She had a rich brown skin tone, large luminous eyes, and delicate lips.
She was tiny in stature, not reaching beyond Klaus's shoulders, but there was something in her personality that made her seem towering. Even in silence she exuded a strange confidence.
She was clad in jeans, a white shirt that she paired with a blue waist-jacket and black boots, not that Klaus noticed her apparel though. He was too taken in by her face and her aura to notice anything else.
When she was done with her occupation with her strewn things, she looked up to find Klaus still standing there gazing at her with an intense expression in his eyes.
She took a moment to take in the man standing in front of her. He was tall, considerably taller than her, with wind-swept dirty blonde hair. He was lean but seemed muscular from beneath his grey T-shirt and black summer jacket. He seemed in the same age ball park, maybe an year or two older, little did she know how off her estimation was.
He had piercing blue eyes. Those were the first things she noticed. His eyes were passionate and were boring into her own now. The demeanour of this man was very attractive truth be told, but there was some instinct within her telling her he's dangerous, and that she should up her defences.
She smiled tentatively and looked at him with a slightly questioning expression.
That broke his trance and he regained his composure that was momentarily disturbed by this stranger girl.
-"Can I help you in any other way?"
She laughed lightly, and said
-"Thanks again, but I'll be okay. I'm waiting for a car to pick me up. This is where I was supposed to wait, it should be along in some minutes. I guess I'll just wait out here."
She proceeded to sit at one of Rousseau's outdoor tables. The day was sunny and pleasant and she'd love sitting there for a few moments, watching the sun paint the sky in light hues of orange, shining with whatever strength it had left, at the end of the day.
Klaus watched her walk over to a table and sit down. He didn't know why he wanted to talk to her a bit more, get to know who she was. She was enigmatic and he wanted to know who she was. But he didn't want to scare her or annoy her, and she had just politely refused his assistance. Prudent girl, he thought.
He was about to turn on his heel when he noticed a pearl earring lying at the edge of the road. Figuring it might be hers he walked over to the girl and asked her,
-"Is this yours? It was lying there."
Her hand automatically flew to her ears, and she realised she was indeed missing a piece. She stretched her hand out and smiled in gratitude,
-"Oh yes, it must have knocked off when I collided, Thanks a lot, for finding it Mr. …."
-"Oh you're welcome love, and the name is Niklaus Mikaelson, but you can call me Klaus"
-"Niklaus, German ?"
He laughed and then turned a bit serious for a fraction of a moment
-"No not really, actually I've lived in so many places now it's tough to say where I started from." He shrugged, and kept gazing into her eyes.
She felt his gaze, and it made her feel a bit strange, not intimidated but strange.
She contemplated for a brief moment and said
-"Interesting, um so listen, why don't you join me for a coffee while I wait for my car Mr. Mikealson, of course if you're not elsewhere occupied."
Klaus looked at her for a moment, as if trying to read her, and then returning to his chipper self said,
-"That would be charming now wouldn't it. Thank you Miss…"
-"Oh sorry, Natasha, Natasha Rai. And I'm not Russian by the way," she said with a mischievous chuckle.
Klaus laughed,
-"Where are you from then ?" he asked.
-"Oh I'm from India, but my parents settled abroad long ago, and have travelled, so I've been raised in many places, London, in my younger years, Paris, for a while, Geneva for a couple of years and then we've been in New York for the last 8 years. Many places… Much like you eh ?!" she teased sipping on her coffee.
'Oh you're nothing like me and you should be thankful for that'. Klaus soliloquised and wore a serious faraway expression for some seconds.
-"Are you okay? Did I say anything to offend you, I'm sorry, I…"
-"Oh not at all love, I just began recollecting the places I've been to"
-"So yeah, you're well travelled. That explains the accent I guess?" Klaus joked with a raised eyebrow
Natasha laughed heartily, and her laughter made Klaus smile the tiniest of smiles, but a spontaneous one…
-"Oh yeah. I've interacted with so many different people with such different accents that mine has become a cocktail itself."
They both laughed
-"You've been here a long time you said." She asked
-"Oh yes, I lived here once, long back. I've recently returned, you see there's a lot of unfinished business" Klaus nearly whispered the last part dramatically, with a suppressed smile
-"So what brings you here? to the Big Easy Natasha ? he asked opening his arms wide and motioning towards the expanse of New Orleans stretching before them
-"Well, I am a management consultant, and my firm recently took a client", "a particularly difficult client", she said the last part softly, almost to herself, knitting her eyebrows together for a brief second. "The case interested me, so I took it up, and here I am in New Orleans." She finished.
Klaus leaned in a bit across the round table and said -"Hmmm.. So I take it you like dealing with difficult people" with a mischievous glint in his eyes
Natasha leaned in too, and said softly but with panache, "Yeah it's a challenge, and I love challenges"
Klaus sat back and smiled looking at the girl, she was impressive. He was just about to say something else when a chauffeur drew upto them and asked Natasha, "er..Ms. Rai ? "
She looked up and nodded, to which the man said, -"Good evening Ma'am I've come with your ride. Sorry for the delay."
-"Oh it's okay, no worries. " she said with a smile and stood up.
Klaus also stood up and looked at her, wishing strangely that he could prolong this moment.
She looked at him and extended her hand for a shake saying-"Well It was nice meeting you Mr. Mikaealson"
-"And thanks for this" she beamed pointing towards her ear.
Klaus took her hand and said with a smirk,
-"The pleasure is all mine….Natasha"
-"Well, goodbye…" she waved and got into her car.
Klaus might just have felt a pang of regret at their conversation ending so soon, but the very moment, his self told him pointedly, she's just a human, lucky she didn't become lunch…
Besides he had no business mingling with an inconsequential human right now. Besides his child and the girl carrying it were unsafe that very moment, his deceits around Marcel were crumbling, he should've been attending to these matters.
He felt an emotion nearly akin to guilt. Klaus wasn't used to feeling so, and here this girl and his momentary fixation with her had stirred up ever so slightly emotions in him he thought had ceased to exist.
"Damn you human girl" he thought to himself with a huff
With this thought Klaus headed back to his mansion, he had a lot to do…
But there was a minuscule part of him that wished, despite the situations and despite himself that he could see her again.