AN: quick edit
An old woman lay on her death bed, staring up at her ceiling thinking about the things she could have done; her regrets; events she wished she can relive; the times that hold a special place in her heart. Her granddaughter came in with a tray of warm chicken noodle soup and a water bottle with a nozzle. The machines connected to her grandmother were what she hated the most. The constant beep, beep, beep of the machine a reminder of the time clock tick tick ticking away.
"Good afternoon, Grandma", she says very softly. She never speaks to her above a whisper yet the wise woman always understands.
"Caroline, my darling girl. Come to visit me again?" A small crooked smile spreads across her face bringing a light of life to her otherwise somber face.
"Of course, grandma. I'll be here everyday..." she trails off not wanting to say it out loud. Her grandmother smiles reassuringly trying to extend love and understanding with the smallest gesture.
"It's ok, sweetheart. No need for all that".
"How are you today? Honestly." she asks with a shaky breath yet trying to be stern. Her grandmother tries to hide her pain but her eyes always give her away.
Ms. Forbes looks back at the ceiling and thinks about whether she should respond honestly. Her mind has been running away with her of memories long gone and forgotten. Do they not say your life flashes before your eyes during these final moments? She is old enough to understand that now. She is not as young as she once was. "I'm fine, Caroline. Just thinking about my youth and all the things I got to experience and see. I did not do too bad" she chuckles.
"You've never told me about when you were younger, at least nothing before grandpa. Please tell me a story", she insists.
Mrs. Forbes takes a deep breathe and tilts her head to the side in contemplation. With a small smile, she begins a story she never told anyone…"Ok. Let's see…in the sixties, I was about twenty-four and living life to the fullest, as they say. It was a time of free love and peace. Pot smoking and public sex. Everyone was loving each other and trying to change the world. I threw myself into those times hoping to bring my brother home from the war. He was drafted along with thousands of other young men not ready to shave their faces yet. Before they could live the life they had worked for; the life they deserved. I went to hundreds of rallies and protests. I've been arrested about four times"
"Oh my god! You've been arrested?!", Caroline gasps and laughs at her grandmother.
"Oh yes dear. In those days, it was common to get arrested for having beliefs and thoughts that didn't follow the authority of the majority. Yet, as we were all in college, we believed it was our right, not privilege, to fight for what we wanted; for the things we believed we had a natural human right to have." Mrs. Forbes begins to cough violently as she struggles to catch her breath.
Caroline jumps to action tapping her on the back and passing her the emergency inhaler. After a few minutes, she calms down again. "Can't get too excited, grandma", Caroline says trying to soothe and relax her.
"I can't help it, my dear girl. Thinking back on those days, I remember my fury with the war, the struggles we had to face just to get our voices heard. One day, we, a group of us girls, went to a rally on the college campus. The cops seemed to have had enough of us and started to use considerable force to get us off the property. One of the officers, a huge burly man, tackled me to the ground when I refused to leave and cursed at him. The bastard hit me like I was a grown man! But just as quickly that he threw himself onto me, he was gone. A young man stood in his place, gorgeous blue eyes, sandy blonde hair, tall and slim...just how I liked them." she chuckles.
Caroline laughs out right, surprised by her grandmother's boldness, "Grandma! Such a fresh young lady you are!"
"Oh, please child! Not even these ears know what it means to be a true lady!" she laughs as Caroline laughs harder.
"But who was this guy that helped you?" Caroline asks.
Gazing at the ceiling, she seems lost in thought, lost in a memory. "He was...the love of my life. The first and last man to ever break my heart", she whispers with a single tear rolling down her cheek. Frowning, Caroline reaches out and holds her grandmother's hand in an attempt to comfort her.
"The officer was on the ground a few feet away, it was as if he threw the big brute over there. He looked down at me and offered his hand. I took it, looking into those sea blue eyes. I was struck dumb by their intensity; utterly and completely lost within them. I remember looking at him and seeing his lips move, talking to me but hearing nothing. I had to physically shake myself out of it.
'I'm sorry, what were you saying?' I said.
'Are you all right, sweetheart?', this handsome British accented man, asked.
'Yes, I am now', I answered blushing a deep red all the while.
He gave me this smirk that I fell head over heels for; cheeky and subtle but a confidence that drew me in. 'Uh...thanks for that; for saving me. My name is Olivia Forbes'. I could barely get my name out of my mouth I was so nervous. I'm pretty sure my palms were sweaty but he never made a mention of it or drew back in disgust so maybe they weren't.
Still holding my hand, he turns it and places a light kiss on the top and introduces himself, 'I'm Klaus. Klaus Mikaelson.'
"Klaus Mikaelson? What kind of a name is that?" chuckled Caroline.
"Hey, hey now. No need to be an asshole", laughs Olivia.
Caroline looks over at her grandmother with a wide-open jaw in shock causing her grandmother to laugh harder. She begins to wheeze unable to breathe. Caroline's reflexes have gotten pretty fast around her grandmother. For a woman who has breathing problems, she can never stop her laughter.
"C'mon Grandma, you have to take it easy", rubbing her back.
"I'm fine, my girl. I'm fine. Besides, if it should be my time to go, wouldn't be great to go with a smile on my face? Going with laughter and feeling love from my favorite granddaughter?" she wheezes.
Caroline has a moment of weakness and tears up. A big lump forms in her throat and she tries to take deep breaths, willing it away. Her lower lip begins to tremble as she slowly loses the battle. Her tears glisten down her cheek; unashamed she does not bother to wipe them away. A small sob escapes her and her sadness takes a stronger grip on her hear; a tightening and squeezing of it trying to suffocate her. No more stories, no more warm smiles and hugs. Her only confidant will be buried and in heaven leaving her alone to fend for herself. She cries a little harder, trying to hide her face from her grandmother, but Olivia can feel the quiet sobs that shakes her hands and shoulders.
"Hush baby girl. All good things come to an end", she pants as her breathing slowly comes back to normal, "and when the time comes, I'll be ready...but you have to admit. That was funny". Shaking her head, Caroline can't help but smile and chuckle in return.
Trying to calm herself down and bring back the light mood she says, "So tell me, Grandma. What happened then? Did you see him again?"
"Well, he insisted on walking me to my car, saying he wanted to make sure I got there safe. He walked intimately close to me. He always looked me in the eye when I spoke. The attention he paid to me... remembered everything I'd ever said; even the smallest details. He would ask me questions about the rallies, my studies and other mundane things. I looked into those eyes and felt like I could never lie to him. He would always know the truth about me. At the time, I was driving a little piece of shit Volvo. Your great-granddad gave it to me as a hand-me down for college. It was shit but I loved it. He gave me a freedom that once I tasted its sweetness, I could never go back to asking mama for a ride. I never had to wait for a friend to pick me up. I could go anywhere I wanted, at any time. When we arrived to my car, I slowed my pace down, not wanting our conversation to end. It's amazing how you could feel butterflies in your stomach, nervous and completely ecstatic at the same time. We reached my car and I began fiddling with my keys. I feel the blood rush to my cheeks, not wanted to tell him how much I didn't want him to leave. What if I never saw him again? What if he thinks I'm boring? God, I wished I had shaved my legs that day!
'So tell me, when can I see you again?', he asked.
My body immediately tensed in surprise, knocking me back to reality, not expecting him to ask me out. You have to understand, Caroline, I was never much of a social butterfly. I was always a loner and only had a close circle of friends. When he asked me out, I was so flustered I couldn't think of what to say. '
Uuhh...well…I…um (clears throat). I'm pretty sure I'm free tomorrow, if you're up to it.' I stuttered in back on it now, I don't know how I could have been so afraid.
Smirking at me and looking deep into my eyes he said, 'Well, Olivia. How about you meet me for dinner tomorrow. We can catch the new Alfred Hitchcock film.'
I was dumbfounded. 'You want to see the new Alfred Hitchcock film?'
He laughs out loud, 'Why does that surprise you?'
I shook my head trying to come up with a good reason, 'Well, I don't know. I guess a lot of people aren't into it. People say the work is too dark.'
Tilting his head to the side, he takes a couple steps towards me pinning me against the driver's side door. At first, I'm afraid but it's overpowered by a sense of arousal. He is so close to me that his hands and arms are on both sides of my body preventing my escape. I breathed in his cologne, its masculine and classic. It makes me think of James Dean. No idea why but Klaus's presence, a dark, mysterious confidence, screams Rebel Without a Cause. I remember closing my eyes as his scent caused a tingling sensation in all the right places. My body responded to him immediately.
Putting one of his hands on my face, he gently strokes my cheek with his thumb, "Don't underestimate the allure of darkness, Olivia. Even the purest hearts are drawn to it". He whispers this so close to my lips, I should have kissed him. Lord knows I wanted him to kiss me.
Instead I whispered back, 'I see what you mean'.
He chuckled giving me his trademark smirk and took a step back. "I'll pick you up tomorrow, Olivia. Have a good night.'
Stunned and bit disappointed, I might add because he didn't kiss me, I bid him good night and got into my car. Sitting in my driver's seat, I smiled and laughed like a moron in love. I turned on the radio to hear a typical love song and I drove off.
