(Author's note at the end.)

Chapter 1

The scene was black. No light shined anywhere and the darkness seemed to weigh on her shoulders. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see any distance ahead of her. The blackness that surrounded her was different than normal. It was thick and visceral. It was all encompassing.

Without warning, lights flickered into existence. A thousand candles ignited at once and bathed the vast area in a gentle orange glow.

They lined everything. Candles of all sizes were spread along the floor in random groupings and on their own. The walls surrounding her were dotted with sconces and a few stood in tall candelabras. It was a haunting sight, and beautiful too.

Surprised, but still uncertain of where she was, Kali spun slowly in her spot. Behind her and at the end of the newly lit hall stood a figure clad in black. It was a man wearing a suit as black as the world had been only a moment before.

Without knowing why, K approached the figure. For some reason, she felt weight on her body and glanced down for the first time. She was wearing a dress. Black chiffon hung from her hips in a beautifully tailored cascade. Her torso was held securely in a corset and was dotted with hints of light-catching sequins. Her brows came together. She didn't understand.

When K looked up, the figure in black had begun to turn. She felt her heart stop and thunder at the same time when she saw a familiar face looking back at her. Despite the devil's mask that shielded his face, K would recognize Klaus anywhere. It was his piercing blue eyes that glinted in the light and his full lips turned up into a smirk.

He said nothing as she fought the urge to cry and simply offered her his hand. K's feet found their rhythm again and happily closed the twenty-foot gap between them. The moment she touched his hand, fire pulsed through her body and music began in the distance.

Klaus pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her and began to guide her into a dance as drums and string instruments played their haunting melody somewhere unseen.

K couldn't fight the smile that touched her lips or the tears that fled down her cheeks at the sight of him. She didn't even care that he was wearing the same devil mask he'd worn to Marcel's masquerade party well over a year ago. It was Klaus, and that was enough.

They swayed widely and fluidly through the candles without a single flame flickering. Their feet barely touched the ground and K could have sworn she was floating as she stared unblinkingly at the man holding her. She begged to say so much, to ask a thousand questions and tell him everything she could think of, but words never came. The only thing that did, were more silent tears.

As they continued to dance, Klaus reached up gently trailed the back of his curled index finger down the glistening streams of spilled tears. K sighed and moved into the action. He held her cheek tenderly.

"No need for tears, darling." He told her in a kind, warm voice.

"I miss you." She breathed the words more than actually spoke them.

His smile remained unchanged as did the look in his eyes. Instead of replying, Klaus leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. K's eyes drifted shut and her fingers clutched almost desperately at his suit.

Without warning, she heard bones crunch, the sound of ripping flesh, smelled blood and felt unimaginable pain radiate through her chest. She shot back from Klaus only far enough to see what had happened and immediately screamed because of it.

Between them was a bloody fist clutching Klaus' heart while the man himself began to turn gray. Klaus' mouth hung slack, his eyes held no focus and he was dying.

"NO!" Kali screamed at the top of her lungs.

As suddenly as it had appeared, the fist retreated through Klaus' chest and he crumbled to the ground. K instantly sank to her knees and pulled him into her lap. She didn't even feel the ache of the hole through her own chest or the fact that she was covered in their blood. Her only concern was Klaus.

"No, no, no, no, no," she repeated quickly under her breath as she adjusted him in her lap. "Stay with me, all right?"

Klaus barely managed to look up at her. He reached up and gently touched her cheek again, trailing lines of crimson down her ivory skin when he had.

"Find me,"

His words were little more than a gasping attempt to speak before he went eerily still in her lap. The tears came harder than before and K began to shake. She screamed again as she hugged him to her.

Footsteps were somehow heard over her own sobs. K looked up and saw Marcel approaching with glowing red eyes and a wicked smile twisting his otherwise handsome features. Clamped firmly within his steely fingers was Klaus' heart. It continued to drip blood, and when Marcel stopped walking, the sound of the drops hitting the ground was all that met her ears. She glared up at him through her lashes, shaking with hatred, rage and the purest agony she'd ever felt.

Marcel said nothing, only began to laugh. The sound echoed around them, but she didn't pay him the slightest attention. K looked again to Klaus. Still holding him tightly, she wrapped herself around him and buried her face into his shoulder. She began to sob again, to shake and cry.

Marcel's laughter began to fade into the background. The music was gone. There was no more dancing and the flickering candle light was fading too.

She barely felt an arm reach into her chest. Little more than a gasp left her lips as the life was torn from her. As far as she was concerned, this was only a technicality. The pain of holing Klaus' dead body was worse than the pain of Marcel ripping out her own heart.

K felt hollow inside. She felt nothing but an incredible, piercing, all encompassing anguish pulsate through her body. He was gone. The only man she ever loved, was gone.

K shot awake with a loud gasp. She was covered in a cold sweat. Her body ached and the throbbing in her chest wouldn't stop. K clutched her heart as her face twisted in pain. It felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest coupled with someone jabbing hot, searing pokers into every nerve.

She struggled for a moment to catch her breath and will the pain away. It took too long in her mind, but slowly began to dwindle until it finally returned to the same throb it always was.

With a steadying, deep breath, K opened her eyes again. She took in her surroundings. She was in her room, in her bed, and Klaus was still missing.

Whimpering caught her attention. K glanced to the corner of the room and saw Hope standing in her crib. Her face was twisted too and it looked like she was about to start crying. K knew why. This wasn't the first time K's nightmares and curse had woken the infant.

Throwing the blankets off her legs, K approached the crib.

"Shhh, now." She cooed as she lifted the young girl into her arms. "It's alright. Just a nightmare."

K cradled Hope to her chest and moved once more to her bed. She tossed her pillows against the headboard so she could sit up, slipped into bed and positioned Hope so she could lie back against her chest.

"There," she said softly. K tenderly stroked Hope's cherub-like cheek to calm her. "Go back to sleep, sweetheart."

K gently bounced the little one in her lap and hummed one of the hundred songs she'd sung Hope through the months. As she did, Hope began to drift once more. It would be easier for her. Sleep wouldn't come to K again that night, however. It never came after those dreams.

Despite her eyes being wide open and focused lazily on the pale taupe wall across the room, she could still clearly see Klaus. She could see the look of horror and fear as Marcel tore out his heart. She could see him dying in her arms and begging she find him.

Her eyes began to water and when she blinked the tears drifted. There was no way for her to know if Klaus was alive. Not really, at least. Their sire bond was broken and the pain K felt from Tunde's blade was ambiguous enough that it may not even be from that anymore. Freya had numbed her, but to what degree? Was the pain she felt the cursed blade, or Klaus' death?

K's eyes fell shut and her brows furrowed. The ache in her chest grew worse, but not for either of those reasons. She never thought she could miss someone so badly.

AN: Hey guys! I hope you liked it and let me know what you think. I have NO idea when I'll update again, but I hope to at least put up tidbits here and there. So, if you're interested, be sure to follow so you can stay apprised of my random updates if/when they happen. Thanks and I hope you enjoyed it!