Hello my lovelies. I'm back with yet another project..

A little explanation beforehand: This was supposed to be a simple drabble requested on tumblr, but somehow while writing this I could see the ending of this.. only I need some build up to get there. so, here we are.. A Klena story. I know some of you are happy about that.. ;);)

Disclaimer: don't own, just my story, as you know.

She stormed out of the door, her face covered in tears, her chest lifting and lowering furiously as she tried to hold back the tears, that were burning in her eyes.

I need to get away, was all that Elena could think about. And that was exactly what she was trying to do. Run.

She knew that there was no use, that sooner or later she had to return, she had to walk right back through the doors - back into her own personal hell.

But for now, all she could think about was getting some time away, about nursing her wounds in private and shedding some tears that wouldn't be hit off of her face. She needed to get away. She needed to run.

And that was exactly what she did. Elena ran. Down the already dark street of her childhood, framed by houses of supposed friends, around the corner and down another street. The world around her was blurry, but she knew where to go. There was only one place where she would ever feel safe.

As the trees started to suck her into the silent galaxy of the woods, she calmed a little. Slumping down on the trunk of her tree, she let out a loud shaky breath. She pulled her legs up to her body and secured them with her arms around them.

Burying her face between her legs and chest, she created a shield that separated her from the world, from the reality, from the horror that was her life. Closing her eyes, she wanted nothing but to stop breathing – stop feeling the pain, stop thinking, stop remembering. But she couldn't. Pictures invaded Elena's mind, flashing through it, reminding her painfully of what the one person, who was supposed to look out for her, had done over and over again. And how another had just stood aside and watched it happening.

A strangled cry left her lips as her eyes filled with fresh tears all over again. She could see his wide green eyes, his clenched jaw, right before he lunged at her. And even though she knew that it was only a memory, she still flinched.

"Excuse me? Are you all right?"

A raw, accented voice broke through the silence and her head shot up in panic. No one was supposed to be here; this was her safe haven.

"Are you all right?" The voice repeated, a hint of curiosity in them and she heard soft footsteps coming closer.

Righting her back against the trunk, Elena tried to wipe away the tears. She knew that there was no use, her eyes were puffy and swollen, she could feel it. And her right cheek, which was burning and pulsating, told her that it was most definitely still reddened from the blows. She didn't even wanted to think about the state of her clothes.

She heard a gasp, it was so low that she could've mistaken it for the sound of the wind, but there was no wind in here; the trees were too close. "Oh my god." The voice whispered, somehow breathless.

"I-I'm fi-ne." She stuttered, but the dark figure just kept coming closer until it was crouching down next to her. It was a man, with dirty blonde and stubby hair and sparkling blue eyes with speck of green in them. He watched her, his eyes wide and his lips slightly parted. He looked as if he has just seen a ghost and she thought that that was exactly what she must've look like.

From the corner of her eyes she saw his hand raising and she instinctively flinched away. His eyes found hers, looking pained. "It's alright, don't fear me." He whispered, the surprised tone was gone, it was compassionate now.

"W-who are you?" Elena questioned shakily, as his fingers started to brush the tears away from her cheeks. It should have been painful, but if nothing his featherlight touch felt calming.

"My name is Niklaus Mikaelson." He said softly as a small smile played on his lips. "But you can call me Klaus. And who are you?"

"Elena." She replied quickly, without hesitation. Elena knew that she was not supposed to talk to strangers, but she wasn't afraid of him. Her own father had just beaten her, why should she be afraid of another man? A man who looked at her with more worry than her father ever had. "Elena Gilbert."

"Who did this to you, Elena?" Klaus asked, his eyes quickly roaming over her body, his jaw clenching while doing so. She followed his gaze and saw the ripped clothes and the blood on her arm. The exposed flesh was bruised, both fresh and old ones. "M-my father." Elena whispered, afraid of what might happen if he found out that she was telling strangers.

His eyes hardened momentarily. "No one should be treated like this. No father should treat their children like this." He spoke sternly and his nostrils flared dangerously.

Elena shook her head. She should've been afraid by now. He looked murderous, but she felt the need to set him right. "He's not my real father."

Realization crossed his face and his lips pursed. "I see. Come on, let's get you inside." He moved to help her up, but she just looked at him, her breath hitching and her eyes wide in panic.

"What? No! I can't go back." She exclaimed loudly, the tears threatening to start flowing again. "Not yet..please" She added, her voice growing desperate.

"I won't bring you back to him, Elena. Trust me." He said, his eyes locking with hers, an intensity burning in them, that made Elena trust him even if she didn't want to. The understanding was shining through and it made her ease up involuntarily. "I won't let anyone hurt you." Klaus promised and Elena believed him.

Elena knew she shouldn't, she should be more careful, but everything about this man calmed her. It was as if he knew exactly how she felt, so she nodded.

"Where are you taking me?" Elena asked carefully, her voice low. Just because she was trusting him, didn't mean that she wasn't worried. He grasped her hands, wordlessly and pulled her up.

"My home." He said eventually, pulling her close to his own body, so that they were pressed against each other, his arms tightly around her waist. And before Elena could protest, they disappeared into the night.

I know this chapter's short. BUT I'll try to make longer chapters on this story.. we all know, all my stories are like this, but I think it's time I write longer chapters.. I will try to do so in here.

Ps: Elena's family situation will be different here..

Ps2: Story title might change to chapter title.. don't know yet.. I haven't outlined the story yet.. so no idea what to do with the title..

Please give me some feed back. I have so many stories I need to work on (Klefan, Kolena and the Elejah bit) so if this doesn't get any attention, I will probably drop it.. :S (although I don't want to) but you know how it works, reviews are a writers fuel. no input, no output.

xo hazel