London 1912

Once again she found herself to one of these dreadfully boring balls standing next to her less than interesting fiancée who was busy as usual talking to some of his business associates while her only job was to stand next to him looking pretty. Everything in her fought hard not to scream out in frustration and despair. She was supposed to be doing this the rest of her life, a life that was only just beginning but in some sense already was over. A small sigh escaped her pursed lips making her fiancée look down at her his brows slightly furrowed in annoyance.

"Anything in the matter Darling?"

He asked sweetly but the cold unsatisfied look in his eyes was nothing but sweet. She forced a smile on her lips;

"Not at all, I'm just feeling rather hot. If you would excuse me I think I will fetch something to drink."

He nodded curtly and she quickly unwrapped her arm from his making a quick escape over the floor after smiling politely to his business associates. When she reached the bar she took a deep breath relieved of being on her own even if was only for a short while.

"A glass of champagne Miss?"

"Yes please."

She smiled politely as she accepted the champagne glass from the waiter taking a small sip. She glanced over to her fiancée who luckily wasn't paying her any attention for once. She quickly decided to see if she could skip out of the room unnoticed to get a few minutes by herself but as she turned around in one fluent movement she skipped right into the person behind her. The glass slid out of her hand landing on the floor shattering and she gasped shocked.

"I apologize Sir. I'm such a terrible clutch sometimes."

"No need Miss."

A deep but still oddly soft voice spoke from above and as she looked up to see who she had so embarrassingly assaulted she looked right into a pair of stormy grey eyes. For a moment she felt completely lost in the stranger's eyes and first when she spoke again she managed to pull herself together.

"I hope no harm came to you Miss...?"

"Morgan… Ana Morgan."

She blushed crimson when she saw the amused glimpse in his eyes clearly because of her previous staring. She watched him more carefully; he was a very handsome man early 20's maybe, his eyes gave a string impression and his features were very pleasing. He smiled and gently lifted her hand to his lips pressing a tender kiss against it. It was as a shot of electricity went through her as his lips brushed her hand sending shivers down her spine and she couldn't only hope she managed to keep her collected posterior on the outside.

"Klaus Mikaelson. It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Morgan."

"Likewise Mr. Mikaelson. I don't think I have seen you here before…"

"No I'm quite new in town."

He explained as he gently let go of her hand. She couldn't help but to be intrigued by this handsome stranger.

"Can I maybe get you a new glass champagne now where I so recklessly smashed the other?"

She nodded smiling and he quickly collected two glasses handing her the one with a charming smile. She lifted the glass to her lips taking a small sip enjoying the way his eyes seemed to linger at her lips.

"Thank you. So…what do you think of this little gathering?"

He looked around shortly before his attention turned back to her a playful smirk playing on his lips. She eyed him challenging daring him to say what he really meant and not what society expected him to say.

"I must say…this is most dreadfully boring party I have ever been to. Even the people are quite ghastly."

For a second Ana looked at him shocked because she certainly hadn't expected him to be so blunt but then her cool British posterior crumbled and she began to laugh. Her soft pearly laughter made the people around them turn around looking at them and from the other side of the room she caught her father's disapproving eyes but for once she didn't care.

"Well well Mr. Mikaelson. I apologize for being so horribly dreadful."

She said with a smile and he looked at her quite amused;

"Oh not you my dear. You have been quite the saviour of this evening. I can honestly say you are the single most interesting person in here tonight."

His words and the way his eyes darkened and intensified as he looked at her made her flush for the second time that night and she found herself staring helplessly into his eyes again. She quickly lifted the glass drinking some of the champagne to distract herself all the while why he was watching her.

"Maybe I could persuade you to dance with me if your fiancée will allow it?"

He held out his arm in a suggestive manner and without thinking twice she took his arm with a smile.

"I'm already persuaded."

At the end of the evening she must admit that the night had been far more pleasurable than she ahd ever imagined. Klaus Mikaelson turned out to be an excellent dancer and exquisite company, they had spend most of the evening dancing and talking and she had laughed more than she had in the last 3 years together. It had been a whole new feeling actually getting the sole attention from a man and she was still feeling giddy when she went to retrieve her coat. As she was wrapping it around herself she suddenly felt her mother's firm hand on her arm.

"What do you think you were doing tonight Ana? You could have ruined your entire reputation in one evening. Prancing around giggling with that stranger."

She faced her mother and squirmed slightly underneath her disapproving eyes but at the same time she felt enraged; she hadn't done anything improper besides trying to have a good time at a ball and he had been nothing less than the perfect gentleman.

"Mother I don't feel like I did anything wrong. I was simply being polite to Mr. Mikaelson who was new in town. I don't call that prancing around but simple politeness."

"Ana I don't want to hear more about Mr. Mikaelson. Your father and I have agreed to let Charles follow you home tonight. It shouldn't look like the two of you were having a disagreement. Do you understand?"

"Yes mother…"

She mumbled quietly as Charles appeared at her left side holding out his arm for her to take it. She quickly finished buttoning up her coat before slipping her arm in under Charles'. He let her out of the Ballroom and started walking down the street without uttering a word. She looked up at him and suddenly felt uneasy when she saw his lips pressed into a thin line his brows furrowed. He was clearly angry and she was glad she wasn't living with him yet. They turned down a corner leaving the Ballroom behind them but then suddenly Charles turned down a side road she was sure didn't lead to her home.

"Charles… I think this is the wrong way…"

She quietly suggested and gasped out in shock when he suddenly pulled her into a dark ally turning her forcefully against him. As she looked up to ask him what was going on she felt her heart sink in her chest. His eyes were dark and furious and his breathing eradicate.

"What the hell do you think you were doing tonight?! Humiliating me with that nobody!"

"But Charles… I meant no harm. I simply…"

She was silenced by the hard blow that hit her across the face making her stumble backwards into the ally. Now she was starting to get really scared.

"No woman is going to humiliate me like that! Do you understand?!"

He hit her again this time with his fist and she felt her cheekbone crush screaming out in pain. She lifted her arms trying to protect herself for the hits he kept letting fall down on her.

"Charles please…"

She begged as the tears started running down her cheeks. She could feel she had a split lip and massive pains in her body. But he was behind any form of reason as he pushed her hard backwards sending her flying hard into the wall. Her head hit the bricks hard and she sunk to the ground, the world slowly fading away. She felt blood running down from the back of her head and she was completely disoriented. Not even this seemed to stop her fiancée who kept kicking her even though she was feeling so numb that she didn't even react to the blows anymore.

"Pl..ease.."

She mumbled and suddenly the blows stopped. In the far she heard an angry growl almost like a dog and she fought to open her eyes. As she did the whole world was a blurting mess but she heard Charles scream out in either pain and fear and afterwards something that hit a wall hard. She eyes started fluttering shut again when she felt someone kneeling besides her lifting her head slightly.

"You will be alright love…you are save."

She heard a voice nearby, it sounded oddly familiar but she couldn't place it. Suddenly something where pressed against her mouth and the last thing she felt was the feeling of something warm and thick running down her throat.