It was the sound of the horses below them in their stall that woke the pair up, then Leonie yawned, but now froze.
"Oh my- our families! We never returned home-! What if they-!"
Klaus sighed at that, then said. "Do relax, sweetie." he raised a hand to her cheek and smiled. "Don't ruin this moment. Not yet anyway."
Leonie sighed and put her head back onto his bare chest, closing her eyes. "Why can't we not just stay here? It is really quite peaceful..."
The young man agreed at that, but also thinking- last night had been his eighteenth birthday, and his parents were probably furious with him leaving. Even more so if they found out that Leonie had vanished too...
Connect the dots and they would soon realize just how much their errant children had shamed their families.
As the cockrel crowed in the distance, even Klaus sighed and said. "We really should be sneaking back into our beds."
Leonie groaned, burying her face in his neck. "Do we really?"
Klaus sat up now and nodded. "We should get dressed."
She watched in silence as he grabbed his clothes, brushing the straw from them and pulled them on, throwing Leonie her dress.
Klaus looked through the wooden slats under them, checking if someone was there, but there was nothing.
"Clear." he said quietly as he climbed down the ladder, helping her as she did too.
The young man took his own horse now and pulled it forwards, readjusting the reins as he did so. "Here- take my horse. Your house is so much further than mine."
Leonie smiled, then let him kiss her passionately for a moment. "I will see you soon." he told her, kissing her forehead before helping her onto his horse, smiling at the way she looked like a princess with her hair all flyaway.
"Hurry back." she smiled, then nudged the horse forwards and out the barn door, onto the dirt track towards her families home.
-BD-
Klaus sneaked back into his and Elijahs room without complication, but just as he was about to get into bed, his brothers voice said.
"And where were you last night?"
Klaus sighed. "I got drunk, brother. I woke up beside the stream not a moment ago."
"Lies."
"Excuse me?"
Elijah sat up now, raising an eyebrow. "Then you were not in the barn with Leonie then?"
Klaus laughed, getting into his bed. "Whatever gave you that thought?"
"Because I saw you both together in the loft."
Now Klaus froze, suddenly realizing that the noise Leonie had heard was his brother returning his horse to its stall.
"You must have been mistaken." he said matter of factly, inside, dread going through him.
Elijah was silent, then-
"I wasn't and didn't tell anyone else, if that is what you are worried about?"
Klaus's frown deepened, then said curtly. "Why."
"Because I know the trouble you both will get in for it. You are both not married, that sort of contact is forbidden outside of matrimony."
"Tell me something I do not know."
"That I swear I will not tell a living soul about you both last night."
A silence.
"Thank you."
Elijah nodded, then sank back down into his bed and pulled the covers around him more, closing his eyes.
Sure, if the truth ever got out, he would be in incredible trouble for not telling...
But what were brothers for?
-BD-
The pair never saw each other that whole week, wondering if it was because they had been found out, but Niklauses father was still his same old self; barking snide comments at his youngest son.
Father and son could not have been more different, and that was the real reason why they never saw eye to eye.
Klaus was sat up the white ash tree in the garden, staring across the orchard at the other house on the other side of it, wondering which window was Leonies.
Elijah heard the rustle as he walked under it, then looked up and saw his brother sat up there, looking morose. He sighed and grabbed the branch nearest, climbing up to him.
"What's troubling you?" he asked, then followed his brothers gaze to the other house, understanding.
"Ah, I miss her." Klaus sighed to his elder brother, who then said. "Why don't you go over and find her, then?"
"Too much of a risk."
"You? Being careful? I do not believe that for one moment."
Klaus chuckled at that, then nodded. "I love Leonie, I really do... The risk of never seeing her again is so..." he thought for a moment, then-
"So very high. I cannot lose her, or I shall lose my mind."
Elijah was taken aback at that- his brother essentially was a truly selfish young man at times. He only cared about himself mostly, not caring if others got in trouble for his actions or antics.
Leonie was changing him.
Later that night, Klaus lay in bed, eyes closed and waiting for sleep to catch him, but it never did straight away.
The bedroom door creaked a little, and he sighed. "Elijah, you could be more quiet."
"I'll leave then shall I?"
Klaus sat up in shock at that voice, which wasn't his brothers.
"How-?" he frowned as Leonie walked forwards and got into the bed next to him, placing a kiss on his frozen lips.
"Your brother called round. He said you were pining after me?"
"What a little liar Elijah is."
"Oh, I shall go now-"
"No!" he said hurriedly, pulling her back down and into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "Maybe I have missed you..."
"Just a little bit?"
"Just a little bit."
Leonie chuckled, closing her eyes now.
"Of course (!)"
They were only human...
But, in Klauses case, not for much longer...
Just a little filler chapter... and, some vamparic elements at last next chapter;D and that will be up later on:) thanks for the lovely reviews and more much loved:D x Nic