Disclaimer: All the Vampire Diaries related characters, places and themes do not belong to me.
Author's Note:
Thank you for the trillionth time, Justine, it's almost become a tradition for me to wait for your review after updating every chapter, and it always makes me so excited and grateful! Well, my original plan was for Klaus to propose to Tatia, but since you've asked… I suppose that part could remain debatable. And yes! Poor Bekah, stuck in the middle of them, and they were both so important to her… especially when I think about how she's daggered by Klaus again in the show… Ugh, why can't they just give her a break?! Let's just say, your words have totally given me some serious inspiration! And I'm not just saying it! But please allow me to keep a low profile for now; we shall see what happens when we get to that point. ;)
Thanks for sharing your opinions with me, Nicole! Your critical comments are highly appreciated! Though it has confused me a little bit when you stated how I 'have many useless details' and I 'only focus on things that don't matter'. Could you be more specific, perhaps? Which parts do you think should not be mentioned in the story? I believe I've only written them because they were actually needed, but perhaps you've shared a different opinion? Also, I suppose life is full of useless details, but these details are exactly what make life worth living for, don't you think? :)
Finally, special thanks to SabbyDeeKnowles, Likes-The-Emphatic-Boom, LightFiction, RachelAnneGrey, TopazDragon, I Love All Books TVD Klaroline and CeceVolume for reviewing the last chapter! My apologies for keeping you waiting so long this time, but we all know how fucked up real life could be sometimes. :'(
Chapter Four || Life for Rent
I haven't ever really found a place that I call home. I never stick around quite long enough to make it. While my heart is a shield and I won't let it down. While I am so afraid to fail so I won't even try.
Part I : Guilt Trip
One feeling too falsely disdained
For thee to disdain it;
One hope is too like despair
For prudence to smother
They always said that a lost chance would never return, so we should seize every opportunity when we still could. But they also said that misfortune might be a blessing in disguise. Rebekah had been racking her brain for quite a long moment, wondering whether she should intervene in what appeared to have nothing to do with her, but then the fact struck her. She might seem to be kept out of the affair, but everyone involved meant the world to her. She could never walk away from this complexity, she wouldn't allow herself to.
"You are going to what?" She heard herself asking, the voice sounded like it was from another universe a thousand light years away.
Niklaus raised his eyebrows in surprise. His younger sister seldom paid little attention to his words, unless she was just utterly shocked by his previous decision. "Make a proposal." He simply reminded her.
"To whom?" She still seemed as bewildered as before.
The young man inhaled deeply, trying to suppress his sudden feeling of impatience. "Tatia, of course." He rolled his eyes, started to think this was a waste of time breaking the news to her. "Who else would it be?"
"But mother…" Those words slipped Rebekah's lips when she suddenly realised she should not be the one spilling the beans. She stopped and bit her lower lips; anyone with a proper vision could notice how suspicious she appeared to be.
"What about mother?" Niklaus narrowed his eyes, not willing to miss out any detail on the girl's stiffened face.
"Nothing peculiar." The blonde girl quickly explained, her eyes shifting everywhere except for looking into his. "Just that… mother wouldn't be pleased with you making such reckless decision without letting any of us know first."
"Well, I shall just deal with her rage afterwards."
The boy tilted his head to one side, showing it clearly that nothing else other than the plan he made for the evening would be taken into consideration at the moment. He already had everything under control; there simply was no turning back at this point. With an affectionate pat on her arm, Niklaus walked past the girl, heading towards the cottage a few steps ahead of them, the very place where everything could start all over again.
"Wait, Nik!" Rebekah took her brother by the wrist in utter desperation. "You cannot go in there."
"Why not?"
She stuttered, circling around with the engorged thoughts lingering in her head, searching for one excellent excuse she could actually come up with. "Because… she's not alone." Watching his expression as her words sank in his head, the blonde girl instantly added. "Elijah was in there when I was passing through the open curtain. They seemed to be sharing something quite… delightful." Rebekah forced herself to look straight into those blue eyes of his, so that he wouldn't notice how remorse she actually was. It wasn't the first time she ever lied to him, yet those trivial matters could apparently be negligible compared to this.
"Elijah…" The bright smirk on his face slowly faded into a bleak one. But for the guilty conscience that kept the girl from observing meticulously, she would have noticed how firm Niklaus was clenching his fist on the little box and how his knuckles were already whitened. "Of course he would be there." His expression at the moment was particularly sour. "They always have so much to talk about, do they not?"
"Look." Rebekah forced an artificial smile, wanted to make up to her evilness earlier. "Perhaps now is not the perfect time." She gently rubbed the back of his hand, hoping it would be of any consolation. "You can always do that later, don't you? It's not like there wouldn't be another chance, right?"
Niklaus put the box back into his pocket, started walking the opposite direction with his body even more stiffened. "Perhaps there never is any chance."
She deserved to rot in hell for what she just did to the brother who had always been looking out for her. Rebekah stood where the conversation took place quite some moments ago, unable to make a single move. It felt like her heart was just torn out and shredded into trillion pieces, yet all she could do was helplessly watching as people stamp on it. Shivering because of the sudden cold that attacked her, a memory she had a great chance to be regretful of reappeared as vivid pictures.
"Hello?" Rebekah whisked the curtain aside as a delicate room came into her sight for the very first time. Nevertheless, it was not her intention to appreciate the classical decoration; she came here with curiosity, with the determination to get answers for all her questions, which indicated that she should focus on the priority first. "Is anyone here?" Her voice was rather intense. After all, anyone would be such nervous burdened with the same task as hers.
"Rebekah." A brunette made her appearance from the back of a bookshelf, her eyes shined out of amazement. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
The blonde didn't look away from that bright gaze, even if her inner self was already gasping for air in awkwardness. "I suppose we've never had the opportunity to start a real conversation before." Her fingers were anxiously tapping on the outside of her thighs. "And truth be told, I've found you rather mysterious and interesting."
The brunette responded with a widened smile. "How so?"
"It's quite rare to see two of my brothers falling for the same girl, especially when they are actually the intelligent ones." Rebekah stated tentatively.
"That's what I expected." Tatia raised her eyebrows a bit. "Honestly, I cannot think of any other reason for you to be here." Her smile faded gradually when she appeared to be deep in thoughts. "If you have issues with my relationship with your brothers, then please just enlighten me, what do you expect me to do?"
"I'm not asking you to leave them alone, if that's what you were implying." The blonde quickly explained. As much as she didn't want to see anyone get in the middle of her beloved brothers, it wouldn't be fair to make any decision for them, she was utterly aware of it. "Your true feeling for them, that's what brings me here."
"So you want to know if I would choose one of them."
"That is correct."
"I don't believe I'm qualified enough to make a choice, actually." Tatia made a faint attempt at a smile. "An unmarried woman with a little child. Who would ever want to truly accept us?" Her face bore the stamp of suffering even if she was only two years older than Rebekah. "You don't have to worry about this, darling. I suppose I'm better off alone anyway." Just when the blonde thought she had the obligation to ease her sadness, the brunette flashed a sweet smile as if she wasn't all desperate just a moment ago. "Besides, I've never really believed in love. Why need a man when I'm capable of taking care of myself, am I right?"
If Tatia was the kind of woman that intentionally enjoyed messing around with two siblings, perhaps Rebekah wouldn't feel such helpless ever since she left the hut. She was expecting a more stubborn girl, someone who would insist on giving both her brothers hope, letting them believe they always had a chance with her, but Tatia turned out to be nothing like that. Rebekah didn't know what happened to the girl that had made her cease to believe in love, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and for the little child.
She should have stayed out of this mess, yet when she finally realised it, it was already too late.
Part II : A Hard-Won Moment
And o'er the vast cope of bending heaven
All ghastly-visaged clouds did sweep;
And the Lady ever looked to spy
If the golden sun shone forth on high.
He had never felt such vulnerable before. Perhaps this was just one of the many disadvantages for being human; having his own emotions controlling his heart, when all that he could do was get along with it. One minute he thought he was going to be the most fortunate man in the whole world, the next he almost lost every hope and dream completely. If only there was a switch, for him to turn off his humanity, then he wouldn't be such weak and fragile anymore.
Yet he knew that was beyond impossible. That kind of thing only existed in fairy tales, or horror stories, definitely not in reality.
Before he noticed, a fine lake came into view. It was where he usually enjoyed a fancy swim, or the perfect location to do some serious thinking with all the quietness around. But this time, to his great surprise, someone was already sitting on the lakefront, hanging her head and shoulders.
It was that girl who seemed to be always by his little sister's side.
Caroline, was it?
The poor young man found himself in a cleft stick. Part of him wanted to give the girl some space, since obviously she didn't come all the way here to be bothered. Yet the other part, was desperate to share all his troubles and miseries with someone, someone who was not that familiar with him, someone who would not make decisions for him but only listen. She seemed like the perfect choice. Well, since he had no idea how familiar she actually was with him.
"You look quite troubled." Niklaus directly took a seat right beside the blonde, turning his head towards her direction. "Is everything alright? Not that I'm spying or anything."
And now she looked terrified. Not surprised, but terrified. As if he was some kind of monster that would rip her heart out and eat it. "Do I intimate you, sweetheart?" He somehow always found her rather amusing, though obviously she never made any effort to be hilarious. "Please do not act like I'm going to murder you right here right now, it actually intimidates me."
Caroline grinned with a tinge of embarrassment. She somehow always felt rather embarrassed in front of him. Well, why would she not? He was the most perfect man she could ever think of, along with his flawless figure and manner. But she, she was nothing other a socially awkward normal girl, someone he would never pay much attention to. Yet he was sitting right next to her, talking to her, smiling at her with his eyes only fixating on hers… was this a dream?
"No. You didn't intimidate me." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her face burning hot in the wind. "I simply was not expecting anyone to show up, you know, it usually was just me and my shadow here."
"So you come here quite often as well, I assume?" He asked. "How come we've never run into each other before?"
Oh, we have. Several times actually. But I just ran away like a maniac every time I saw you here. She responded with a shrug, burying those words deeply inside.
"Is everything alright with you then?" She was utterly amazed how she could still be able to speak when she could barely breathe. "Perhaps that's why you came here, wasn't it? To leave all the problems behind?"
He turned to stare at the smooth surface of the lake which had just got disturbed by a light wind. Should he tell her or should he not? Obviously she wouldn't give him any practical suggestions since she was only a young girl at his sister's age, but at least there was someone willing to listen while he rambled, right? "Have you ever… had a crush on someone?"
Her heart jumped when she heard that perhaps-simply-casual question. Did Rebekah tell him already? No, she wouldn't. At least not without informing her best friend first. "Why do you ask?" Caroline looked at him perplexedly.
"Would you stop fancying someone when it appears he does not return your feelings?"
She snorted a bitter laugh. "That depends on whether this certain someone is worth waiting for or not."
Niklaus turned to look back at her, his eyes widened as he wasn't really expecting her reply being such serious and philosophical. "What if you are not sure about it?"
"Then he's not worth it." She shot a quick glance at him then looked away, unable to gaze into those knowing blue eyes. "If there's any doubt, then he's not."
"How could you be so certain?"
"Because I know… what it feels like to be sure. If you have to question yourself, perhaps the feeling is not as strong as you think." Her face was grim and set with determination.
Somehow he didn't continue his questions. Perhaps he had found the answer he was looking for, or perhaps he just assumed she wasn't helpful at all. Caroline couldn't tell the difference. Actually, she had always been having a rather difficult time figuring out what was on his mind. He was so used to keeping things only to himself, just like her. And maybe that was part of the reason why she was attracted to him In the first place. Because despite how different they were from each other, how opposite they appeared to be, there was something buried deep that they actually shared. She had noticed it at first sight.
"You are quite special, Caroline." His husky voice interrupted her thoughts all of a sudden. "I would have never expected someone at such a young age that could have such a talent to solve my problems just like that."
A smile began to spread across her face as she slowly lowered her head. "Now you are just flattering me."
"You know I never do such things as flattering someone. I mean, have you met me before?" He poked fun at himself before his mood shifted to seriousness. "Your certain someone would be lucky to have you."
If only that were true. She looked down at her bare hands while a faint smile flickered across her lips. Why must he show up at this very moment, when she was almost determined to turn down Esther's offer? That was what she should do, right? An arranged marriage with no affection involved would only turn out to be a disaster. Besides, he would never approve of it, with no doubt. But why did this voice keep telling her to just give in? Now that his faith in his feelings for the Petrova girl was wavering, perhaps she still stood a chance? Or, was it actually this whole marriage thing that had been bothering him?
"I was just wondering…" Caroline said in a whisper, squinting her eyes. "Have you talked to your mother today?"
"My mother?" His eyes narrowed. "Why does everyone keep bringing her up? Well, not exactly everyone, but both you and Bekah. Is there something I need to know?"
"No. Of course not." She stood up from where she was sitting instantly, her eyes blinking rapidly. "Bekah and I just simply have connections. It's like our thing." She dusted off her long dress. "I suppose I shall get back before sunset." That awkward feeling got back to her as he stared at her with that knowing look again.
The young man simply nodded, then turned to gaze at the lake. "It's been nice talking to you, Caroline."
"Likewise."
