Hey! Buffy shouted. No snacking on my watch, pal.
Tyler turned to address the woman's voice he heard behind him. He sneered and shoved the girl away. He could sense the power in the Slayer. He also wasn't quite satisfied and mockingly wiped the blood around his mouth across the back of his arm.
She noted his dark, disfigured face. The last time she'd seen that type of vampire transformation had been on Nick. But she wasn't flustered. He charged her first and she dodged to the side, grabbing him as he passed, she threw him.
Run! She said to the girl. Now.
Tyler caught her from behind and they sprawled onto the ground. Buffy kicked herself back onto her feet while he landed a swift punch that she blocked. Another woman's voice boomed down the alley.
Tyler! The voice cried. It was Buffy's turn to meet the new participant. Caroline regarded her warily, her face transforming as she charged.
Really? Buffy said. The agitation leaking into her voice. You can all walk in the daylight? She placed her hands on her hips and moved them to the base of her jacket, retrieving the stake. What is it with this place, something in the blood. Get it?
Tyler and Caroline both bounded at her, she kicked Tyler and grabbed him before he could fall backwards. With a graceful move, she threw him into Caroline. The pair of them crumbling to the ground. They were up again quickly and circling on either side of her. She turned to meet the blonde's attack first.
Caroline! Was all Tyler managed to shout. He was yanked back by Klaus. He looked into the pup's face. His expression like stone.
Get out of here, he said smoothly. He watched Tyler's retreating back until he knew he was out of the way and turned his attention into the alley once more.
Buffy hadn't noticed his presence yet, she was too busy pummelling Caroline who was quite admirably managing to hold her own. He couldn't stop himself when he saw the flicker of the stake.
STOP! His voice consumed the alley. It ricocheted the walls and startled both women.
You, Buffy said. Seeing the look in his eyes she twisted Caroline into her grip and held the stake over her heart. He stiffened further and she guided the stake closer. Klaus slowly walked over to them. Caroline's eyes followed him while Buffy's burned into his. The daylight. Of course he could walk in the daylight as well. He had never told her that.
You don't have to do that. She's harmless, his words were matter of fact but his face serious. When she didn't let go he walked closer still.
She has nothing to do with it. Let her go, please.
Her friend was feeding on a young girl. And you say she is harmless?
Yes. His tone was final and Buffy knew it. He also seemed to have strong feelings for the blonde vampire. Buffy let her go and the stake disappeared.
Who are you? Caroline said. Her body aching from the Slayer's grip.
You don't need to be here anymore, Caroline. Klaus said by way of answer.
Do you know each other?
Buffy almost smirked. Did they know each other?
And just as Klaus imagined the red sea parted for Moses, it seemed the rest of the human and demonic population fell away and there was just her. He had bought the nightclub, taken up as host. Given himself a new name, title. The Immortal. At the time he hadn't wanted to be known by anyone. And as it happened, nobody wanted to know him. Nobody of interest anyway. He was very much alone with his mysterious title and bounty of power. His siblings boxed up and out of the way so that they could never leave him. But he was still alone. Her gaze flickered up from the lively conversation taking place at the table, her spring-green eyes locked with his as he walked by. Her eyes told him that she knew exactly what he was. And that she didn't mind so much. He hadn't meant to look over his shoulder, he didn't have to invite the attention – women gravitated to him all the time. He felt something inside of him drop upon seeing that she was fixed with her back to him, without so much as a backward glance. He was furious.
Buffy swung an elbow his way which he blocked but he felt her strength reverberate up his whole arm. A thousand years of age perhaps, but this woman had the strength of a thousand lifetimes of Slayers running through her blood. It filled him with wonder to be so evenly matched. There was no such feeling in her face as she threw punch after kick after blow at him. He blocked them all but heard Caroline's gasp behind him. It must have been quite a show. In a moment of distraction Buffy spun at him, delivering a crushing kick, he was pushed back a few paces and horrified to see Caroline run back into the fray. For god sake, he'd never met a vampire in such dire need of rescue!
Out of the way, Caroline! He ordered, his tone soft but authoritative. It was menacing enough to make her back away. But she didn't know what was going on! The woman was too strong. And human!
They began to circle each other, Buffy with a resumed fighting stance and Klaus with his hands by his side. Eyes locked on one another. Hungry as ever.
He had a fixed table that he occupied, the usual body guards and sycophants wandering the perimeter. A few standing nearby. They weren't a necessity, he could handle himself, but such an entourage demanded respect and warded off the riff raff. It was often women who approached, sometimes they begged for a dance and other times they would join him for a drink. It was during another evening, some weeks after he had first seen Buffy, that she daringly approached him. She had swagger. That's what it was called in the twenty first century, right? She also had an irritated expression plastered to her face.
"Your boys make you very unapproachable you know."
At the look of amusement on his face her expression softened.
"Now that you have breached my perimeter, is there something you would like? To sit perhaps. A drink?" His eyebrow quirked suggestively prompting a luxurious laugh from the golden goddess standing before him.
"You could try."
He stood, ready to pull her into the seat beside him and was thoroughly unprepared for the hand that pushed him, none to gently, back into his own. His eyes clouded. What is she? Not a vampire. He had other ways of bending her to his will but he was too captivated by her self-assurance. And then she flashed a mischievous smile at him and he thought he would collapse.
Buffy delivered a crunching blow to Klaus' jaw. Her fury heightening with each second. He staggered and ran at her.
Caroline, he shouted. Get out of here, please.
No, if you die…
Caroline! He roared.
No! She cried in response. Then she turned and fled. Klaus had sent Tyler away but she had to get help. Otherwise…
Do you feel any better? Klaus asked amidst the fight. He clasped her ankle and tossed her into the opposing wall where she got up without so much as brushing herself off.
Feel better?
You've caught up to me, this is what you wanted.
She wanted to stop dead and stare at him with her most incredulous glare but her fists continued to make contact instead.
You think this makes it okay? You think this makes up for what you did? She shoved him and pulled the stake from her jeans where she had sheathed it. Nothing will make it okay, Nick or Klaus or the Immortal or whoever the hell you are.
He eyed the stake.
You recall of course what I promised I would do if I ever caught up with you? She asked.
I do.
Ready?
"Ready?" Buffy bounced before him. All energy and electricity.
He shook his head, uncertain and she chuckled. The club was closed. Daylight bloomed out of doors and he had decided to keep up the charade of not being able to go out. In the same way she withheld her true identity as the Slayer. So, in the empty club, with blinds pulled down and disco lights flickering – the two of them pretended it was night and Buffy began the dancing lesson.
"You are old, aren't you?" She teased. "So stuffy and stiff. This isn't ballroom dancing – it's dirty dancing!"
"Dirty?" He bit off distastefully.
She hit the remote so that a simple but palpitating dance beat filled the room.
"No, not like that – you know, Patrick Swayze?"
She met his befuddled look with a sympathetic smile.
"Okay, forget Patrick Swayze….we'll move onto movies later."
She came to stand in front of him and laced her hands lightly around his neck.
"Like this," she whispered and began to gently guide him to the rhythm of the music. "See, it's easy…you can put your arms around my back, it's alright. Actually. It's recommended."
Klaus' back struck the alley wall, garbage bins spilled and rolled but he remained standing. Buffy's locks swirled all around her as she made for him. She was exceptional. So honourable. So duty bound and yet wild with feeling. Alight with fire. He could feel everything as he had before. He never stopped loving this woman. She was still his. But he didn't see love in her eyes anymore. Only the kill. And he had only himself to forever place the blame upon for that look. He punched her hard and she reciprocated. He could see tears in her eyes but the fight continued. Hard and violent. He had spent too long avoiding his feelings and now they were exploding all around him like a force of nature. But then, he loved Caroline. At least he thought he did. He wondered if he was kidding himself there too, she was hung up on that child, Tyler. If he died then Tyler died too. Is that all that mattered to her?
The silence was becoming too suffocating and Buffy broke it with something other than harsh breathing and the sounds of arms and legs connecting with flesh.
She's already got a boyfriend.
She had always managed to read his unreadable expressions.
I thought I'd still give it a go.
Well now you won't have to.
If you think I'm not walking away from this then you're wrong.
You'll run again?
Klaus caught her elbow and pulled the Slayer into his chest. She struggled against him and he bent to whisper in her ear.
The daylight, the compulsion…I have many secrets. You'll not kill me so easily.
His breath was so soft against her skin, tickling but mocking. She threw herself backwards so that she toppled onto him. She knelt and thrust the stake into his heart. The air just before his heart. Arms were around her and dragging her off of him.
Klaus watched Damon struggle against her strength, he watched her hurl Damon onto the street but made sure that when she turned back for him, she was met with an empty and somewhat beaten up alleyway.
"A Slayer?" Klaus asked, his eyes wide.
"No. The Slayer," she looked at him across the table. Her eyes imploring. The restaurant was intimate, muted with polite conversation, low candle light and teasing floral scents.
"I take it you know what a Slayer is then."
He nodded, not quite able to meet her eyes. Instead he saw her hands reach across to twine with his.
"I know this changes…everything…but I've never been anything but honest with you, Nick. I had to wait for the right time to give this last piece."
Still, he didn't look up. It did change everything.
"At least tell me that you refuse to talk to me ever again!"
He looked up now into her shining eyes.
"You're The Slayer," he said finally.
Buffy nodded. Relieved that he was not ignoring her. He brought her hands to his lips and kissed them. He felt the strong pulse at her wrist. He wanted to taste her. But she needed protecting. From him especially. Now more than ever. Imagine him, finally falling in love and with a Slayer? No. The Slayer. He unclasped one of his hands from hers and reached into his blazer pocket. She studied the small, carved box that he placed on the table before her. It was beautifully arranged. The wood was old and dark. Within its hollows it glowed with jewels. She was mesmerised by it.
"What?..."
"Open it," his smile was reassuring.
He released her hands and she ran her fingertips over it. She couldn't see how she was supposed to open it and heard him smiling across the table.
"Like this."
She didn't know how he did it but one of his hands clasped the top of the box and the other the bottom – then he twisted and it pulled a part. There in folds of white silk sat a necklace. A pendant. A talisman. She didn't know what word described it best.
"It doesn't change anything," he said. "But you will be needing this now more than ever." He lifted the necklace so that it's chain spilled onto her hand first. It was gold, the chain was long and fine. It's pendant held what looked like a sun, its rays were cut carefully and intricately into the gold. Small vary coloured jewels peppered it's surface and it was inscribed in a language she could not read. She turned it over and carved so finely into the gold that it did not pass to the other side was an eye.
"I'll never take it off," she whispered. Her voice catching.