"Hello Veronika."
Veronika couldn't help but flinch as she heard Klaus' voice as it brought up the still fresh memories of when he had attacked her. Despite what had happened she wasn't even surprised that Klaus had found her, as over the hundreds of years it seemed as if Klaus always knew where she was all the time. And it never concerned her except times like these. Klaus had a temper on him as did most people but his was pretty volatile even without his hybrid status albeit he was still cursed but his temper often caused problem between the two of them; like this current one. "Hello Niklaus." Veronika began, not bothering to look at him instead she kept her eyes on the bar, being polite had long gone out the window round about the time he started choking her.
"Two hundred and seventy six miles." Klaus stated slowly as sat down next to Veronika and ordered a drink. "That's a new record for how far you've run from me."
"And yet you still find me."
Klaus chuckled quietly to himself. "You had doubts?"
"I had hopes." Veronica retorted as she downed the rest of her drink, she couldn't bring herself to look at Klaus at the moment not after what he did, parts of her wanted to scream at him, hit him and throw things but usually when that happened it only led to Klaus kissing her and leading to other things, which was good but in this current situation was not the way to sort things out. Veronika needed to be by herself and she wanted him to leave but if she told him to go he wouldn't. Klaus was not one to do what other people wanted; he'd only leave if he decided to.
"I didn't mean to take my temper out on you." Klaus said which sounded the furthest from an apology and Veronika didn't even blink, Klaus rarely apologized and most of the time he didn't mean it and in the time she had known him she had only heard him apologize and mean it once. This one he didn't mean and why should he? Klaus snapped all the time that was nothing new.
"You snap and say the god most awful things and I can take that Klaus but you have never–" Veronika began and her voice began trembling as she thought about what went on between them earlier and it was clear that she was still shaken up over what happened.
"I know Veronika, I shouldn't have put my hands on you."
"You told me you'd kill any man who dared to ever put their hands on me like that again." Veronika snapped as she tapped her fingers on the bar, a clear sign that she was starting to get angsty. Although any physical damage that Klaus had inflicted on her was long gone, there were still the emotional and physical ones.
"If that's what it takes to gain your forgiveness then I will kill myself, if that will make you happy." Klaus replied.
Veronika let out a rather strained laugh but half chocked on the tears that were building up and threatening to spill. "You're an original which means you can't die Klaus, that makes the gesture rather redundant."
"Then what can I do to make you forgive me?"
"That's the thing Klaus, I don't know if I can…" Veronika quietly replied as she stared at the bottom of her empty glass. It had taken her a long time to get over the damage that Evgeni had inflicted on her and even then she wasn't completely over it. There were times when she would shut her eyes and she'd go back the day she was turned and Evgeni had almost beaten her death if Klaus hadn't been the one to save her. But now whenever she closed her eyes now all she saw was Klaus doing the same thing he swore to protect her from.
"What happened back there shouldn't have happened but you should have told me about the doppelganger having a child before she died!" Klaus stated.
"Coming from the man who keeps everything to himself? Forgive me for not telling you everything about my family Klaus but you did massacre them all and the doppelganger has a name! It's Katerina and she happens to be my sister!" Veronika wearily snapped.
"You forgave me for that." Klaus couldn't help but point out.
"That was before you tried to kill me." Veronika stated. "For the second time."
"I don't know what to say that." Klaus replied as he slid a ring down the bar toward Veronika.
Veronika picked up the ring and looked at it, the ring was an oval shaped pigeon red ruby single stone ring on a silver band. Veronika knew the ring because it was her ring, given to her on her birthday. "You gave me that ring five years ago Klaus, do you not remember or have you just started to recycle the gifts you have given me every time you've upset me?"
"Nica…" Klaus began.
"I'm not stupid, I know that your not here for me." Veronika shakily said as she put the ring back down on the bar, Klaus may tend to keep things very close to the chest but it didn't change the fact that she knew him very well. "Your worried that I've told Katerina everything but don't worry I haven't. I'm still trying to work out who I currently hate more; you or her."
"That's very reassuring but I'm not her about Katerina, I'm here because of you Veronika. You know that I care about you and I have wanted nothing more than for you to be happy.
"Then answer me this; do you love me?" Veronika quietly asked, knowing Klaus was more than capable of hearing what she said.
Klaus let out an exhausted sigh. "Do we have to do this here of all places? And right now? Can we talk about this later?"
"Do you love me Niklaus?" Veronika demanded and this time she actually looked him in the eyes. Five hundred years they had been with each other but he had yet to tell her how he felt other than the occasional time when he would say that he cared. Klaus said that he didn't believe in live but Veronika didn't entirely believe that.
Klaus leaned forward to press a kiss to Veronika's cheek but when she flinched he stepped back. "You need time… how much?"
"Three weeks." Veronika began and when she saw the look of disagreement on Klaus's face she continued. "At least… Don't push me Klaus, you've already put several cracks in me and anymore and I shall break into a thousand pieces and not even you will be able to fix me."
"Okay Nica, take as long as you want. I shall be waiting for you to come back to me." Klaus said as he got up from his seat and he looked at Veronika very long and carefully. "I'll miss you, be safe…"
It wasn't until Klaus had left the bar that Veronika was able to finally breathe again. She honestly didn't know how on earth she loved someone who scared her so much.
