Author's Note: New chapter! Yay? I can't promise I'll update faster, but I can say I will try my hardest to post more often. Rereading your reviews motivates me to keep going! I hope you guys enjoy the extra long chapter!
THIS STORY WILL BE CONTINUED
As always rev...well, you get the point.
Chapter 9
Noah would like to consider himself a pretty patient person. Perhaps he got that from his Uncle Elijah, seeing as his dad was never a good example of it. However, in this moment, Noah can say that he has officially run out of patience on waiting for Rebekah's return.
Sure, she hasn't been gone that long, but he was insanely bored and curious of what was happening. He couldn't call her because his phone was dead. He could check up on his sister because his phone was dead. He couldn't- well you get the point.
Noah tapped his fingers along the side of the dart he was holding, his hearing trained on the door in case Rebekah decided to show up.
One thing Noah definitely got from his parents was their desire to be in the loop or in the action. He didn't like being on the sidelines, waiting for his chance to do something easier or safer. He'd rather be the one searching high and low for the white oak. Anything was better than playing the waiting game.
Well, he wasn't going to get what he wanted by waiting for the chance to come to him.
That was something Adriana always told him. To go get what he wanted. Although, he doesn't recall her saying it as nicely as he had put it.
Anyways, what he wanted right now was to get out of the Mystic Grill. And that was exactly what he planned to do.
Noah threw the dart at the dartboard and watched as it hit the center. He smiled as he headed for the exit, glad to finally be leaving.
As he stepped out into the streets, the cold air hit his face and he breathed it in. Fresh air was exactly what he needed right now. Noah looked around. The streets were surprisingly empty when it was barely night. Then again, it was Mystic Falls.
Now that he was out here, he had no idea what to do. He had never been to this town before in his life and didn't know where to start looking. First of all, he needed to find out where the hell Rebekah went off to so he could at least learn what she's figured out about the white oak so far. Secondly, he needed to convince her to take him back to the mansion so he could charge his phone and talk to his sister.
Considering that it was very quiet outside tonight, Noah decided to try and listen for voices. His hearing was nowhere near the one of a vampire or even a werewolf for that matter, but it was better than human hearing.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and listened for anything. He could hear a lone car driving or a conversation or two coming from the Grill, but that's not what he was looking for. He closed his eyes and listened harder.
"So he doesn't want to drink human blood?"
"Ah, he's an eternally guilty conscious."
"Funny. When I knew him in the 20s , he didn't have any conscious at all."
Jackpot.
They couldn't be too far if he could hear them. So he picked a direction and started walking, continuing to listen on the conversation to see if it got easier or harder to listen in on.
If Noah had triggered his werewolf curse, then not only would his hearing be better, but so would his sense of smell. He only has some of the werewolf perks because his vampire side activated part of it. Or at the very least, heightened it. If not for that, he'd just be an ordinary werewolf.
Because Noah had lost focus for a minute, lost in thought, he turned a corner into an alleyway and was met right with his target. A little panicked, Noah immediately backed up and hid behind the corner. He wanted to find Rebekah but that didn't mean he wanted to have a run in with Damon Salvatore.
Damon had pulled Adriana aside at the Grill the other night, meaning he saw him with Klaus and Caroline. With everything he already had to deal with, he didn't want the elder Salvatore to be one of them. He had no problems with him as long as he stayed away from his family. If he even thought about having another conversation with Adriana, Noah would trigger his curse just so he could tear him apart.
Noah carefully peaked his head around the corner to catch a glimpse of what was going on. He saw Damon and Rebekah with their backs to him and Stefan walking ahead of them. When he looked close enough, it looked like Damon was feeding on some poor woman. Real classy.
Suddenly, Stefan turned around and flashed over to Damon, tearing him off the woman, leaving Rebekah to catch her. And that was why Noah liked Stefan better.
What was going on down there though? A group feed?
He didn't need to try so hard to listen in because they were close enough that he could hear without trying. He watched the trio closely.
Damon was trying to convince Stefan to feed on the terrified woman out of 'tough love.' Either that or Rebekah would feed on her and kill her.
Well, that's comforting. Not.
Back home, his family tried to never feed in front of them. It was a rule his mom had established once he was born. I wasn't that he'd never seen a vampire feed or even kill or that it made him uncomfortable, it was just weird to think about his alternate universe aunt kill somebody right in front of him, unaware that he was there in the first place.
Luckily, he didn't have to, because Stefan stepped in before Rebekah could sink her teeth into her.
As Stefan fed, Rebekah tilted her head to the side and Noah froze.
She couldn't possibly see him. Right? No, he was sure of it.
"It seems like you can take it from here. I'll see you around." Rebekah said, mostly to Damon since Stefan was in his own world at the moment.
"Leaving so soon? The night has barely begun." Damon said, sounding more confused than anything.
"I wouldn't want to intrude on boy's night."
With that Rebekah turned around and headed right in his direction.
Noah immediately turned around to try and make it back to the Grill before she could catch him, but the second he faced the other direction, Rebekah was standing right there.
"Busted." She grinned then grabbed him and flashed away.
When she had said that the fall wasn't that far down...what she had actually meant to say was, she should have gotten more curtains!!
The jump to the ground was at least several feet with up to two apartment floors between them. It hadn't looked that far when she looked out the window earlier. If it had, she would have thought twice before going through with her 'full proof' plan.
She could handle the pain and she knew if she got hurt that she'd heal fast, but that didn't mean that she wanted to jump.
But she had to. It was already dark outside and Klaus would be breaking through the door any minute to drag her back to Mystic Falls with him. No way would she let that happen.
Adriana took a few deep breath and whispered to herself, "You can do this. You can do this. It's just a little fall. You can handle it. You're a Mikaelson for god's sake!"
With all the confidence that she had, Adriana said a mini prayer not to die and let go of her handmade rope and fell.
When her feet hit the ground, it stung in her ankles a lot from the impact but overall she was okay. No broken bones or sprains. Just a few, almost painless scrapes on her hands from the way she landed.
She smiled at her victory escape and did a small dance to celebrate before taking off in a random direction. She decided to run for it, considering Klaus has the advantage of a car and vamp speed, not that he'd chase after her. She'd think that he'd be happy to see her gone and not his problem anymore. Right?
"Mexico here I come."
"Is she still sulking in that bloody room?" Klaus asked Kol, a little frustrated that she hasn't come out yet.
"Do you see her anywhere, Nik?" Kol replied sarcastically, "It's been thirty minutes. Just go in there and get her. Unless you're afraid." He teased.
"You're a child." He commented as he pulled out his phone to check if it had really been thirty minutes.
"Says the one bowing down to the little witch."
Klaus rolled his eyes, "I refuse to bow down to anyone. Especially not for a child."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Maybe he did give Adriana extra time before he went in after her, but that was only because he would have thought that she'd come out by now. He knew that she was stubborn, but he didn't think she'd take it to this extent. Then again, she was a lot like her mother in dramatics.
If he was being honest with himself, he let Adriana have time alone to herself because if he was going to be in a car with her again, he'd rather her not be angry that he forced her to leave. He liked her better when she wasn't upset with him. Seeing the fury in her eyes this morning after she'd set the stove and her arm on fire was not a look he preferred to receive from her.
Although, the thing about when she was mad at him was that she usually ended up pissing him off too, which is what was starting to happen right now. He had little patience and Adriana was pushing it. He may have been willing to extend her stay in that bedroom, but that would have to end very soon. Klaus had things to do back in Mystic Falls and he didn't have time to sit around all day, waiting for Adriana.
She couldn't sit around pouting all day because she made one little mistake. Hell, the spell had worked out in the end, so honestly, she was just being dramatic.
"I've had enough of this." Klaus rose from the couch and strode across the room to the bedroom Adriana had trapped herself in for the past half hour, "Adriana, if you don't come out of this room in ten seconds, I will break the door and drag you out."
He waited a second, but got no reply. He figured that she was either ignoring him in her own stubbornness or she fell asleep.
Kol laughed, "She respects your authority as much as the rest of us do."
Klaus glared at Kol before turning back to the door. He used his vampire hearing to listen for her heartbeat or breathing pattern to tell if she was asleep or not, but picked up on nothing. In fact, he couldn't hear anything on the other side of the door.
An odd feeling, similar to the one he felt earlier today when she lost control of her magic, washed over him. He knew without a doubt that he was worried. Worried about what the hell she has done this time.
Klaus didn't wait another second before angrily breaking down the door and storming into the bedroom. It was pitch black inside and it was insanely quiet. Much too quiet. He turned on the lights, only to be met with an empty room.
Still convinced that she was here, he checked the bathroom and in the closet and anywhere else a small child could fit, but he knew it was useless.
Adriana wasn't here.
Klaus then noticed that the window was open and there was something hanging out of it. He approached the window and examined the rope made from curtains. Curtains that were once hanging in the living room, if he was correct.
"Oh, bloody hell." Klaus muttered before rushing back into the living room.
Kol immediately turned his head when he strode into the room, seeing the furious expression on his face.
"We have a problem."
"You ought to be lucky that I'm not Niklaus. He has no tolerance for those who disobey him." Rebekah said the second she started the car.
"Technically, I didn't disobey you. You never told me to stay put or to not come looking for you when you left without a word with Damon and Stefan."
Rebekah shrugged, "Fair enough."
"So were you successful with your plan?" He asked, trying his best to sound nonchalant and simply curious.
"Partly." She answered, being extremely vague.
Noah turned to her with an unimpressed look. He continued to look at her until she finally gave in to tell him.
She huffed out a breath, "You're a persistent one, aren't you?"
He smirked as Rebekah went on to tell him what she learned from Carol Lockwood and who owned the logging mills back then. Surprise, surprise, it was the Salvatore's, which was why she was hanging all over them at the Grill today. She was hoping to get information out of them.
Made sense.
"And how are you going to find out what the wood was used for without making them suspicious?" He asked.
Rebekah looked down for a second and Noah realized she was still figuring that part out as she went.
"Okay, how about this. Because your dick of a brother is hassling both of us to find the white oak as soon as possible, when we get back to the mansion, you and I map out a plan to find out exactly where that blasted wood is. What do you say? Partners?" He proposed.
Rebekah turned to him with a smile, "Partners."
"What do you mean she's gone?"
"I mean, she is not here, Kol!" He shouted, "She is not in that bedroom, she is not in this apartment, she is gone!"
Kol groaned as he stood up, "Well, I suppose I should be the one to call Caroline to tell her of your failure."
Klaus flashed across the room and snatched the device from his brother's hands and threw it against the wall. It broke into a hundred pieces, "Call her and I will gladly let you go down with Finn."
Kol put his hands up in surrender, but he was still grinning despite the fact that he had just smashed his phone.
Instead of calling Caroline, like a fool, Klaus pulled out his own phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for. Knowing Rebekah was with Noah and he couldn't exactly call her without the chance of the boy overhearing, he texted her.
'Adriana's gone. Keep Noah busy'
After he pressed send, he picked up his jacket and headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Kol asked.
Klaus opened the door, but paused to answer his brother, "One of us has to bring that devil back." With that, he left, vamp speeding away the second the door clicked shut.
The moment Niklaus left, Kol plopped back down on the old couch.
Why wasn't he out there helping his brother search for their runaway? It wasn't that he didn't want Adriana found or he that disliked her, because that girl was impossible to hate.
It was because...well the thing about Adriana was she wasn't like normal children. Normal kids decide to run away because mommy or daddy didn't buy them the bike they wanted or the candy they cried over. Normal kids would be offended when called a troublemaker or a brat, but not Adriana.
Adriana was different. She was confident yet not vain. She had the most adorable face but such devilish thoughts. She was tougher than most people he has come across in his days and she prided herself in that strength.
Meaning if Adriana escalated down the side of the building with tied together curtains she stole, she had one hell of reason and Kol was sure it wasn't because she was embarrassed over the mess she caused. She had a reason.
And if Kol read all the signs right. If he read every smile Nik tried to hide while watching Adriana today or the way she would look up at him like she almost admired him in a way of some sorts, then Kol knew that for whatever reason Adriana chose to run, it had something to do with Nik.
And for once in his life, Kol was going to let them be and work out whatever they had to. But for Adriana's sake, he hoped that she wasn't gone too long. The longer she was gone, the better the chance of Klaus losing control of his temper and the worse it was going to be for the both of them.
As Rebekah pulled into the driveway of their mansion, her phone buzzed. She shifted her gaze to the device sitting in her cup holder, then reached for it. Just as she did though, Noah grabbed it and held it out of her reach.
"What are you doing?" She snapped, barely returning her eyes to the road in front of her.
"You want to learn how to drive, right? Well, immortal or not, texting and driving is still illegal." He informed her.
Rebekah scoffed, "But I'm technically already here, so give it."
"Can't do that, Bexs." He shook his head, "What if you were to hit a squirrel? Or a little rabbit?"
"Then I'd give my regards to Stefan." Rebekah rolled her eyes. If humans weren't such fragile things that lacked common sense, then that wouldn't even be a law, she thought.
The second she put the car in park, Noah tossed her her phone, which she caught with ease.
"Good job." He praised before leaving the car.
Rebekah left as well, while opening the text she received from Klaus.
As she walked behind Noah, she kept her eyes trained on the device and read, 'Adriana's gone. Keep Noah busy.'
Rebekah almost stopped dead in her tracks at reading that, but prevented herself from doing so. Her fingers vigorously tapped the screen to reply.
'What happened?!' She responded.
In less than five seconds, she got another text.
'Adriana ran away'
"Unbelievable." She muttered under her breath.
Noah held the door open for her and Rebekah sheilded her phone and attempted to act normal so he wouldn't suspect anything.
The second she knew he couldn't read anything over her shoulder, she replied.
'Are you bloody kidding me? How could you let this happen?'
'I'm handling it'
Rebekah scowled at the message. How could a child sneak past two Originals without being seen or heard?
"Everything okay?" Noah asked, suddenly right in front of her.
Rebekah was quick to shut off her phone and shove it in her pocket. She brushed her blonde hair behind her ear and look at Noah with a smile.
"Yep. That was just Nik. Him and Adriana stopped for dinner, so they won't be home for a while," she lied right through her teeth.
Noah looked at her. For a moment, Rebekah wondered if he could sense that something was going on. She'd heard that werewolves could sense when someone was lying, but she figured that was a myth made up to mess with vampires. However, if it was true, that'd explain why Nik always knew when she was lying.
Hopefully that wasn't true though. Looking at Noah, she couldn't tell. He was kinda hard to read. Just like Elijah, she thought.
Noah narrowed his eyes then shrugged, "Okay."
On the outside, Rebekah kept a neutral face, but on the inside she was relieved he didn't see past her facade.
"Anyways, I'm kinda tired. I'm going to head up to bed. Can we talk more about the white oak in the morning?" He asked.
"Yes, of course. Go on and rest. With Klaus back tomorrow, he no doubt has a busy day planned for the lot of us. You'll need your rest."
Noah nodded and headed towards his temporary room upstairs. Just as he reached halfway up the steps, he stopped and turned back around.
"When Adriana gets back, could you send her to my room?"
Rebekah paused, not knowing whether Adriana would be back tonight or not considering the circumstances. However for the sake of Noah's sanity, he couldn't know that.
"I will." She agreed.
"Thank you, Rebekah," he offered her a soft smile, unknowingly making her guilt bubble to the surface, "And if it counts for anything, you were always my favorite aunt." With that, Noah left.
When Rebekah heard the door shut upstairs, she let out a breath of relief.
Never in her life had she struggled so much to lie. Although, technically she wasn't lying to him. She was just withholding crucial information and that didn't make it sound any better.
She'd like to think that her and Noah bonded today. That in those small, fleeting moments, she not only gained a friend, but a nephew. Obviously it was more complicated than that, but she didn't care. Today was a good day.
And she hoped she didn't just ruin it all by lying to his face.
The first thing Noah did when he entered his room was plug up his phone to the charger.
That way by the time he came back into the room in his gray sweatpants and soaked hair from a shower, his phone had already turned back on.
He wasted no time in calling Adriana. He put the device to his ear and waited for her to pick up.
Noah dreaded days like these when he had no way of contacting his sister. He was extremely overprotective of her and wanted to make sure she was safe at all times. However, things were different this time, because now he was fully responsible for her. They didn't have their parents to rely on anymore. In this crazy, reverse, hell of a universe, Adriana was all he truly had. He'd honor that.
Noah listened as the phone rang and rang and rang, never receiving an answer. Just as it seemed like she wasn't going to pick up at all, her voice was heard.
'Hey!'
Noah felt a weight lift off his shoulders the second he heard her cheerful greeting.
"Ree, hi. I meant to call you sooner, but my phone-"
Suddenly she started laughing, confusing him.
'I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist. This a voicemail. Clearly I can't come to the phone right now. Maybe I'm dead in a ditch or just taking a damn nap. Who knows? Anyways, don't call me back because I won't answer. Bye!'
Noah ended the call, feeling like a fool for falling for that.
He wondered why she didn't answer. It wasn't that big of a deal though. He'd see her when she got back or in the morning if she was already asleep. Considering the fact that she spent the entire day with Klaus, she was probably exhausted.
Hopefully they didn't tear each other's eyes out. That had to be the worst thing that could happen.
Right?
Meanwhile at the Salvatore Boarding House...
"What are you doing?" Stefan asked, coming up behind Damon in the living room.
Damon stood near the fireplace, staring into the flames with his untouched drink in his right hand and his left resting on the mantle, "Remember mini Klaus from the night we tried to take out the Originals?"
"Vaguely. Why?" he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Because," he backed away from the fireplace and faced Stefan, "I'm pretty sure that brother of hers was at the Grill today with Blondie Bex."
Stefan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion of why Damon was bringing this back up, "And?"
"Come on! Where's that brotherly support?"
Stefan rolled his eyes, tired of having this conversation, "I'm not going to support whatever plan you come up with, Damon, because you're still pissed that you were attacked by some kid."
"No, no, no! You have me all wrong here, Stef. See, I just want to know what Caroline has going on with the Originals and those kids."
"Or instead, you could try just letting this go." Stefan suggested.
"The mouthy witch called Kol her family yesterday..." Damon mumbled to himself as if he never heard Stefan.
Stefan sighed in annoyance, "Look, whatever Caroline has going on with these kids, I think for once you should stay out of it. Okay?"
Damon groaned.
"I mean it, Damon. Stay out of it." With that, Stefan walked out of the room.
"Fine, but when you get your skull witched-up by that demon child, don't come crying to me!" Damon yelled after him.
Stefan rolled his eyes.
He didn't want Damon to know it, but he actually agreed with him. He was just as curious about those kids as his brother was.
He remembered that night at the Grill perfectly. He remembered waiting for Alaric to show up with a daggered Kol and then hearing his name whispered. If it wasn't for his vampire hearing, he would have missed it.
When he looked up, he was met with the face of a sweet girl. By the look on her face and the fact that she knew his name, she also knew exactly who he was. But it was the way she looked at him that made him so curious. She sounded almost shocked and relieved to see him and Stefan desperately wanted to know why.
But Damon couldn't know he felt this way. Damon was angry at the girl and there was no promises that she'd be safe with him. That was why he had to find out alone.
And that's exactly what he planned to do.
Adriana ran until her legs ached and her chest burned for a moments breath. When she slowed down to a walking pace, she found herself in a part of town she hadn't recognized or seen from the car ride up here. In fact, this place looked older and rundown compared to the parts of town she had seen. Even she had to admit that this place gave her the creeps.
She wanted to think that running away was one of the brightest idea that she has come up with but it barely made the list. The cold air was starting to get to her and she was getting tired of walking. She preferred to run but knew she had to give her body a break or she'd collapsed, something her brother constantly reminded her of when she began to push herself past her limits.
As she walked the mostly empty streets, she tried to stay as hidden as possible just in case Klaus or Kol were chasing after her. Not only that, but it was nighttime and adults wouldn't exactly leave her be if they figured out she was a runaway. Especially parents. If a parent sees another child walking on their own at this time, some of them would feel obligated to help. Pesky things, adults were.
So while she roamed freely across this useless town, she acted as if she knew this place like the back of her hand. It was the only way she wouldn't be stopped by people sticking their noses in places they don't belong.
Adriana walked passed little shops, wondering if they were owned by the sweetest people just doing what they loved or cranky teenagers who got stuck with their grandparents business. Such simple lives these humans must live. It sounded boring.
When she passed by a random shop, Adriana froze and backed up. In the window of the shop were vintage things like old radios and tvs that played those classic shows that are only in black and white. Using her magic, she turned one of the tvs on. Her Uncle Kol had taught her that trick. The tv didn't seem to work though, because those weird lines showed up and it began to make that annoying ecstatic sound. She wondered what show it would have play if it did work. Maybe an old Mickey Mouse cartoon? That'd be cool.
Getting bored with the old thing, Adriana shut the tv off and the shop window went dark again. Now that it was dark, she could see herself in the reflection of the glass. She looked at herself. Her braids were beginning to come undone from all the running she done. Annoyed with the sight, Adriana pulled at the bands holding the braids together. A few tugs later, her hair fell down her shoulders in messy blonde waves.
Much better, she thought.
Looking down at her outfit, she was glad she hadn't worn boots with heels. Rebekah had suggested them, but she refused. She hated trying to walk around in those things. Besides, these boots matched her leather jacket better than the others had. If only she hadn't left her jacket back at Kol's.
Glancing back up, she saw what she could've sworn looked like a man looming over her in the reflection of the glass. Adriana bit down on her lip and closed her eyes.
"Please don't be who I think you are..." she muttered under her breath.
She slowly turned around and opened her eyes and sure enough, standing before her was a very pissed off Klaus.
"Damn it." She groaned.
"Sorry to disappoint, sweetheart."
Klaus sounded like the normal moody Klaus, but Adriana knew better. If he sounded this calm, he had to be so freaking pissed.
"Yeah...nope. See ya!" Adriana turned away from Klaus and began to walk away.
She didn't get far before he flashed in front of her, almost making her crash into him.
"Where do you think you're going?" He growled.
"Away from you and your pissy self. So if you don't mind..." she tried to step around him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to stand in front of him. His grip around her arm was strong enough to make her cry out in pain, but she bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from doing so. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"You aren't going anywhere until I say so!"
He was fuming. He was freaking livid. He almost scared her. How could he not? Klaus was terrifying when he was this mad.
"Leave me alone, Klaus?" She tried, hoping for once he'd just let her go on her merry way.
"I left you alone to sulk and cry once and you went on and jumped out of the window. I do not intend on making the same mistake twice."
"Why do you care?" She snapped, pulling herself away from him.
Klaus faltered at her words. He tried to recover quickly though, "Because...I made a deal with Caroline and Noah to take care of you which means I'm not allowed to let you play runaway."
"You made a deal. I didn't," She pointed out, "Think about it, Klaus. All you have to do is walk away and then I won't be your burden to bare."
Klaus narrowed his eyes in a menacing sort of way. How did she manage to anger him even more? She was making him the deal of his dreams. He should be thanking her not glaring holes through her skull.
"No matter how tempting that sounds, you are coming home with me. Come on. We are leaving this rundown excuse for a town." He reached for her arm to drag her back with him, but Adriana was quick to jump away.
"I'm not going with you, Klaus! I didn't leave to be forced back by the guy that hates my guts. I'm staying here. I don't care if you want me to go back out of an 'obligation' to my brother and Caroline."
Klaus rolled his eyes, "Enough with these ridiculous pleas, Adriana. I am not asking."
But Adriana wasn't having any it, "Just cut the crap already. We both know that you rather have me out on the streets than in your home so just let me go!"
"Well I can't bloody well do that, now can I? Don't you think if I could, I would have left you at that damned playground?!" He shouted.
"Then do it!" She yelled back with an equal amount of anger.
Their temper fueled the other's. Klaus didn't like when people disrespected him or disobeyed him and Adriana didn't take shit from anyone, especially not from him. So even though she didn't start out mad at Klaus, she was now.
Or maybe she was just so frustrated that she ended up shouting instead.
She couldn't be around Klaus much longer. It wasn't just because he reminded her of her dad anymore. Perhaps in the beginning, that's why she fought with him, but things quickly changed. But no matter what, she wouldn't accept that she might actually have started caring for him. She'd rather walk back to Mystic Falls than admit that.
"Don't tempt me." He warned in a dangerously low voice.
"What do you think I'm doing right now?" She threw her arms out, as if pointing out the obvious, "Do it, Klaus," she hit him just like she had done to Noah a few days ago, not caring for the consequences, "Leave me here," she hit him again, "Come on, do it. What are you waiting for? Do it, you coward!"
That was when Klaus had enough and roughly grabbed her wrists to prevent her from hitting him again.
"Calm down." He instructed, his resistance of yelling obvious in his voice. Adriana felt something inside of her telling her to obey him and she knew that was her wolf side begging her to listen, but she did her best to ignore it.
"Why?!" She felt angry tears prick at the back of her eyes, but she blinked them away, "You hate me anyways, so just do what you really want and leave me here, Klaus!"
"I don't hate you!" He roared much louder than before. It seemed like he didn't even register just how loud he was until the words had left his mouth.
Adriana felt her chest ache when he said that, but she tried her best to push those feelings away, "Liar!" She screamed, "I don't listen to you and I make you mad. Ever since I've gotten here, I've been nothing but a pain in your ass. I bit you!"
"Yes! You did!" Klaus interrupted her child-like rant, "an act you should have been punished you for, but I didn't, now did I?"
"Yeah, because Caroline and Kol stopped you. If they hadn't, you would have killed me."
Klaus' eyes widened in a way that would have been hilarious if she wasn't so upset. Adriana assumed she hit some sort of nerve.
He scoffed then started laughing.
Adriana crossed her arms, becoming furious as he laughed at her.
"You thought I was going to kill you?" He asked then started laughing again.
"Screw you." She spat.
As soon as he stopped laughing, Adriana felt Klaus' hand on her shoulder and she didn't have it in her to move away. She almost felt ashamed for feeling a moments comfort from him. This man. The man she fought with at every turn. The man who hated her. The man she wanted to hate too.
"Adriana," Klaus began once he finally calmed down enough not to yell, "enough of this temper tantrum. If you come now, I'll convince Kol to come back with us." He offered, sounding like a decent person for once.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled, struggling to look him in the eye.
Klaus eyed her in confusion, not understanding why she was apologizing.
She grimaced in actual sympathy before she lifted her hand and in a swift motion, snapped Klaus' neck and watched as his body fell to the ground unmoving.
"But I'm not going back with you, Klaus."
Noah stared up at the ceiling. He switched from his left side to his right, fluffing his pillows here and there, but nothing. Each time he glanced at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside table, at least twenty minutes had passed since the last time he checked.
He sighed and threw his arms out beside his head.
He couldn't will himself to go to sleep. He couldn't explain it, but there was something inside him nagging at him and preventing him from going to sleep.
Rebekah had told him that Klaus would be back with Adriana soon, but as time flew by, he started to grow worried. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to send her off with Klaus? She didn't want to go in the first place, but he had made her, assuming she'd be safer there then here.
Or maybe he was just being paranoid and Adriana was fine and on her way back.
He trusted Rebekah's word. After all, they had bonded today. At least, that's what he'd like to think.
The house was so quiet due to the fact that him and Rebekah were the only ones here. If he listened hard enough, he could hear her downstairs. It was difficult though, because the tv was on but turned down to a lower volume.
Noah heard her phone ring and rapid movement before she answered. Whoever it was, Rebekah must have been expecting them to call.
"Where are you?! Nik has not only lost his mind, but he also lost-"
'Good to hear from you too, sister.'
Wait, Noah paused. Had he heard that right?
Was that...Elijah?
Noah resisted the urge to sit up in shock. He was almost sure Rebekah would hold back information if she knew he was awake, so he remained calm and focused on the conversation.
'For what reason have you called me so many times, Rebekah?' Elijah asked, sounding more amused than concerned.
Rebekah was silent for a moment before she sighed, "It's Niklaus."
'Oh, I am sure you know by now that our brother is drawn to trouble.'
"He isn't drawn to it, Elijah. He causes it. This you know, yet you left us and now that sweet little girl is in the hands of Nik alone. Now, come home." Rebekah demanded.
'What happened?' Elijah asked after minute.
"She ran away, Elijah." Rebekah slowly admitted.
Noah could have sworn he heard that wrong. They weren't talking about...were they? They couldn't be.
'What do you mean she ran away, Rebekah?'
"I mean, Adriana is gone. She fled."
For a second, Noah had no reaction at all. He laid there, still. For just that second, it was as though he hadn't heard those words at all.
Until reality slapped him across the face and he realized what happened.
Klaus lost his sister. Adriana ran away. At this very moment, Ree was out all on her own and no one knew where she was.
A numb rage consumed him, blaming Klaus for what's happened to his sister. Rage for what she has done.
But most importantly, guilt. Because just when he thought he could do what his Aunt Bonnie had wanted from him... just when he thought he could protect her, he failed.
With the stealth he has come to nearly master, Noah rolled out of bed and threw on a shirt and some shoes. Grabbing his phone as quietly as he could, Noah went for the door.
He wasn't an idiot though. He knew he wouldn't be able to sneak right past Rebekah. Unlike Klaus, she would actually hear him leave. So instead, he stood at the stairs, listening as her voice rung through the halls.
"You abandoned your family, Elijah! When we need you the most, you're no where to be found. Now Adriana has paid the price."
"Rebekah-"
"She is walking those streets alone all because you weren't here to reel Nik in. You know better than I that he is no good without you, Elijah. Come home."
Listening to the conversation, Noah almost felt bad for Rebekah. Her family was so split up here. It was different for him than it was for her.
"Is Noah aware of his sister's disappearance?"
"No. He's actually-"
"Right here." Noah finished for her, having just come up from behind her.
Rebekah tensed up, making his anger arise again. Anger because she knew and lied straight to his face.
"Noah, I-"
"Save it, Rebekah," he moved so he was standing in front of her, "The least of my concerns is you and your lies, so you can either take me to find my sister or you can stay here and yell at Elijah while I go by myself."
He tried to keep his voice void of all emotion, but behind his façade, Rebekah had hurt him. But that didn't matter now. All that mattered was dragging his sister back safe and sound by any means necessary. Even if he had to go through Rebekah to do so.
"Dumb Klaus."
"Not listening to me."
"Thinking I'm some stupid kid."
"Crappy, half-ass universe."
"Stupid rock in my way."
"Ow!"
"Stupid, heavy rock that I shouldn't have kicked."
Was talking to yourself the first sign of insanity, Adriana wondered. Probably.
Was it just her, or was it getting colder out here? Her wolf side kept her warm enough but she could still feel the cool air on her skin. Oh, how her mom would freak if she knew how many times her and Noah had left the house without a coat while they were here. That's if she ever sees her mom again.
"No! I'm not gonna think about that!" Adriana scolded herself.
"About what?"
Adriana yelped and tripped in surprise at the voice who spoke back to her.
She instantly shot her head up, blonde waves flying about as she scanned the area.
"Who's there?" She called out into the darkness. Her question seemed to echo through the empty streets as though no one was there to hear her. At least that's what she had thought until now.
"Over here, princess."
She looked into an alleyway that was pitch black where she could have sworn the voice had come from. If she looked hard enough, she could almost make out a figure.
"Who are you?" It seemed dumb to ask that, but she didn't really have much else to say.
"You tell me. The spotlight is on you, sunshine."
Looking up, Adriana rolled her eyes. Right above her was a light post.
"Haha. Real funny." Adriana stood up in attempt to regain whatever dignity she lost when she fell.
Suddenly, the mystery figure stepped out into the light and Adriana could finally see her face.
A girl, about her age stood in front of her. She had very long, curly orange hair and alluring green eyes that sorta popped out at her. Her pale skin was spotted with freckles and she wore a dirty green sweater dress that matched her eyes perfectly. What really stuck out to Adriana was the fact that she was barefoot and probably too many pounds underweight. Her dress really hid that fact, but Adriana could still tell by her skinny legs and the way her cheek bones stuck out in an almost unnatural way. Still, she was gorgeous.
"Thanks. What are you doing out here? Ran away from home?" She teased, sticking out her bottom lip at her.
Adriana only glared at her.
"Oh...I'm right aren't I? Typical. Daddy's little princess couldn't take one more minute in her castle?"
"Shut up!" She snapped, "You don't know anything!"
The girl sighed, "Then tell me, rapunzel, why did you run away? Didn't get the pony you wanted?"
Adriana was on the verge of truly losing her shit. For some reason, this girl kept hitting a nerve in her. She acted as if she was a spoiled brat who ran away because she didn't get her way.
"You're one to talk. You're out here too. And by the looks of it, you've been here a lot longer than me." Adriana said after looking her up and down.
She was expecting to have hurt her or at the least piss her off, but instead she laughed.
"I like you. You're smarter than the average blonde, aren't ya?"
"And you're just as feisty as the other red heads."
For a moment, each girl studied the other before breaking out until smiles or proud smirks.
"I'm Mae." The freckled girl introduced herself, holding out her hand.
Adriana didn't hesitate to shake her hand, "Adriana."
"I prefer sunshine. So what are you doing out here?" Mae asked again, without any teasing remarks.
"I did run away. Just not for the reasons you think."
"Ooo. I smell a good story. Follow me." Mae turned in the direction of the dark alley that truth be told, gave her the creeps.
Nonetheless, Adriana followed her, "Where are we going?" She asked, grateful to have enhanced sight, because it was so damn dark.
"My hideout. Judging by your expensive clothes, someone has to care about you enough to be looking for you."
Adriana hesitantly followed after the girl, not sure where they were going. For a moment, she almost believed Mae was leading her to her death. She may be beautiful, but Adriana knew better than most that nobody should be fooled by a pretty woman. Look at her family after all.
Mae came to a stop right in front a wall and she pulled out something from around her neck. A key hung around a necklace hidden by her clothes. Smart. She turned to a door, painted with a brick design to match the wall.
"I know, cool right? Whoever did this, did not want this place to be found. They were smart about it too," she stood on her toes to reach the lock that way higher than normal locks and opened the door, "Come on."
Behind the door, it was even darker. There was no moonlight to help guide her. She'd be lucky if she could make out her own hand in front of her face. However, she could hear Mae move around with the expertise of someone who's been here a thousand times over.
Suddenly a switch flipped and the lights came on. Not right away though. They were old lights that flickered and made buzzing noises before actually coming on.
With the lights on, Adriana could finally see the room she stood in. The floor and walls were bare of anything and everything except for chairs and tables stacked against the walls with old paintings hanging on them. Right across from them, was an old bar that probably looked amazing when it was first used.
"What is this place?" Adriana asked as she stepped off the stage they had entered on.
"I don't know to be honest. It's mighty old though. The real entrance was bricked up," Mae explained as she crossed the room and started pulling out some of the chairs and a table, "Nobody comes here anymore. I like to think it was an illegal club ran back in the 20s or something. That'd explain the stage and a ton of the ancient crap here."
Adriana studied the place. Mae might be right. She's seen pictures from different eras and this dust-town sure fit the description, "Maybe..."
"Here you go, sunshine. We'd sit in the booths, but they are so dirty, I don't think you'd want to."
"Thanks." Adriana replied as she slid into her chair in the middle of the room.
She wondered if Klaus knew about this place when it still ran. She couldn't help but wonder. The guy was like a million years old. He's had to have seen all of the world twelve times over.
"Hello?!" Mae yelled, making Adriana jump in surprise. She laughed at her again, "Welcome back to the real world, princess."
"Oh, shut up."
"I will. After the story you owe me."
Adriana crossed her arms over her chest, "What makes you think I owe you anything?"
"I don't know. Maybe cause I gave you an amazing hide out. Now the story."
She sighed. Obviously she couldn't Mae tell everything. She was human. And unlike those kids at the playground, Mae was smart. She wouldn't drool over hearing she was a werewolf like Jaiden had. In fact, she might even be a little terrified of her. She'd be scared if she knew who was after her.
So she chose to be vague of those glory details. She told Mae that her brother and her had to stay with some family friends that hadn't known she existed and that the meanest one, aka Klaus, didn't like her at all. She mentioned her time with Kol at the apartment, minus the whole locator spell part, and how she made her amazing escape. She told her everything she could without bringing up the supernatural.
Both girls were completely oblivious to anything going on in the outside world, for the time being.
"Rebekah? Rebekah?" Elijah called out without receiving an answer.
The last thing he had heard was Noah before Rebekah had ended the call.
He was worried. He knew he shouldn't have left with Esther and Finn missing and out to kill them, but now he had a new reason to have stayed. Noah and Adriana. He was gone barely a day and now Niklaus had lost the child and Noah was frantic about it, most likely having just found out.
Elijah couldn't say he was shocked though. Niklaus didn't seem to be too fond of the idea of the children staying with them while Caroline was tending to her friend. The conversation he had before he left was still engraved into his head.
Yesterday...
"Where are you going, Elijah?" Klaus asked the second the door clicked shut.
"Hello to you too, Niklaus." he responded with his normal calmness, not surprised to hear his brother behind him.
"You can't bloody well leave."
"And why not, Niklaus? I'm more than certain you have some sort of plan to take down our vengeful mother with or without my assistance."
As he headed in the direction of his car, Klaus followed after him, "Believe it or not, Esther is no longer my pressing concern!"
"Do tell me, what is. Would it have anything to do with the children left in your care?"
"It has everything to do with that. And the fact that you think it's acceptable to leave with them here."
Elijah breathed out a laugh at his brother.
"You've been alive over a thousand years, Niklaus. You've faced countless of our foes singlehandedly. Do you mean to tell me that the mighty Klaus Mikaelson can't handle two of his own children?"
"That's bullocks, Elijah! They are the furthest thing from being mine."
"Well..." Klaus gave him an unimpressed look, "You'll be fine. What harm could they possibly do?"
"I don't know and I don't intend to find out. Honestly, brother, I would have thought you smarter than to leave with them here. You're the one who's always rambling on about family and redemption."
Elijah turned around and put a hand on Klaus' shoulder, "For over a century, I have searched for your redemption, Niklaus. I have fought to keep our family whole, but now I realize we have never been more broken. Our own mother wants to kill us. If she sees no hope in us, then why should I?"
"Our mother is delusional, Elijah! So what if she spits out a few words about the monster that hides behind your suit? We are family. Always and forever. You cannot just abandon that."
Elijah looked Klaus straight in the eye. He was silent for no more than a second. In that short matter of time, he listened. He could hear Rebekah attempting to make conversation with Noah. He could hear the even breathing of Adriana as she slept, exhausted from the days events. He listened to the two children as he spoke the words that came out of his mouth like he had prepared them hundreds of times.
"I am not abandoning anyone, Niklaus. I'm simply tired of searching for a part of our family that we lost when we were turned into vampires." With that, he left.
"You're a damn fool, Elijah!" Klaus called after him as his hand grazed the door handle.
"Perhaps I am. I've never let it stop me before, now have I?"
He felt guilty for leaving Adriana in his brother's care. Niklaus had needed him and he left.
Elijah inhaled the cool air of the night, allowing it to calm him as he dialed a number.
On the fourth ring, he picked up.
"Ah, Elijah. Can't say I'm surprised to be hearing from you so soon. I assume you've heard the news?"
"Where's the girl, Niklaus?" Elijah asked calmly, despite the distress and anger in his brother's voice.
"If I bloody well knew where she was, don't you think I'd be digging a grave for a seven year old right now instead of searching for one?" Klaus growled, "She snapped my neck and ran, Elijah. I'm going to kill her. I'm going to rip out her little heart and-"
"Are you quite done, Niklaus?" Elijah interrupted his brother's rant.
"Why are you calling me, brother? You've made your position quite clear."
"For one, to convince you not to harm the girl."
"I'm in no mood to receive an earful from you, Elijah. I have a child to find. Talk to me when you decide to quit with your pouting and come home."
"Niklaus-" Elijah tried, but it was too late. He had hung up.
Elijah sighed, entirely too frustrated with his siblings right now. It seemed like he had no other choice but to return to Mystic Falls.
"Well? What will it be, Rebekah? I don't have all night." Noah asked again, his patience running thin.
Rebekah held her chin high, regaining her composure, "Why would you want to travel all that way? Nik is already out searching for her as we speak-"
"See, that's the problem. I no longer trust Klaus to keep my sister safe. If you had the right mind, you wouldn't have either."
"Don't blame me for Adriana! She's the one who off and ran in the first place."
"Yeah! Because unlike me, she was smart and got out while she could! I shouldn't have agreed to stay here."
"Well, you did. Whether you want to admit it or not, Noah, what other choice would you have had? Live on the streets while you both starve?"
"Maybe that would have been better than thinking for a second I could trust any of you!" He shouted, "Because I thought I could trust you or Klaus for even a second, we've never been in more danger!"
"That's not my bloody well fault, now is it! I didn't tell you about Adriana because I knew you'd react this way!"
"What other way would I react, Rebekah? We may be Mikaelsons but we are nothing like the lot of you."
Rebekah's eyes glossed over, but she didn't look like she'd cry. Although, it was obvious that his words had hit a nerve. For a split second, he felt guilty. He knew he was reacting on anger that she had lied to him, but that was no reason to yell at her. It wasn't her fault Klaus had lost Adriana or that she had ran in the first place. If anything, he should blame himself.
Noah sighed, "Enough of this. I'm going to find my sister before Klaus does," he turned towards the door and mumbled to himself, "Hell only knows what he'd do if he found her..."
As Noah picked up Rebekah's car keys, a strong arm came around his throat, causing them to drop to the ground.
His hands went straight up, trying to pry her arm off of him, but it was no use. His strength was no match for hers.
"I'm sorry, Noah. Do forgive me." He heard Rebekah say as the world began to fade around him.
He quickly lost all fight in him as he fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Hold up two window-jumping seconds. Let me know if I heard this right. You somehow accidentally trashed this Kol guys' place but you don't think he really lives there, and you hid in the bedroom until you decided to grab a bunch of curtains and escalate down the side of a building?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Adriana shrugged.
"Where have you been hiding all this time, princess?" Mae chuckled, impressed with her apparently.
"Mystic Falls, the worlds most boring town. Anyways, why did you run?"
"Huh?" Mae asked, startled by her question.
"You could spot a runaway in the matter of seconds. You really think you could fool me, red? Why'd you run?"
Mae's smile was gone so fast, Adriana almost forgot it was ever there. Out of nowhere, Mae's eyes darkened but glistened with unshed tears. She stood from the table in an abrupt motion, making the table shake and nearly fall over, "Well, this was fun and all, but it's late. I'm sure Klausy is looking for you." Mae grabbed her by the arm and began pushing her towards the door.
"Wh- Hey!" She was surprisingly strong for such a skinny little thing. But Adriana was stronger. She pulled herself out of Mae's grasp and turned to face her with a determined look, "I'm not leaving until you tell me."
Mae glared at her, "Fine. I'll go." She moved to leave, but Adriana threw herself into the door, efficiently blocking it, "Move, blondie!"
"No!"
"Move!"
"Not until you tell me!"
"I rather throw you across the room!"
"Do it! I dare you!"
"Is it so hard to believe that you aren't the only one with daddy issues?" Mae groaned as she tried to pry her away from the door.
Adriana spoke in the same tone as she struggled to keep her grip, "I told you, he's not my dad!"
"No? Cause he sure sounds like it."
"Well he's not! Tell me why you ran!"
"Tell me why you did!" Mae yelled as she finally gave up on trying to move her, "Because it sounds to me like you had it pretty good. You have a brother who loves you and those 'family friends' of yours that you say don't care even though it's so clear that they do."
"What do you know? You live in some old club and aren't even wearing shoes! What would you know about crappy families?!"
"More than you do, princess. Trust me."
"Prove it!" Adriana demanded.
"Fine!" Mae screamed at her. She yanked up her sleeves to reveal very faded bruises around her wrists. Adriana could hardly see them, "See these? I had some on my face too, but they're already gone. My dear old dad did this," she then pulled up the bottom of her dress to reveal more bruises on her legs, "And this is from when he kicked me to the curb. Literally."
Adriana was at lost for words as she looked at the damage that had been done to this beautiful girl standing before her. She didn't know much about abuse, but she's heard enough from the news and from eavesdropping on conversations that it's pretty damn terrible.
"So, yeah, blondie. I think I know a thing or two about crappy families."
"Do you not have a brother to protect you?" She found herself asking.
Mae turned and sat on the stage steps, "Nah. I have a sister, but she went off to college."
Adriana stood behind her.
She felt bad. This girl didn't have anyone to protect her from the big and bad man that hurts her. While she was sure Klaus hated her, he doesn't hit her. Even if he did, she had people to protect her. She had Noah, and Rebekah, and Kol, and Caroline. She had people who'd kick whoever's ass they needed to if they so harmed her. Mae didn't.
Adriana slowly joined Mae on the steps, "I'm sorry," she turned to look at her, "that your dad is a dick."
Mae's lips curled upward ever so slightly as she faced her, "I'm sorry that Klausy is a shit terrible not-dad."
Adriana smiled, "It's okay. Suddenly, he doesn't seem so bad."
Mae mirrored her smile before standing up and running across the room, her feet pattering against the tile of the floor as she went. When she came back, she was holding some old fashioned camera.
"I think this calls for a picture."
"Why?" Adriana asked as she met Mae in the middle of the room.
She shrugged, "To seal the friendship. Smile!" She said as she threw her arm around her shoulders and pulled her into her side.
Adriana laughed.
She liked Mae. She was fun.
As she took the picture, a black card came out of the camera. Adriana leaned in close to see the photo, but there was nothing there. Just black.
"There's nothing there. Is it too dark in here?"
Mae laughed, "You have to wait for the picture to show up, silly. See, look."
Looking closer, she could see an image forming before her eyes, "Oh."
Mae walked behind the bar in search for a marker to write something on the back of the picture.
While she did, noise from outside caught her attention. Adriana listened as close as she could, but her werewolf hearing wouldn't improve until she got older or triggered the curse. Still, she could pick up bits and pieces.
"Adriana! Come out wherever you are! You cannot hide from me for long, child! I can sense you." An all too familiar voice yelled then mumbled the last part.
Panic sunk in.
Klaus was close enough that she could hear him. If he found her here, he'd see Mae. What if he hurt her because she disobeyed him?
She had to get out of here.
"I have to go, Mae. Don't wanna give Klausy a heart attack."
"Wait! Come here!" She called, barely poking her head out from above the counter.
Adriana groaned internally. Because Mae couldn't see her, she sped across the room to hurry the process along.
Mae sat on her knees on the floor, writing something on the back on their picture.
"Sign your name, Blondie." She handed her the picture and a pen. Of course the pen looked like it was from a few decades ago, but she had no time to dwell on that.
She hurriedly scribbled her name down, almost missing the words Mae had written on the top.
The day I met Blondie
Adriana smiled, and wrote under it, The day I met Red
She turned the picture over to reveal two smiling faces. If she could stay in this universe, she would have definitely enjoyed having Mae as a friend.
"Adriana!"
His yell broke her out of her thoughts as she carefully handed the picture back.
"I love it! You take care of yourself, Mae," Adriana dug into her shirt and pulled out a twenty dollar bill that she had stolen from Klaus, "And buy yourself some food and maybe some shoes too."
Mae smiled gratefully, "You're alright, sunshine."
"You too, red."
With that, Adriana all but ran out of there, closing the door behind her as softly as she could so she could make it far enough that Klaus wouldn't hear Mae.
Adriana ran towards the street and picked a direction and just ran aimlessly. As predicted, she soon ran into a hard body, collapsing to the ground from the impact.
"Damn, Klausy. That hurt." She groaned.
She didn't get the chance to help herself off the ground, as Klaus grabbed her by the arm and yanked her up. He held her above the ground, intentionally or not, and her toes struggled to reach the floor. He quickly dropped her though.
"Oh, believe me, sweetheart, I can do a lot worse if you even think of trying to run again-"
Klaus' sentence was cut off as Adriana wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. Klaus immediately tensed up, not have expecting her to hug him out of all things. She closed her eyes before pulling away.
"Thank you." She said, thinking of her new friend as she said it, "We can go home now."
Klaus looked at her, mildly confused, before grabbing her and vamp speeding them both back to Kol's apartment.
"What the hell..."
"Ah, good. You're awake."
Noah shot up as the events of the day came back to him. He glared daggers at Rebekah, who sat on the edge of his bed.
She held up her hands in surrender, "Before you yell at me, you should know, your sister and Nik are on their way home as we speak. She's safe and sound, I promise."
A weight lifted off of Noah's shoulder's as Rebekah said that. That's all he wanted to hear, was that his sister was safe. He didn't know what he would do if she wasn't.
But that didn't mean he could forgive Rebekah yet. She lied to him. Sure, her intentions were in the right place, but she betrayed his trust the second she got it.
"Why are you here, Rebekah? Come to babysit me?"
"Now that you're sister's making her return, I don't think you need it." She replied.
Noah nodded and stood up from off the bed, heading for the direction of anywhere else.
"Noah, wait!"
He paused, his back to her, listening to whatever she had to say.
"You're right. You aren't anything like us. Where we hurt each other, you two protect and love one another. Over the centuries, my family has wronged each other more times over than I can count. But nonetheless, I am sorry for lying to you. I shouldn't have wronged you. You didn't deserve that."
Noah took a deep breath and continued to face away from Rebekah. He didn't want to see the guilt on her face.
"I understand why you did what you did, Rebekah. You were right too. My sister is my responsibility and instead of protecting like I should have, she ran away. I was so angry at you and worried for her that I wasn't thinking straight. And I'm sorry for the things I said. While I forgive you," He turned around to face her, "and though I thought we had bonded today, I can't trust you anymore."
Rebekah frowned but nodded, "Understandable. I hope someday I can regain your trust. Goodnight, Noah." She said, planting a kiss to his cheek as she left the room.
Noah smiled tiredly.
Some things never changed, he thought.
The drive home didn't last anymore than half an hour. It was quiet due to the fact that Adriana fell asleep almost instantly, exhausted from the night she spent running and hiding from him. Klaus had repeatedly checked the rearview mirror to make sure she was still there. He didn't want her to witch herself out of the car somehow.
At this point, he didn't know what to expect from her. She immensely confused him the second she wrapped her tiny arms around him. The last thing he had expected was for her to hug him. He expected her to scream and fight him, but never in a million years did he see her next move coming. It threw him off completely. He had simply froze and starred at her with wide eyes. Her childlike innocence baffled him in ways he's never known.
When they got home, Rebekah had greeted him as he pulled into the driveway, letting him know that Noah was asleep and she had information about the white oak, but he told her to tell him later. Kol arrived shortly after that. Adriana succeeded in convincing him to come back with us before they had left.
Being the only one left outside, Klaus opened Adriana's door and carefully undid her seatbelt. She stirred in her sleep as he lifted her into his arms.
"Come on, love. We ought to get you in bed."
Adriana mumbled an incoherent response before drifting back off to sleep, wrapping her arms around his neck. Klaus carried her up the stairs, stopping to peek inside Noah's room to make sure he was asleep. He was sure the boy would have wanted to see his sister after finding out about her disappearing act today. However, he was sound asleep.
So Klaus carried the child to her room and carefully lowered her into bed. He had Rebekah come in to help her change out of her clothes, considering the fact Adriana was being too difficult and refused to wake up all the way to do it herself.
In the meantime, he busied himself with texting Elijah. He let him know that Kol had returned and that he should too. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it wasn't the same without Elijah. He was normally the glue that held their family together and now he wasn't. That would have to change very soon.
When Rebekah finally had her in pajamas, she tucked her in and caressed her hair in such a caring manner.
"Oh, Nik. She has your eyes, you know?" She whispered in awe.
Klaus didn't say anything. He didn't know how to respond to that. Instead he guided Rebekah away from Adriana and towards the door.
Just as they are about to leave the room, she called out, "Don't go."
Klaus turned around to see Adriana sitting up in the large bed, rubbing her eyes. For once, she actually seemed like a normal child.
He had every intention of letting Rebekah handle Adriana, but to his surprise, she put a hand on his shoulder before leaving him alone.
Not seeing much else of a choice, Klaus walked back into the room. He crouched down beside her bed to be somewhat at eyelevel with her.
"Yes, sweetheart?" He whispered, trying not to act as nervous as he felt. He had never been good with children. He didn't want to say the wrong thing and piss her off. It was too late to get into another argument with her.
Adriana's blue eyes stared down at him, tired but bright.
"Where's Noah?" She asked.
"He's asleep. As you should be." He told her.
Adriana paused for a moment, "Did you tell him that I ran away?"
Klaus pulled Adriana's blankets back up and guided her to lay back down, "I didn't see any reason to. He'd only throw a fit."
Adriana relaxed under the comfort of the pillows. Klaus did as well, seeing as he seemed to be doing something right.
He could tell she was tired, but she wouldn't fall asleep just yet. She tried her best to keep her eyes open as she whispered to him at a barely audible voice, "I'm sorry for running away...and for snapping your neck."
Her face contorted in pain for a second and Klaus wondered if somewhere, deep down in that twisted little soul of hers, if she felt guilty? Though a part of him still wanted to ring her skinny little neck for what she's put him through, he gently tucked a blonde strand behind her ear.
"Now, love. We can talk about that in the morning. It is much too late to worry over such things."
"I won't run again." She mumbled as if to reassure him. He could tell in her voice that sleep was starting to catch up with her, "I promise." She yawned.
The girl was a troubled one, he thought. She reminded him of Kol and Rebekah at her age. So full of life and adventure. A free spirit. As she finally drifted off to sleep, her face became peaceful and void of guilt.
He didn't know why and he wasn't going to think about it, but he found himself reaching down and kissing her forehead lightly, careful not to wake her.
He whispered to her, "Despite what you may think, little one, I do not hate you. Not only are you so much alike my younger siblings, but you remind me of myself. You remind me of a part of me that I had while I was still human. Behind your anger, there is a light in you that shines so bright, it nearly makes me believe in hope for a better tomorrow. I do not understand how you are capable of making me feel such things- such human things, but I do believe I enjoy that about you. I'm not sure I'm capable of hating you, Adriana." He assured the sleeping child, though she couldn't hear him.
He never thought he'd find himself at the bedside of a child, telling her things he never even thought he was capable of feeling again. Yet here he was, finding peace in the moment they shared.
The damn girl unknowingly had Klaus Mikaelson wrapped around her little finger. She doesn't even know the power she holds over the man who for the longest time, has had no heart.
Neither of them truly knew the power they held over each other.
As Klaus sat next to the girl, time stopped. He had no worries over his current dilemmas he faced. He simply savored each second he had where he felt nothing but peace.
