Chapter 9: Vulnerable

"Bad news my friend, it's the end of the road for you" Klaus told Derek turning him around before sinking his teeth into Derek's throat. I watched, my own teeth lengthening at the smell of fresh blood. The familiar butterfly touches on my upper cheeks and I knew my eyes were black and gold. I looked up after watching a trail of blood soak the back of Derek's shirt to see Klaus's eyes on me. I looked away quickly and forced the hunger back down forcing my face to return to normal.

He dropped Derek to the ground and I stood up at feeling the threat looming. The wolves or well hybrids now were standing up and just walking around in circles like zombies. "Careful love, there's only one alpha here" Klaus told Amy warning her that he would kill her if she challenge him. I rolled my eyes. Alpha my ass. "Bloody hell" he growled and I looked up, he rarely used that swear. A few of the hybrid females started approaching me and I let my teeth lengthen in warning flashing them with a growl making it clear not to pick a fight with me. That didn't stop them as they attacked, I turned quickly diving my fist into the nearest one's chest ripping out her heart. Klaus's fury be damned.

Another bit my shoulder and I turned on the spot stomping her knee cap before ripping her head off sinking my fangs into another female before biting through her neck, blood dripping my fangs as I growled at the others. "Let's get this over with quickly love" Klaus told me not even standing three feet from me. "Like pulling off a band aid" I told him his own fangs showing as we attacked slaughtering the wolf pack as they went rabid turning on us. "That is not the brightest idea you've ever had" I told him wiping my bloody hands off on my jeans. "Well love then this should make up for it" He said holding up a six pack and walking over. "Where did you get that?" I questioned him, "Found it in the tent" he said gesturing behind him. I nodded as he handed me one. I looked up at him. "This doesn't change anything Klaus" I told him, "Wouldn't expect it to love" he told me as I took the bottle. "Will you please stop calling me that?" I questioned him sitting down on the rock. "And why would I do that?" He questioned, "Because you call every girl you see love" I told him, "oh and you want the title to be exclusive?" He questioned me taking a swig from his beer trying to keep the conversation light but it was pretty hard to do when failure was all around him.

"In your dreams" I told him clinking my beer bottle against his before taking a swig. He smiled softly before finishing his bottle and getting into another one. "God it's so hot" I groaned leaning forwards and ripping my jeans at mid thigh. I didn't want to walk around in blood covered jeans anyway. "Ah well feel free to walk around naked I won't protest" he told me holding his hands up and I rolled my eyes. "How'd I know you were going to say something like that?" I questioned him curious and he smiled at me his face fully turned towards me the full moon above us bathing him in moonlight. He looked ethereal. "Because whether you want to acknowledge it or not I see you" he told me. "Everyone sees me Nik" I told him without thinking and he smirked and I froze glancing up at him nervously. "Don't be frightened, I always did love it when you called me that. But then again" he said leaning closer into me invading my personal space and the musky bloody aroma of him swept over me and made me shiver and I tried to ignore the sudden condensation between my thighs. My teeth practically aching to get a bite of him, the urge to change and just run burning my veins. I usually liked to spend my full moon's running through the woods. But I couldn't do that now. To run with Klaus? I couldn't bare it. I might as well have rolled over exposing my belly to him and that was just not an option.

"You were usually screaming it" he told me, his voice deeper, rougher I blushed but didn't avoid looking at his eyes but instead stared him down. "Probably out of anger or frustration" I told him, "a type of frustration but what can I say I was always pretty good at releasing your frustration" he winked at me his lips turned upwards in a smile. My eyes narrowed playfully as I swatted at him. "And if I remember correctly I always had you speaking in tongues" I retorted back and he chuckled. "Don't know what you're talking about love" he muttered looking back out at the hybrids and I did the same. The mood had gotten to close back there. We looked up at hearing Stefan's approach. He had Ray slung over his shoulders before tossing him to the ground for the second time that day dead. "They went rabid" Klaus said but Stefan gripped his arm tightly and I ran to him. "Stefan? What's wrong" I demanded pulling his hand away from his forearm and my eyes widened at seeing the festering bite on his arm. It looked a lot worse than Damon's. "Some of them we killed….others just bled out" disappointment filling his tone. I held Stefan's cheek hugging him as he held onto me for support. I looked over at Klaus as he stood up approaching us. "In the end…..they're all dead" he said his face calm before it flashed to furry in less then a second. He turned on the spot throwing his beer and it exploded against the rock as he screamed. But it wasn't in furry as I had first thought.

His tone was filled with pain, disappointment, loss. He was just expressing it through anger. He turned back at us, "I did everything I WAS TOLD!" He shouted his arms flexing with pent up rage and disappointment, his face contorting in pain and he looked like he was about to cry. He paused pressing his finger against his lip, controlling it. Pushing the pain back down and the wetness in his eyes disappeared. "I should be able to turn them" he said his tone back to angry. "I broke the curse, I killed the werewolf" he started running through the ritual again and Stefan and I shared a glance before quickly looking away so we wouldn't get caught. Klaus was to preoccupied to notice.

"I killed the vampire. I killed the doppelganger." He looked so confused, his eyebrows together, lips apart as he talked. Stefan's heart beat picked up at the mentioning of Elena. Klaus paused for a second before slowly looking up meeting Stefan's eyes and staring him down as if waiting for him to crack with some type of information but Stefan looked away. "You look like hell" Klaus told him his back straightening, his mood calming down in a cold, dead resolve. Stefan staggered slightly so I tightened my grip on him keeping him up. "Last I checked I'm dying, and you don't want to heal me" Stefan told me and I looked at Klaus sharply my eyes narrowing at him. He noticed the look I was giving him and his eyes softened before he looked over at the dead Ray.

"I had to take him out. I didn't have a choice" Stefan justified himself, Klaus looked back up at Stefan and me. My eyes begging him to heal my brother. "I failed you and I'm sorry" Stefan said and I saw the tears in his eyes again as he looked at me. As he looked at Stefan. He was really upset about this. Stefan let go of me and walked in front of Klaus, Klaus's face hardened. "Do what you have to do" Stefan said knowing Klaus was going to kill him for failing him. I gasped covering my mouth in horror. Klaus's eyes flickered over to me and they softened at seeing the tears fresh in my eyes and threatening to spill out on my cheeks if he killed my brother.

"It should have worked" Klaus said before turning walking away from Stefan. What was he doing? Going to let the bite kill Stefan slowly? He bent over picking up a beer bottle turning around slowly. Staring at me for a second or two before he bit into his palm his yellow eyes blazing before letting the blood drip into the beer bottle snarling at the pressure he put on his hand to get enough blood into the bottle before stepping towards Stefan offering the beer bottle much like had had me. "Bottom's up, we're leaving" he smiled, at him. Stefan stepped forwards taking the beer bottle as Klaus walked around him to me. I didn't move as he approached me, his hand came out touching my neck gently. I watched him warily. "Don't fret love, there was once a time when you enjoyed me feeding from your neck" Klaus chuckled pushing my shirt sleeve down to inspect my shoulder. I looked remembering I was bitten during the attack but it was all healed up. The left over blood still staining my shirt. "Fancy that, your blood cures you too." Klaus mused, I rubbed my soar shoulder and nodded. "Fancy that" I mimicked him, and he smirked. "I suggest you change or you're going to draw to much attention to us" Klaus told me handing me some clothes. I took them. "Us?" I questioned him, "Unless you'd rather leave then be my guest" he said gesturing to the woods. "Though if you left you wouldn't find out just exactly how well I see you" Klaus told me. I paused. He had a point.

These dreams had been plaguing me for weeks now. I had to know if they were real or not. Or just how real they were. "And you'll tell me everything?" I questioned him, "About us yes love" he said smiling at me. "Good" I told him before walking off behind a tent so I could change into the denim shorts and decided to still wear my top. It wasn't too bad off. Walking back over to the boys Klaus held his hand out to me. I stared at it before glaring back up at him and he gave me a soft pitiful look. I couldn't help it. I found my hand in his and his fingers tightened around it and I felt a shock run through me as butterflies exploded in my stomach. I looked up at him to see if he experience it too but he was looking at the dead hybrids around us.

He was so sad.

He looked back at me feeling my eyes on him. "It appears you're the only comrade I have left" he said softly before turning and leaving the clearing at a leisure walk. His free arm swinging back and forth as he moved from one foot to the other in his natural swagger. "You're beautiful when you cry" I told him quietly enough so Stefan wouldn't hear me. He looked up at me. "I didn't cry" he told me sternly. "Just because your tears didn't touch your cheeks doesn't me you didn't cry" I told him not noticing as he interlaced our fingers pressing our palms firmly against each other as we walked. "Whatever you say Niklaus" I told him with a smile and he pause his head tilted to the side staring at me. I furrowed my eyebrows at him stopping. "What?" I questioned him, "you just called me Niklaus" he told me. "No I didn't" I told him. "Yes you did" he said. "No I didn't, I don't even know where that name came from!" I told him pointedly, "think about it love. Yes you do" he told me before starting the walk again pulling me along as he took the lead.

Klaus's POV

She's remembering.

I watched her in the rearview mirror, she was curled up in the backseat her head resting in between the window and the seat her body tilted to the side so her body rested across the seat, my jacket covering her shoulders and torso as she slept. "Look let's be honest with each other, what's going on between you and my sister?" Stefan questioned, "Oh to be fair Stefan she was been long mine before she was ever your sister" I told him with a smirk and he furrowed his eyebrows at that in confusion. "Look let's just leave her out of this." Stefan told me and I laughed, "but you see Stefan you're the one that brought her into this. Always protecting her, putting yourself between me and your baby sister, helping Elijah in making sure that we've never crossed paths until the sacrifice night." I told him, "oh the night you sacrificed my girlfriend on a alter of fire" Stefan said glaring at me now, "should have picked a different girlfriend mate" I told him and he shook his head.

"Look my sister is not some trophy so leave her out of this." Stefan said seriously and I looked at him, "I'm afraid that isn't my choice now is it Stefan?" I smirked at him, "She'll never chose you" he said confidently. "She did once" I told him and he furrowed his eyebrows and I smirked. It was too much fun teasing him.