Chapter 10: The Human Factor, Part 2
An uncomfortable silence followed Cami's unexpected revelation. She watched for some clue as to what he was feeling, but his face didn't change. Klaus slowly turned away from her and he finally spoke. "I'm afraid you're delusional, Cami. I am the bastard of New Orleans. I am the monster that terrorizes anyone that gets in my way. What you feel for me cannot possibly be love." His voice was low and had an ever so slight twinge of pain to it, but each word held an obvious disgust for the creature he perceived himself to be.
Cami, feeling emboldened, walked around to face him once again. "You know what? You're right! I'm so delusional that I thought you might actually feel something for me! That's what scares me, Klaus. You are who you are and I would never want to change you, but you are a master manipulator and maybe you've just been using me this whole time."
Her words obviously stung him as he quickly replied, "Cami, I can assure you that I have not been manipulating…"
She held up her hand to stop him. "No, you need to hear me out. You are also a killer and what you have done will never go away. I don't even know if you could ever truly love me, at least the way I want to be loved. Even despite all of this, I still think you're worth it. God! What is wrong with me? Maybe believing in you makes me a fool. Well, so be it. I'm the biggest fool ever to waste my time on a monster such as yourself." A toxic mix of anger, embarrassment, and heartbreak raced through Cami's system as she looked away, finding it difficult to look him in the eye as a few tears slid down her cheeks.
He reached out to wipe her tears away, but she stepped back, holding up her hand, indicating that she wanted distance from him. "Now that I've completely lost my mind, I need to get ready for work." She started to walk away, but Klaus grabbed her arm.
"You are not leaving this apartment," he commanded.
"Oh, yes, I am! I have bills to pay, Klaus. In order to pay those bills, I have to work."
"I'll give you whatever you need…"
"I don't want your money!"
"You will not be safe out there!" His voice raised in anger.
"I think I've done a pretty good job so far taking care of myself! I live in a city full of supernatural beings and I've managed to keep myself alive."
He appeared to be getting frustrated as he ran his hands through his hair. "You're chances of survival would be much better if you were one of us!"
Cami's eyes grew wide. "What did you just say to me?"
"If you were like my sister, Rebekah, or like Hayley – if you had powers, I wouldn't need to be so concerned about you!"
She was stunned into a brief silence. "Well, don't bother worrying about me, Klaus. This fragile, powerless human being is definitely leaving to go to work, so have a nice evening!" Storming past him to her bedroom, Cami slammed the door and changed her clothes. She called Marcel and told him that he was needed for guard duty again. When she came out, he was standing near her doorway, waiting for her. She tried to ignore him, but he stopped her as she tried to move past. "Look, Marcel is going to stay with you while I'm gone." Her eyes could not meet his.
"I don't care about Marcel right now. I want you to look at me." Klaus's voice had taken a more soothing tone as he gently lifted her chin, forcing their eyes to meet as he spoke tenderly to her. "You are right, Camille. I cannot give you the love that you want from me." He stroked her hair, then stroked her cheek in a loving manner. "Once this threat to my family is dealt with, perhaps I could one day..."
"I know you too well, Klaus. There will always be a threat to your family."
The two looked at each other in a brief moment of loss. "Cami, surely you have some inkling as to how I feel?"
"You don't even know what you feel. So, am I supposed to wait around for you until you figure it out? Put my life on hold in the hopes that you might want to be with me someday? Or, am I supposed to ask you to make me an immortal? Oh, yeah, even then, you will never have enough peace in your life to allow you to be happy." She took a frustrated deep breath, gave him a sad smile, and then started to leave, glancing at him once more. The look on his face told her that he was truly speechless.
"Be careful. Please," he spoke behind her.
She nodded in response, then left quickly.
It was a busy night at Rousseau's and the loud boisterous customers were a welcome reprieve for Cami. She put extra effort into her work, forcing the reality of Klaus's rejection to the back of her mind. She was so hurt, but not surprised that he couldn't admit he had any feelings for her. The evening finally began to wind down, leaving only a few regulars at a corner table, when the same two werewolves from earlier walked into the bar. Cami immediately felt threatened as they sat in front of her and demanded to know where Klaus was hiding.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Now, what will you have?"
"We don't want anything, except information."
"Well, you came to the wrong place. I am here to serve drinks, so, if you are not drinking, I suggest you leave."
The front door swung open and several more werewolves entered, quickly emptying the place of the remaining patrons. Cami quickly grabbed her wolf's bane and burned the hand of the closest werewolf, then tried to run to the back, but was caught by the other werewolf. She fought as hard as she could, but his grip was iron tight. He managed to scratch her arms with his claws, causing her to bleed. She screamed out in pain. Kicking backwards, she managed to loosen his grip just enough for her to be caught by another, who sunk his fangs into her neck. Falling to her knees, the wolf pack began to close in on her when, suddenly, one by one, they were thrown aside by an unseen hand. The movement was so fast that all she could see was blurry action and blood flying across the room, spraying the walls and tables. Things became fuzzy, then she passed out.
Cami awoke to a rush of wind grazing her cheek as she realized she was being carried into her apartment. She immediately knew who was holding her by the feel of his clothing and the scent of his skin: Klaus. He held her tight against his chest as he sat down with her on her bed.
"What happened?" She managed in a loud, raspy whisper.
"You were attacked. I intervened."
The evening's events came flooding back to her, along with her feelings of terror at being swarmed by a dangerous pack of werewolves. She began to cry and she clung to him harder.
"It's alright now, Love. They're gone. They cannot hurt you again."
"I'm sorry…I should have stayed when you told me to. I really thought I was going to die." She began to sob, tired of trying to be brave in front of Klaus.
He continued to hold her, gently stroking her back, kissing her forehead tenderly. "As much as I wish to stay with you, you know that I cannot. I have urgent business elsewhere."
Opening her eyes wide, she pulled away to look at him, suddenly letting the truth sink in. "You're…back to normal. I mean, of course you're back to normal, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to fight off those beasts, but, when?" Cami asked, her voice quivering.
He flashed a hint of a smile at her. "It couldn't have happened at a more opportune moment. One of Marcel's spies overheard that an army of werewolves were on the hunt for me and my beautiful blonde companion. When I heard that you were in danger…my senses overwhelmed me and I became…my old self."
"Thank you for saving me…again." She shifted so she could sit up a little more, feeling her sore neck and noticing the scratches on her arms.
"You should heal soon. I gave you some of my blood."
"Well, I better stay put so I don't get killed and become…"
"Like me."
Their eyes met and locked in an intense stare. The overwhelming sadness of their situation hung heavy in the air as she struggled to deal with her feelings. She studied him and couldn't help but notice that he did seem to radiate a different kind of confidence as an immortal, compared to how he was earlier that day. "Now that you're back to being you, it's back to your revenge schemes and conspiracy theories, right? Nothing's changed." Cami couldn't hide her disappointment and sadness.
"Camille, had I still been a mere mortal, you would have died tonight!"
Cami shook her head. "No, it's more than that. Everything that has happened between us since you walked me home with that stupid box…it's like it never happened. You seem completely unaffected."
Klaus moved closer to her and took her hand. "I can assure you, Love. That is not the case." He delivered a gentle, yet passionate kiss on her quivering lips. The desire for him rose quickly within her and she held to him tightly. They continued to embrace, gently stroking each other's hair as they kissed over and over again. As they separated and looked into each other's eyes, the hue of his unnatural hybrid irises became golden with a fire that told Cami that he wanted more from her. As much as her body was demanding to let him go further, she gently broke free, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I can't. I just can't."
He took a deep breath. "Of course, I understand. You've just been through a terrifying experience and this isn't the appropriate time."
"There isn't going to be an appropriate time, unless you can be honest with me."
"I obviously care a great deal for you! Apparently, so much so that it broke my curse! The thought of you being in danger…was more than I could bear." His voice trailed off as he pulled her close. "I am sorry, Cami, but I cannot give you what you want from me. Not until I know my family is safe. Do you understand?"
She pulled back and looked at him with tears in her eyes. "I understand that I wanted to make a difference with you. I thought this was my chance to help you. Did I? Did you gain anything from this experience? All I feel is pain and I want it to stop."
Klaus placed his hand on her cheek, as if trying to console her with only his mere presence. "What can I do to make this easier for you?"
She closed her eyes, then sat back from him. "I want you to compel me to forget all this."