Chapter 12: No Rest for the Weary

As soon as Cami was settled into her room, with the help of Freya, she stopped in front of the ornate full-length mirror and tried to heal some more of her wounds. She managed to clear up what had been on her face before she felt fatigued. Freya had informed her the healing spells would exhaust her, so she decided she had better learn to pace herself. Then, she went down the hall to the nursery and found Klaus sitting on the floor with Hope. The little girl saw her and smiled, warming Cami's heart.

"That's right, Hope, our Cami is finally where she belongs," Klaus said, grinning as Cami walked in and sat next to them, greeting Hope with a kiss on her head. "I see you've managed to heal the wounds on your face."

"Yeah, all five places before I started to feel wiped out. I still have twenty more to go on the rest of my body."

"You should get some more rest, Love. I have much to do before I retire for the evening. Would you like to spend some time with Hope, or shall I call for Freya?"

"Oh, I don't mind staying with her for a little while. She's a nice, normal comfort from everything else that's going on."

"Well, then, I will take my leave of you two lovely ladies." He kissed both of them and got up to leave. Cami reached for his hand, stopping him. He looked down at her. "What is it, Love?"

As she looked up at him, she realized that she wanted him to stay. "Do you have to leave right now?"

He found her innocent question endearing. She had no idea that she was in any possible danger. All he could do was stroke her jawline with his finger and savor the feel of her soft skin. "I must go." He left, knowing that she was disappointed, but it was more important for him to keep her safe.

Cami watched him leave, then turned her attention to Hope. "I've missed you, Little Girl. Your babysitter has been one busy witch-in-training. Looks like you and I have something else in common now besides having a hopeless devotion to your handsome father." She watched her play with her toys for a while. "As much as you seem happy with your daddy, I bet you miss your mommy, don't you?"

Hope looked up at her, almost inquisitively. "Don't you worry - I'm going to work my therapist magic on your daddy to bring your mommy back home where she belongs. Your uncle Elijah needs some happiness in his life."

Suddenly, Elijah was standing in the doorway of the nursery, almost smiling at her. "So, what is this I hear of you accepting Niklaus's courting efforts?"

Cami smiled, almost shyly. "Yeah, I know. It's complicated. Beyond complicated. He's been so wonderful to me, Elijah. With everything going on lately, I decided to stop fighting my feelings and just accept them. He makes me happy and if I only have a short time left, I would be a fool to not experience some happiness before I bite the dust, right?"

Elijah chuckled. "I am happy for you, Camille. I am happy for my brother as well. You have been able to reach him in a way that no one else has in a very long time."

"How are things between you two?"

Sighing heavily, Elijah replied, "I am sad to say that they are about the same. I cannot forgive him, Camille, as much as I would like to."

"Well, maybe we can change that. Nothing would make me feel more normal than to have a good old-fashioned therapy session with the two of you. What do you say?"

"Perhaps. Only out of respect for you and your efforts."

She smiled. "Good. It's settled then. I'll tell your brother."

As Elijah walked away, he stopped. "I heard what you told Hope. Thank you."

"I think it's time this family comes back together. If I can help make that happen, then it won't matter what happens to me during the Merge. I'll have performed a miracle and I'll be a legend."


"You have failed me, Marco," Klaus told his informant over the phone, using his deadliest tone of voice.

"What are you talkin' about?" he replied, stuttering in fear.

"One of the heretics has escaped and I had to hear this from someone other than you. So, I am officially ending our financial arrangement."

"No, no, wait a minute! I wasn't sure and that's why I didn't call you! We've been busy investigating some murders and…"

"If your silly investigation has nothing to do with the matter at hand then I don't care to have you waste my time!"

"The bodies had drawings on them – real weird."

"What drawings?"

"A green snake or worm. I couldn't tell."

Klaus clenched his jaw. He realized that Madame Regina must have discovered her secret box was missing and, knowing it was him, was just trying to get his attention. "What do you know of this heretic?"

"He's tall, about six foot two. Black hair and eyes. Doesn't speak."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah, that's all I know. I swear."

"Well, then, it's your lucky day. You get to live."

"What about the money?"

"Like I told you, our financial arrangement is at an end. I no longer require your services." He hung up on him. Klaus began pacing around the courtyard, wishing he could accelerate his plan with Gianna, but knew they had to wait for the lunar eclipse. Freya called to him from the doorway, letting him know that she was about to retire for the evening. "I must talk to you, Sister. It is of some urgency."

She quickly walked over to him. "What is it?"

"It is believed that one of the heretics has escaped the bounds of Mystic Falls. Because he once was a Gemini, it is believed he could be coming for Cami."

"How did you find this out?"

"That's of no consequence. I want you to use your tracking spell to find him and track him. He should be absorbing magic wherever he roams, so I would think that you could sense the locations where magic is present from here to Mystic Falls and monitor any sudden drop in volume."

"I'll get to work on it right away."

"Good."

"It will take me several hours, you realize."

"Then, make haste."

"But I want you to know that I'm on to you. I know you're hiding something." She gave him a look of distrust, then hurried inside.

Klaus debated whether to tell Freya. He wanted to trust his sister, but he felt that she would have a much better chance of ruining his plan than even Elijah if she decided she didn't agree with it. Klaus called Gianna and updated her on the situation and asked her to be aware of Madame Regina's attempts. He knew that she would be foolish to do anything too drastic to risk the Merge not taking place, and she was one to try and push buttons for dramatic effect only. Anyone who had been in hiding as long as she had enjoyed getting attention. Realizing that there was nothing else he could do at the moment, he decided to throw his restless energy into his art. Oftentimes, his best strategies came to him while hard at work on a new painting. He went upstairs, checked to make sure his daughter had been properly put to bed, then escaped to his private art room and began throwing color on a new canvas. The freedom and solitude his art gave him was a welcome reprieve from the new concerns that had arisen in relation to Camille. As he thought about his devotion to her, he became frightened, remembering how his last relationship had ended and how heartbroken he was for years. There was no way he would allow anything to happen to her and he was determined to ensure that she would not perish like his previous love had. Klaus frantically painted for a few hours, trying to clear his head. When he came to a stop, he collapsed on the antique bed nearby and fell asleep.


Cami helped Elijah put Hope to bed, then she retired to her room and quickly fell asleep. The same dream came to her again, but this time it was a dark, shadowy figure that plunged the white oak stake into Klaus's heart. She awoke with a stronger fear than the last time and instinctively went to Klaus's room, expecting to find him in bed asleep. Disappointed that he was not there, her senses took over her guidance and she found the private art room where Klaus was asleep on an antique bed in the corner. Cami looked around and saw various canvasses of art, most of which featured dark and angry tones of color, which seemed to fit Klaus's personality perfectly. As she stood there in the doorway, unsure if he would welcome her invading his private space, his voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You may enter."

She walked over to the bed and stood next to it. Cami looked at his bare chest and couldn't take her eyes away. The moonlight filtering in through the windows highlighted the shape of his muscular arms and torso, intriguing her. She suddenly had a new appreciation for his nice physique. "May I sit down?"

"Of course." He watched her sit carefully next to him, slightly amused that she seemed nervous. "In my long years of experience, there are usually only two reasons an attractive woman would come to seek me out in the wee hours of the morning: the first would be her inability to sleep due to a sexual craving that only I could satiate, or two…"

"I've been having nightmares about you," she blurted out.

"Is that so?" He raised up on one elbow, intrigued by what she had to say. The first thought that went through his mind was that he was the monster chasing her in the nightmares, so he prepared himself to be vilified, as usual. "Camille, lay down next to me."

She did as he commanded, her heartbeat beginning to pick up the pace once again. She looked up at him and almost got lost in his soulful eyes.

"Now, tell me what happened."

"After you bite me in the dream, someone comes up behind you and stabs you with the white oak stake. First, it was Mikael, then it was someone I couldn't see."

Klaus leaned in closer. "Did this dream frighten you?"

"You being killed frightened me. It reminded me of the day Mikael stabbed you and I realized that I was not okay with you dying."

"And you saved my life. My beautiful, brave warrior." He caressed her face, using the back of his hand. "What can I do to help you sleep?"

"Just hold me. Please."

Klaus stared into her beautiful green eyes and smiled. Kissing her gently, he put his arms around her and she settled into his embrace.

Feeling safe and secure from the world in his arms, Cami fell into a peaceful slumber as the gentle rumbles of thunder signaled an oncoming storm outside.