Epilogue

Six months had passed since the day Klaus saved Milla's life. They sat at a small table that still managed to be intimate amid the bustle of New York City nightlife. A quiet dinner was their only plan. Milla wore a sky blue dress with spaghetti straps and a high squared neckline paired with tan high heeled pumps. The dress hit her well above the knee and clung like a second skin. It was her first trip to the city and she'd made sure she at least looked like she belonged.

Klaus smiled at her over his wine glass. He was also dressed for the occasion in a light grey shirt that opened at the throat and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Slim pants the same color and a matching vest that hung open made her heart race when he emerged from the bedroom in the apartment they were using in the city. It didn't matter what he wore, jeans or a tuxedo, he always made her heart pound out a clumsy rhythm.

He put his glass down and reached across the table to take her hand.

"Tell me what you are thinking." His demand really wasn't when it was accompanied by that smile she now knew so well. He asked her to tell him what she was thinking all the time.

Milla grinned. "That I've come all the way to New York to see the sights and still can't take my eyes off of you."

He laughed, long and loud. "Who is the flatterer now?"

Milla's smile grew. "I will never flatter you. Only truth."

Klaus laughed again, recognizing his own words being turned on him.

Milla's eyes narrowed automatically as a stranger approached them from behind him. A tall red head surrounded by a riot of curls to her waist and lips painted scarlet came to stand close to Klaus. Too close.

"I thought I knew that laugh." The woman purred at him with a husky tone. She wore a black sheath dress with a plunging neckline. Her large breasts were high and mostly on display.

The stranger turned eyes on Milla and dismissed her without missing a beat.

"I see you're raiding the schoolyard these days." She'd leaned down, giving Milla a clear view down her dress, though it was aimed at Klaus. One of her arms went around Klaus' shoulder as she leaned.

"Vivian." Klaus' discomfort was obvious. And it told Milla all she needed to know. Klaus sat up straighter in his chair, but kept his hand in Milla's, clearing his throat.

The full moon was high. It didn't force her to change, but did make her temper more touchy. So Milla was now annoyed, watching closely that arm and the hand that still laid against his shoulder. Red tipped nails stood out against pale skin and an ancient looking silver ring she now recognized as a daylight ring glimmered at her. A vamp. The realization made Milla smile.

"I can assure you, I'm all woman and all Were." Milla purred back at Vivian, imitating her tone as her eyes shifted to solid gold.

Vivian met her eyes and saw Milla, really, for the first time. She stood straight again, her eyes wide. But she still had that hand on Klaus' shoulder.

Milla's solid golden eyes met Klaus' and she smiled wickedly. "I think I'll bite this one. I like to watch them writhe."

Vivian looked down at Klaus. "A werewolf? Here? Really?" She made it sound sacrilege somehow.

Milla didn't give him time to answer the accusation. She released his hand and stood from her chair.

"Yes, Vivian. A werewolf. You should also know there's a full moon tonight and you now have your hands On. My. Mate." Her voice deepened progressively, the last words becoming a low pitched growl.

Vivian snatched her hand away, her eyes going wide as she turned quickly for the door.

Milla watched Vivian pick up her pace and hit the exit before she sat back down again. Looking up at Klaus, she sighed. "How many times will I have to do that while we're here, do you think?"

Threatening strange women was becoming a hobby of hers. These women were all just…horrible. And under the impression that Klaus was unchanged. He could, and would, correct them gently. But if Milla was with him, her instincts often kicked in and words were had. They all seemed to think there was a revolving door in his life and they were welcome to walk through it. Milla had gotten good at reeducating them.

They also gave her a clear picture of who he used to be, and the contrasts with who he was now. It made her love and appreciate him and the changes even more, rather than make her angry with him. She still understood and believed that the other person who spent time with these women was someone else. He had much better taste than this.

She realized after a moment that Klaus was smiling broadly at her. That managed to annoy her, too.

"You think it's funny?"

He reached for her hand, his smile dimming a little. "No. Of course not. I am sorry about that. But Vivian has a large social circle for her audience and a weakness for gossip. I would say that word in the city will travel fast."

Klaus didn't mention the scandal it would cause because he frankly didn't care.

He paused to search her eyes. His head cocked slightly to one side, he said, "You have never called me your mate before."

Milla's face flushed. She hadn't even realized she'd said it. They had been together, their lives enmeshed for a blissful six months.

Her father had gotten used to the fact that she spent many of her nights at Klaus' home. Klaus had bought a four bedroom house with twenty acres that bordered the western edge of Elijah's land. Milla had smiled when she realized the cliff where they made love for the first time was included in the property he had purchased.

Much of her time was spent with him, in the warmth of his bed. But they had both carefully avoided defining this thing between them. They were just "together". Anything more definite than that made Milla's stomach clench.

"I was angry." She whispered. Her eyes on the table.

"So you did not mean it." His questions often sounded like statements, like he believed he already knew the answer. His voice had shifted to a gruff, thick sound Milla knew meant he was injured. Her eyes moved over him and he was the one staring at the tabletop now.

She squeezed his hand and he looked up at her. "I love you. It just feels dangerous to say things like that out loud."

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair while he watched her closely as she went on.

"We really only do this once, you know. My dad mated with my mom and they were together for a few years before I came along. Two years into raising me, she disappeared. We know now what happened. But he spent years believing she was still alive and still wore the wedding ring she gave him during their bonding ceremony. There won't ever be another for him. That is why this feels like a mine field to me."

His expression shifted again and stark pain looked back at her as he sat back in his chair.

"So it is a matter of time for exploring your options." The words were a whisper from him.

"No." The denial rushed out of her as she reached across the table with her other hand and covered his one with both of hers. She just needed to make him understand.

"I'm not holding out for something better because it doesn't exist. It's a matter of me overcoming a commitment phobia I didn't know I had. I'm working on it. I love you. I'm just asking you to be patient with me for what comes next. Please."

His blue eyes moved slowly over her face and the cautious pain faded away. He nodded once.

"You should know, with Vivian leaving here that way, it might have been more subtle to put an engagement announcement in The Post." He pointed that out with one eyebrow raised, watching her expressions again.

Milla drew a deep breath. That was her fault. Her temper always made her say more than she meant to.

"I'm sorry about that." She told him.

"I am not." She looked up into denim blue eyes that moved over her with tenderness. He said more with his eyes than his lips at times.

"What about a compromise?" She leaned forward, ready to plead her case. She'd been working up the nerve for this for weeks.

"Such as?" He leaned back in his chair again and crossed his arms over his chest, looking prepared for lengthy negotiations.

"What if we move in together?" She already had her list of good reasons ready. "That way if you decide you can't stand the way I chew, or that the way I put the cap on the toothpaste is going to drive you nuts we can…."

"Yes."

Milla was ticking off reasons on her fingers and stopped at his quick answer. There were still four more to go. Looking up from her hand, she met smiling eyes.

"You didn't let me finish."

"I am not the one who needed convincing." His smile made her pulse pound.

They sat smiling at one another as dinner arrived. After a few bites, Milla sat back, shifting in her seat.

"What is wrong?" Niklaus asked her, his head cocked to one side again.

Her face became a small grimace of discomfort and she leaned forward, speaking quietly.

"This dress." She shifted again. "When I put it on, I figured out pretty quickly that anything I wore under it was clearly visible. So, I had to…." Her voice trailed off as she met his eyes over the table.

Denim blue eyes narrowed as they moved over her.

His voice was harsh when he spoke. "Not wear anything under it?"

She nodded making a self-conscious face.

He was the one shifting in his chair then. Heat came to life in his eyes like a match being struck.

"We should go." He rasped at her.

Milla hid her smile when he stood, going in search of the check. She'd been doing this for a while when he got all wise and masterful. He'd be irritable now, caught in the singular focus of them being alone again. Klaus hadn't noticed the pattern yet, his mind being on other things and all.

Relationships are all about balance, Milla thought, as she watched his fast stride back to her holding out a hand. The heat in his eyes kindled to a roaring flame as she stood and he casually ran a hand from her shoulder to her hip, feeling nothing else on her aside from the dress.

He wouldn't be satisfied now until he had stripped away the dress, seeing for himself there was nothing under it.

Now, Milla's greatest challenge would be keeping him from seeing her sly smile.

Author's note:

Driven by Klaus' stark honesty, I'm going to admit that I didn't write Milla intending she would be Klaus' eventual mate. I can't claim to be that clever. These characters tend to take on lives of their own. I was as surprised as anyone in Only and Always with Klaus' interest in Milla. I told someone I thought he might have a "wolf-crush" at the time. It ran deeper than I had imagined. I'm honestly always surprised by these characters.

This story in particular, caught my interest because I've always wondered what Niklaus would be like with his humanity. I honestly had no idea who he would be other than Elijah's terse description of his younger brother before his humanity drained away in Only and Always. It's been fun getting to know him. I found a complex blend of honesty, vulnerability, confidence and strength that frankly fascinated me. I've not written a character quite so transparent in his communication as Klaus is. Whatever he thinks flits across his face and he has the confidence not to care or hide. I think he's just glad to be feeling something.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing. That is my payoff.