So I saw that at least one of you (though I bet there are lots more of you out there who agree with this) wanted more Klaus/Cassandra and I am happy to say this chapter is about 95% Klaus/Cassandra goodness, so you won't be disappointed in the least. There's actually plenty more of the two of them in upcoming chapters too, but there's also more Cassandra/Elijah too. I think you all will be surprised about the direction this chapter takes at the end because it's different than what happened to Hayley. But that's what I've had so much fun doing with this story...figuring out what the best path for Cassandra. Anyway, thank you so much for the support. You guys are truly the best. I can't believe I'm a little over halfway done with season one. Wow time flies when you're having a blast. Enjoy and happy reading!
Chapter 14 - Calming the Raging Mad Hybrid
It pained Cassandra to watch Klaus lying in his bed, twitching and gasping in pain from the blade embedded inside his chest. She glanced around, wondering where Elijah was. After they had arrived back at the compound, she'd assisted him with removing Klaus's shirt and getting him into bed, but now he seemed to have vanished.
"Five more minutes. I'm done waiting after that. I'll get the blade out myself," she murmured, reaching out to stroke Klaus's scruff covered cheek.
"That won't be necessary," Elijah appeared, right on cue, concealing something in his hand. "I can assure you, I will remove it, but I need you to do something first."
"And what's that?" Cassandra eyed him warily, folding her arms across her chest. He opened his hand to reveal a syringe, causing her eyes to widen slightly. "What's that for?"
"You, hopefully. Once I remove the dagger, Niklaus will be weak. He'll need to feed. That's where you come in. By injecting this vervain into your bloodstream, he'll be able feed on you. It will burn him, and he'll ingest it slower, which also makes his recovery take longer. Perhaps you'll be able to use that time to convince him not to murder his baby sister. You are the only one that he'll want to be around right now, the only one he'll listen to." Elijah explained his plan.
"Is it safe for the baby? Because she's a quarter vampire, and I know what vervain does to your species. If it's going to hurt her..." Cassandra trailed off, placing her empty hand on her stomach.
Elijah's face softened. "I wouldn't ask if I thought, even for a second, that it would harm your baby." He paused, taking a moment to think. "Your friend Camille, she's on vervain is she not? I can ask her to come over if you don't want to—"
"No!" Cassandra snapped sharply. "I do not want to involve her in this. She has enough to deal with right now. I'll do it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Like you said, I'm the only one he'll be able to stand being around right now."
Taking a deep breath, she peeled her sweater off and tossed on the bed, then turned back to Elijah and held out her arm. He gently gripped her forearm with his free hand and pressed his thumb along the area directly below her elbow crease, searching for the proper vein. When he found it and lowered his hand containing the syringe to her arm, she looked away. She pinched her eyes shut, wincing from the pinch of the needle piercing her skin. A few seconds later it was over.
"That will do," Elijah murmured softly, holding his thumb against the injection site for a few seconds. "How do you feel?"
"I feel fine," Cassandra answered.
"Good. If there were to be any affects, they'd be almost instantaneous, so the absence of them is a very good sign." He let go of her arm left the room to dispose of the used syringe. When he returned less than a minute later, he was carrying a medium sized bowl of water covered with a hand towel and a scalpel. He set everything down on the end table next to the bed and removed his jacket, draping it over the back of a nearby chair. He quickly rolled up his sleeves and moved to stand by the bed where Klaus was lying. He picked up the towel covered bowl of water and moved it to the other side of where he stood with one hand while picking up the scalpel with the other. "You might want to take a step back."
Cassandra nodded and shuffled over to the foot of the bed. Her eyes widened as she watched Elijah press the scalpel into Klaus's chest and dragged it along the bright red scar the blade had left, causing Klaus to let out a raspy breath. She could not stop herself from gasping when Elijah thrust his bare hand inside Klaus's chest and felt around for the hilt of the dagger. He pulled his hand out a few seconds later, releasing Klaus from its torture. Klaus let out a loud sigh and slowly blinked his eyes open. Elijah set the bloody dagger on top of the bowl and dipped his hands in the water to clean them off. He used the towel to dry them and then moved them over to the dresser where they were out of the way. He went back over to the bed and leaned down over his brother.
"Niklaus," he whispered. "It was not my desire to bring you pain, but I will not see you hurt Rebekah. Now, I fear Sabine may be making a final move against us. I intend to find her and to end this."
He started turn away when Klaus turned his head and called out in a raspy whisper. "Elijah." Elijah slowly turned back and leaned down toward his brother again. "You will pay for this," Klaus growled in a soft voice.
Cassandra watched as Elijah pressed his lips together and turned to leave. She knew she should tell him about Sabine/Celeste's whereabouts, but she remained silent. She wanted Hayley to have as much time as she possibly could to get the witch to agree to break the curse on the Crescent Wolves. She was certain Elijah planned to kill Celeste, and if he did so before she could undo the curse, the wolves would be stuck forever. Shaking those thoughts away, she hurried over to the side of the bed and sat down beside Klaus.
"Cassandra," he croaked, raising his hand to cup her cheek.
"Hey you," she murmured, smiling at him. She turned her head slightly and brushed her lips against the palm of his hand. She took a deep breath and held her right arm out to him. "I know it's not what you'd prefer, but you need to drink so you'll begin to heal."
He nodded and gingerly took hold of her arm as he lifted his head and pressed his mouth against her wrist, piercing her skin with his fangs. She winced from the pinch and lurched forward as he drank hungrily.
"Elijah said the vervain would burn," she relayed what she'd been told.
Klaus let out a loud gasp as he pulled his head back and released her wrist. He swallowed what was left in mouth and licked his lips clean. "It does, but the line between what brings us pain and what sustains us is far thinner than one imagines."
"You talking about my blood or your need to hunt down your sister?" Cassandra raised her eyebrows as wiped the residual drops of blood from her wrist after the puncture marks had healed. "Marcel told Elijah and me about what he and Rebekah did in 1919."
"So you understand then, why they must die?"
"Understand why you feel the need to kill them? Absolutely. Doesn't mean I agree with you on the matter, but then I care about Rebekah like she was my own sister and don't want her to die by anyone's hands."
"It's not up for discussion, love," Klaus spoke in a low voice. He slowly sat up and scooted to the opposite edge of the bed. As he moved his legs over the side of the mattress he turned his head. "Did Marcellus or Rebekah mention that I had given them my blessing to finally be together mere hours before Mikael showed up?"
"What?" Cassandra gasped.
"Yes," Klaus hummed as he leaned forward towards his dresser a couple of feet away and dug out a dark brown cotton button up shirt to put on. "We had finally found a home here, so I no longer felt the need to protect my beloved baby sister from a broken heart. I let my guard down and given into happiness, more fool, I."
"Well," Cassandra sighed as Klaus put on the shirt and fastened the buttons before laying back down. "I guess it's a good thing Marcel and Rebekah are long gone. They could be anywhere in the world by now."
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that," Klaus eyed her as a wicked grin tugged at the corners of his lips. He went onto explain the logic behind his remark. "There's only one way they'd truly be able to hide from me for all time. They'll need a cloaking spell, and for that, they'll need a witch."
"Davina," Cassandra realized.
"Yes," Klaus nodded. "To get her back, they'll need to kill the witches that came back after the Harvest. They don't know the right witch to kill to bring her back, so they'll have to kill them all. There's only one place they can go—home."
"Ugh. Why do you have to be right?" She groaned, shaking her head. Klaus let out a weak chuckle as he sat up and inched over to the foot of the bed. Using the post of the bed frame for support he tried to stand up, but he could barely support his own weight. She quickly caught him before he fell and guided him back down onto the bed. "You're still weak."
"I'm still hungry," he whispered. "There's a fresh blood supply in the kitchen."
"Nope," Cassandra shook her head. She quickly sat down on his lap, straddling him, and rested her hands on his shoulders. "Mmmm, I like this, overpowering you for a change."
"Don't get used to it, love," he rolled his eyes. "I can assure you it's temporary. Once I get some fresh blood in me I'll be as good as new and back to being the stronger one again."
"Well, I better enjoy this while I can," she smiled at him. She offered up her wrist to him again. "Here, drink some more."
He didn't need to be told twice and obediently placed his mouth against her skin. She didn't wince this time as his fang sang into her flesh. He drank for a few long moments before pulling away and releasing her arm. Reluctantly, she moved off of his lap, allowing him the chance to stand.
"Has anyone told you the details of the night my father tried to kill me and forced us to flee the beautiful home we'd made?" Klaus eyed her curiously.
"No."
"Well, allow me to regale you with this gruesome tale," he motioned for her to walk with him as he began to shuffle slowly towards the door. "On that particular night, we'd received a gift of tickets to the evenings opera from our newly formed werewolf allies. Le Huguenots. Do you know it?"
"No. I'm not familiar with that one," she shook her head as she walked beside him.
"I have always had a particular soft spot for Le Huguenots. I like the story. It was a tale of forbidden love, a 'Romeo and Juliet' of sorts. On the day they are to marry, family and long-festering hatred intervene. Thousands are massacred. A father even kills his own child in the final act. I can almost appreciate the irony."
"Wow. It sounds tragically beautiful, just like Romeo and Juliet."
"Correct."
"Okay. So, you attended the Opera. What happened next?" She stopped just inside the doorway to the Parlor Room, watching as he continued to make his way across to a table next to the far window where a small circular tray with crystal glasses and a liquor decanter had been set.
"Not sure that helps," she called out as she leaned against the door frame while he poured some of the golden brown liquor into a glass.
He set the decanter back down and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Not sure it doesn't," he muttered and turned back to pick up the glass of bourbon.
"Well," she sighed, making her way over to him. "I guess that's better than my vervain-laced blood, no matter what Elijah says."
Klaus turned toward her with the glass in his hand and pointed a finger at her. "Don't speak to me of Elijah," he growled softly.
"Oh, come on. Don't be mad at him," Cassandra tilted her head slightly. "He loves you. And Rebekah."
"Yes. He does, and he proves it time and again, even when my father enlisted him to kill me."
"Wait, what?"
"Ah," his lips slowly curled into a smile. "Big brother failed to mention that little detail didn't he?"
He went on to tell her about how their father had approached Elijah when he was getting ready for the Opera later that day in 1919. According to Elijah, Mikael only wanted to kill Klaus, calling him an abomination, and the only way to deal with abominations was to kill them. Her heart broke for Klaus, knowing what his father truly thought of him. She wanted nothing more than to rush over to him and wrap her arms around him in a comforting embrace, but she didn't move from where she stood. She was certain comfort was the last thing he wanted at that moment.
"Clearly, he didn't help though, seeing as you're still here," she commented.
Klaus took a long sip from his glass and swallowed before confirming her observation. "No, he did not. Elijah stood against our father, choosing me. He's always carried guilt for that night for not stopping Mikael. I told him not to blame himself. When your father wants to kill you, he wants to kill you. Nothing you can do about it."
Cassandra started to open her mouth to speak when Klaus's phone began to buzz from inside his pocket. She promptly pressed her lips back together as he set his glass down on the table and pulled out his phone.
"Oh, I hate to be a know-it-all," he put his phone back into his pocket after reading the message on the screen and looked back at her. "My sister and her lover have been spotted it town, so story time endeth here, I'm afraid." He walked over to a ceramic statue that was resting on a stand propped up beside a brick wall and pushed it onto the ground, causing the base to break cleanly off.
Cassandra gasped and covered her mouth as she watched him kneel down and pull out a long, silver stake that had been hidden inside the statue. "Oh my god. The indestructible white oak stake. How did you—"
"Elijah gave it to me after he'd made the decision to let our sister have the cure," Klaus twirled it around in his hands. "I believe you were here in the city. He thought it would provide some comfort, having the one thing that can kill us in my possession. I suppose for a time it did, but now I aim to put it to good use."
She knew he was planning to kill Rebekah with it, but before she could say anything he whooshed out of the room. She shook her head and took off after him, going down the stairs as quickly as she could before racing to the corridor that led out to the street. She looked around and groaned when she spotted him a dozen yards away feeding on an innocent bystander.
"What are you doing?" She shouted as she rushed over to him.
He dropped the body once he finished feeding and wiped his mouth as he turned around to face her. "Well, if you have to ask, you obviously haven't been paying attention. I'm going to kill my sister, but first, I needed some sustenance with a little less vervain in it, no offense sweetheart."
"Klaus," Cassandra shook his comment away as she approached him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Please, please don't do this. Don't kill your sister. You may not regret it today, or tomorrow, or a year from now, but one day your anger and thirst for revenge will fade, and you will realize the horrible mistake you made. Don't do it. Don't take away our daughter's aunt. What's she going to think of you when she learns the truth someday because we both know a secret like this will come out eventually. Do you really want to give your daughter a reason to hate you? Because that's exactly what will happen."
"How dare you threaten me with our child?" he leaned in, sneering in her face. It sent a fear crippling chill down her spine, which must have been reflected in her eyes because he instantly softened his face and backed off.
"I'm just being honest with you, okay?" She murmured calmly. "Of all your siblings, you're closest to Rebekah. You won't survive if you're the one who kills her."
"I'll tell you what I almost didn't survive, love—my sister bringing the most vile creature ever to have walked the earth down upon me."
"Yes, I know, your father, but think about this before you go whooshing away again. By hunting Rebekah down to the ends of the earth, by terrorizing them just as you yourself were terrorized, you'll be no different than him. Don't become your father, Klaus. You are so much better than that, better than him."
"You know, I never thought you, of all people, would consider me to be as vile a monster as he was. He was the monster monsters were of. Come. Let me show you."
He gently reached for her upper arm and guided her down the street. She kept her mouth shut as they walked, knowing he would explain soon enough. They didn't go far, just a few blocks over. When they came to a stop on the corner, he turned her around to face a huge three story hotel with a bunch flag poles hanging over the entrance with flags from several different countries dangling on the ends.
"Allow me to give you a little lesson on the history of this great city. On this very spot there used to be the most glorious Opera House. When it burned to the ground in 1919, that was my father at his worst," he spoke softly in her ear. He went on to tell her about that fateful night.
It was to be Rebekah and Marcel's first public date since gaining Klaus's blessing, but Marcel was unusually late. Rebekah left her seat in one of the private upper boxes they'd reserved to go look for him. That's when Mikael made his presence known to Klaus. Klaus was unable to flee due to the white oak dagger Mikael held against his back, and was forced to endure more abusive chatter from the man he called father. Mikael refused to kill him quickly, wanting to first tell him of his grand plan. Once Klaus was dead, he would remain in the town that Klaus and his siblings had built until every last person who remembered him is dead. No one would know of the great things he did in the city. It would be like he never existed. But first, Mikael wanted Klaus to enjoy the show he was at the theater to see.
"And what a show it was," Klaus murmured. "I'll spare you the gruesome details of what I saw on stage. To put it lightly, Mikael had killed my werewolf queen ally and left her body on display. Marcel was barely conscious and staked to a wooden cross by his hands. Mikael had compelled the audience to watch it all, applaud as if it were the drollest of comedies and then to leave celebrating a terrific night at the opera. I tried to save Marcel. My father had other ideas. Rebekah attempted to intervene. All these years, I actually believed she was trying to save me. But then, big brother swooped in, just when we thought all was lost. And so I ran, beaten like the dog my father believed me to be. And as we fled for our lives, he burnt it all to the ground and with it, we assumed, Marcel. I lived, but all that we had built died, as did the last shred of me that felt human. Although," he paused, reaching a hand out to gently caress her cheek. "I must admit, since I met you, those shreds seem to slowly be returning."
Cassandra smiled at him. "You know I love you, right? Crazy hybrid temper and all."
"I do," he nodded once. "I want you to know, Cassandra, that I will not become my father. I will not terrorize my sister and her lover for centuries. Nor will I humiliate or dehumanize them. No, none of that. I will simply and quickly end them."
She blinked and he was gone, having taken off at vampire speed. She ran back down the street to the compound and retrieved her cell phone from the bedroom. Her hands shook as she sent Rebekah a text, warning her about Klaus, and then dialed Elijah's number.
"Come on, come on, pick up," she muttered under breath as she paced around the room.
"Cassandra," Elijah answered after a number of rings. "Now isn't really a good—"
"Klaus has the white oak stake! He's going to kill Rebekah. I couldn't stop him!" she blurted out in one breath.
Elijah tightened his jaw as he processed this startling revelation. "Where is he now?"
"I have no idea. We were standing out on the street in front of the corner where the old Opera House was before it burned down and he whooshed away after announcing his plan to kill Rebekah and Marcel."
"I'll find him. Stay at the compound."
"Okay. Were you ever able to track down Celeste?"
"I was. You needn't worry. She will no longer be a problem for us or anyone else, nor will she be able to inhabit anymore bodies."
"Oh no," Cassandra's heart sank. "She's dead, isn't she?"
"You sound disappointed," Elijah spoke softly.
"Oh, I'm glad she's dead. It's just…I was hoping she would be able to undo the curse on the Crescent Wolves first. She's..she was the only one who could do it."
"She did. She made an elixir for the wolves to drink during the next full moon. Before you ask, I can assure you that it will work."
"Oh my god," Cassandra felt her eyes tear up as her heart swelled with joy and relief. "She did it. Hayley got her to do it. I had no idea if she'd be able to succeed in getting Celeste to break the curse, but she did. Ak! You have no idea how happy I am about this, Elijah. They're finally going to be free."
"Yes, they are, largely in part because of you and your determination to help them. Now, I need to go find Rebekah before Niklaus does," he let out a soft breath.
"Okay. Will…" she trailed off, realizing he had already hung up. She let out a breath as she slowly sunk down to sit on the edge of the bed. She stared down as she brought a hand up to her round baby bump. "Oh, baby girl. Your dad is on a real tear right now. I hope your Uncle Elijah is more successful at calming him down than I was."
She fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling as a feeling of helplessness settled within her. She had been so certain that she would be able to calm Klaus down and talk him out of seeking revenge on his sister, but she'd failed. Tears of frustration tickled the corners of her eyes, threatening to make their appearance known. She quickly rubbed them away before they could fall and focused on her breathing to calm herself down.
A moment later, her phone began to buzz from beside her on the bed. She rocketed up to a sitting position and snatched it up. Her heart raced inside her chest as she read Rebekah's flashing name on her screen.
"Rebekah! Oh my god!" She gasped into the phone after answering it. "Please tell me you are far, far away from New Orleans."
"I got your message. Thanks for that, by the way. Unfortunately, I can't," Rebekah sighed sadly. "Marcel and I were about to leave, but he wanted to kill the witches and grab Davina first.
"Yeah, Klaus figured you two would do that."
"And now my brothers and I are trapped in the cemetery until the next moonrise thanks to the Sabine…or Celeste, or whatever the bloody hell she was going by these days."
"You're WHAT?" Cassandra shrieked. "Klaus has the white oak stake. He means to kill you, Rebekah."
"Oh, calm down. I am well aware of what Nik wants to do to me. Elijah won't let him get anywhere near me if it's any consolation," Rebekah tried to give Cassandra some reassurance to cling to.
"You know what? Neither will I," Cassandra scrambled onto her feet. "I'm coming to the cemetery."
"No, you need to stay put."
"Think about it, Rebekah. Klaus isn't going to hurt me. I'm the perfect human shield, so as long as you keep me in front of you, he won't attack you. Or, at the very least, he'll move me out of the way, giving you that split second to flee."
Rebekah let out a soft hiss. "You know what? Fine. If you really insist on coming down here, obviously I can't stop you. How about a compromise? You wait until morning."
"Fine," Cassandra sighed. "I'll text you when get there."
"Alright then. I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow. Try not to worry too much about me, okay? The stress won't be good for you or the baby."
"I'll try. Watch your back, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."
After ending the call, Cassandra lowered her arm back to her side and sunk down onto the edge of the bed. She couldn't believe they were trapped for the next twenty four hours. Yeah, there's no way I'm getting any sleep tonight, she shook her head. You know what? Screw it! She jumped to her feet and marched out of the room with a renewed determination in her step. She went into Rebekah's room and dug a decent sized messenger bag out of her closet. Carrying the strap on her shoulder, she headed downstairs into the kitchen and grabbed a couple bottles of water, an apple and a banana, and a bunch of granola bars from the pantry. She quickly stuffed them inside the bag, deciding it would have to do, at least until the morning. She made sure the bag was sipped up tight before dashing back upstairs to grab her coat from the bedroom closet. She slipped it on and fastened the buttons.
"Now all I need are either Klaus's or Elijah's car keys," she murmured softly. She went over to the dresser and smiled at seeing a set of car keys placed off to the side. She scooped them up and hurried back downstairs. She briskly made her way through the courtyard to the corridor where the gate leading outside was and all but ran out to where Klaus's SUV was parked. Once she was sitting in the driver's seat with her seat belt buckled, she pulled up the address for Lafayette Cemetery on her phone and scanned the route she needed to take to get there. It was a pretty easy drive, with only a couple of turns along the thirty block distance.
She did her best not to speed as she drove. The last thing she wanted to do was attract unnecessary attention. When the entrance to the cemetery finally came into view, she thought her heart was going to pop out of her chest. She parked the car along the street and grabbed the messenger bag, looping the strap over her right shoulder as she climbed out. She quickly walked over to the entrance gate and slowly took a step inside. Using her phone as her light source, she held it in front of her so she could see the paved footpath in front of her.
"Nice job, Cass. You grab food and water, but you don't think to grab a flashlight," she muttered to herself under her breath. Knowing Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah could be any number of places inside the huge grounds. She knew better than to call out for any of them, instead walking silently as she listened as carefully as she could.
Out of nowhere a hand shot out from behind her covering her mouth so she couldn't scream. She was pulled off the path to the back side of one of the mausoleums and pushed up against it.
"Sssssh," Rebekah whispered as she appeared in front of Cassandra. She waited a beat before lowering her hand back to her side. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"
"Protecting you," Cassandra whispered back. "I know you said to wait, but it's not like I was going to get any sleep being at the compound all by myself knowing you three are trapped here. Don't worry, I packed food."
"Of course you did," Rebekah rolled her eyes. A sudden roaring yell caused Cassandra to flinch and look towards the direction it had come from. "Yes, that was Nik. You best get used to it. He's barely gotten started."
"Oh no. Maybe I should—"
"No. Just let him be. Elijah can handle him."
"Okay," Cassandra slowly nodded her head.
"Good. Follow me," Rebekah motioned with her head. She led the way to another mausoleum with gates that were wide open.
Cassandra was surprised to find a bunch of scattered lit candles casting dim light once they went inside. She couldn't help noticing the cobweb covered coffins tucked away in the back and shuddered at the thought of who's eternal home they were invading. Not wanting to dwell on it, she promptly shook the morbid thought as far from her mind as humanly possible.
"Since you insist on being here, this will have to do." Rebekah turned around to face her. "Go on and make yourself comfortable. It's going to be a long night."
"Okay," Cassandra nodded. As she looked around for a place to sit that wasn't completely covered in dirt and grime, she mentally kicked herself for not thinking to grab a blanket. Eventually she took to sitting on the ground and leaned back against an open space along the brick wall. She blinked and stifled a yawn as the long day finally caught up with her.
"You should try to get some sleep," Rebekah urged her after sensing her exhaustion. "You won't be of any use to anyone tomorrow morning if you try to stay up all night."
"You promise not to go anywhere and lock me in here?" Cassandra raised her eyebrows.
"Yes, I promise. Despite our difference of opinion on your being here, I am rather touched that you came. Besides, there's nowhere for me to go anyway. Not until tomorrow evening," Rebekah walked over and took a seat beside Cassandra. "Get some rest. I'll be right here when you wake."
"Okay," Cassandra nodded, allowing herself to yawn. Rebekah peeled off her coat and folded it up so Cassandra could use it as a pillow. After getting it situated beside her, Cassandra carefully laid down and shifted around until she found a comfortable position on her side. "Ugh, why do I have a feeling I'm going to pay for sleeping on the hard ground like this in the morning?"
Rebekah's lips slowly curled into a small smile. "Oh, I'm sure either of my brothers would be more than willing to give you a back massage if you asked. In case you've failed to notice, you pretty much have the pair of them wrapped around your finger."
"Well, Klaus for sure, but you really think that applies to Elijah too?" Cassandra blinked in surprise.
"You know what?" Rebekah's smile widened as an idea came to her. "Let's put it to the test. The next time you need a favor, ask him for help and see how quickly he drops whatever he's doing to assist you."
"Deal," Cassandra chuckled softly. She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh as her body finally began to relax.