Chapter 21 - Go It Alone

I waited for Elijah to come up to my room and talk to me, but he never did. I'd been sitting on the bed with my head down for over three hours, trying to figure out what had happened, where everything went wrong, why things were the way they were now, but I couldn't. I was shocked and distraught, I couldn't think straight, and I couldn't stop trembling. I needed Elijah, the calm and collected Elijah, to come upstairs and comfort me. All I needed was an explanation and apology, which he'd done before for things far less than what had just happened, but now for some reason he wasn't. The worst part about it was that I had absolutely no clue of what I did that made him so angry.

The little surprise Klaus had left me didn't help either. Threats from him were nothing new to me, in fact I got worried when he didn't threaten me, but the note just seemed so personal and creepy. That on top of what happened with Elijah… I didn't know if I could take it. I'd been holding back tears since Elijah had blown up at me, but now the dam burst wide open. I was sobbing uncontrollably, shaken to my core, and in less than a minute I was on the ground hyperventilating. I felt so cold, and alone. I had no one in my corner, no one to stand up for me and comfort me, and I couldn't even help myself right now. I tried to calm myself down, knowing I would go into cardiac arrest soon if I didn't put an end to the stress my body was in. I would die temporarily, but that didn't seem like such a bad thing at the moment. A break from reality would be a welcome escape, even if it came in the form of death.

I laid on the floor, crying my heart out, my lungs aching from convulsing with each ragged breath. I was undone, broken, and I didn't know how to fix it. Elijah had shouted at me so harshly, and the way he looked at me, it was with pure hatred. I was desperate for comfort, but there was no one to give it to me. I recalled my uncle's promise to always hold me, but did not find the comfort that usually accompanied the thought. Elijah always kept his word unless it was beyond his control, but he was choosing to break the promises he'd made to me.

I didn't know what or why, but something changed that day. The following weeks were brutal. The atmosphere of the house shifted so drastically that it didn't even feel like home anymore. Conversations with Elijah were formal and succinct, and I was always walking on eggshells around him. He didn't hug me or kiss my forehead anymore, he never asked what was on my mind and heart - most days he wouldn't even look at me. At first I'd tried reaching out to him. I'd sit in his study with him while he read, I'd bring him a blood bag whenever I was having one, and I'd occasionally go up to him and wrap my arms around his waist, but nothing I did ever evoked a response. The distance just kept growing wider and wider, and my heart broke just a little bit more with each rejection.

This went on for months. December turned to January, and my birthday passed without any acknowledgement from Elijah. February came, and our relationship just kept deteriorating. Now it was March, and things still weren't any better. Elijah and I barely spoke, and I hadn't left the house in over a month. I was constantly jumping out of my skin at every little noise because Klaus had yet to fulfill his threat, but I knew that he could come for me at any moment - and he would come. My heart was shattered, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand for things to be like this. I decided that today I would approach Elijah and make him talk to me, enough was enough.

I marched into my uncle's study, forcefully shoving the door so it banged against the wall. I'd been nothing but quiet and sweet for the past two months, and now it was time to be a bit bolder because sweet clearly wasn't getting me anywhere. Yes, I was still saddened by how he was acting toward me, but feeling sorry for myself wouldn't do any good. If I wanted this to change, I had to make it happen. I'd been bottling up an awful lot since Christmas, and it was all about to explode. My fiery side was stoked, and I was ready for things to get as ugly as necessary.

Elijah's brown eyes flicked up at my noisy entrance. I felt a pang in my chest as those eyes still lacked the tenderness they formerly graced me with. I did my best not to let the sadness sink back in. It had taken a lot of personal peptalk and preparation to push out the sorrow and work up the courage to face Elijah. I had to put the emotions that made me vulnerable aside for now and deal with the situation in front of me. I could cry again later.

"Here's how this is going to work," I began. "You and I are going to have a conversation, a real conversation, and neither of us are going to leave this damn room until we figure this out. I don't know what I did to piss you off to the point where you barely acknowledge my existence, but I'm not going to take it any longer. I deserve better, and you know it. You taught me to know my worth, so this is me taking that lesson to heart and standing up for myself."

"Fiona, have you ever considered you might not be the center of the given universe?" Elijah said tersely.

"No, actually, I haven't," I said, striding to stand right in front of his desk. "I haven't considered it because I never thought of myself as the center of the universe. However, you have told me in the past that I was your heart and soul, that I was your pride and joy, that I was the person you would sacrifice anything and everything for. And I in turn cherished you as much as you valued me. You adored me and I admired you, we were a family, what happened to that?"

"You are not my child, Fiona," Elijah said harshly. "You are not my daughter, not my burden to bear. You are Niklaus' responsibility; my parental guardianship over you was meant to be short-lived. But over the course of my shift as your steward, I've seen that you're more trouble than you're worth, and I do not blame Niklaus one bit for leaving you behind. You may not understand that, Fiona, just as I do not understand why you continue to bother me when I've made it perfectly clear that I have no interest in this nonsense."

"Because you've taken everything from me, Elijah!" I screamed, angry and frustrated beyond comprehension. "You were my comfort! My refuge! My fortress! You swore you would love and protect me, always and forever, but now you're treating me like trash! I trusted you, put my faith in you, loved you, because you promised you would never let me go! I anchored my heart to you and believed that you were my strength, and that as long as I had you, I could withstand anything this miserable eternity throws at me. You were the person I looked up to and loved the most, every day I was thankful for you. You were my everything, Elijah. You've stolen that, you've shattered it, and you've broken me."

Tears were streaming down my face, and trying to stop them was futile. "So the least you can do is tell me what the hell it is I did to make you do that," I finished.

Elijah looked down and adjusted his cufflinks. I stood there in the unbearable silence for several minutes, falling to more pieces every second. He didn't show any sign of sympathy or regret, he didn't seem to care at all that I was hurting. He wouldn't even look at me. That alone made me want to kill myself. I waited, and waited, and waited for him to answer my question, but his silence didn't relent.

"I don't understand why you're so angry with me, Uncle Elijah," I said, unable to keep the sadness out of my voice. "Can we please talk?"

"I have nothing to say to you," he said, getting up and walking briskly away.

I flashed in front of him. "Yeah, well I have plenty."

"Fiona Nikol, I have no desire to listen to any more of your whining. You've been on my every last nerve for weeks, and I am bored with all of your moping around, begging for scraps of affection. I believe I've expressed numerous times that I don't have the patience nor the regard to hear you cry and plead. You should be embarrassed; at your age, partaking in such antics is positively ridiculous. To speak concisely, you are being quite pathetic. It's revolting, and I am subjected to such detritus day in and day out. Perhaps it's time you find someplace else to live," Elijah said sharply.

And the hole in my heart ripped open wider. Angry tears formed in my eyes again as something became unmistakably and irrevocably evident; Elijah was hurting me on purpose. I didn't know what for, but there was clearly no point in sticking around waiting for him to explain. I had to go on what he was telling me as the truth, which was that he'd had enough of me. Well, if that was the case, then fine, the feeling was mutual. I'd had enough of this too.

"Perhaps I should," I snapped.

I ran right out the door and didn't look back. I allowed the angry tears to fall as I raced away from the plantation. I'd spent the past couple months being utterly heartbroken over how things were with Elijah, obsessing over what I could have possibly done to make him treat me the way he was, but now I was finally realizing that Elijah was hurting me on purpose. That pissed me off so much I could barely see. Maybe it was because I'd become too much of a burden, maybe it was because he wanted his life to restore to what it had been before I'd entered the picture, maybe it was because I put my left shoe on first. Whatever the reason, he couldn't be bothered to tell me. What a hypocritical fucking prick.

I ran at supernatural speed until I'd blown off enough steam to think sensibly again. I managed to quell my anger to the point where the rage wouldn't be overpowering, and I realized I needed to be prudent now that I was on my own. I hadn't yet decided what to do next, and I needed a little space to figure it out. I didn't want to run anymore, but I didn't want to go into the Quarter either. I needed a place that was quieter, with less bodies, and less busy. The cemetery sounded nice, but I would more than likely get myself in trouble with the witches. I contemplated going across the river into Algiers, but Marcel had made it pretty clear that I wasn't welcome there. Lord, not having a place to call home was bothering me already.

With nowhere better to go, I wandered aimlessly and found myself in the Lower Ninth Ward, an area of New Orleans that was still struggling to recover from the hurricane. There were craters in the pavement, houses were ramshackle and vacant - aside from the squatters that had taken up residence, and the people that had stuck around were some of the poorest in the community. Most of the Ward consisted of clumsily repaired duplexes and trailer homes. It was prime territory for gang activity, but the most dangerous person around was me. That thought was both sad and invigorating, I'd always had a love-hate relationship with my power.

I sat on a rusty swing at an abandoned playground near the water. It was cloudy and only about fifty-five degrees out, and a chilly gust of wind blew strands of hair around my face. I pushed my feet into the rocky ground and swung slowly back and forth, the metal creaking and groaning in protest with every movement. The cold gusts of wind were the kind that cleared your mind, and I felt myself relax a little. I found the bleakness of my surroundings oddly peaceful. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to simply breathe.

The air wasn't as sweet here as it was around the plantation. Perhaps it was because there the entire property was surrounded by oak trees and had a magnificent garden. The fields themselves were incredible, but the house that overlooked them so perfectly tied it all together. I missed the beauty of it already. Strange how something so beautiful on the outside could be so ugly on the inside. There had been days in the past months that were too difficult to bear, so I'd spent a lot of time outside. I'd discovered this huge boulder on one of the outer acres and every day since I'd found it, I'd gone back to think. I'd go to it whenever Elijah was acting cold toward me, after an argument with him, or simply when I couldn't stand to be in that toxic environment any longer. That rock had been my safe place, and I feared I'd never visit it again because now even that was too close to Elijah. How much more could the distance grow?

I remembered the first time Elijah had brought me to that house. He told me it was my new home, the home he and I would share and be a family in. I was so happy and excited, and I'd thought it would be my permanent home, the first real home I'd ever gotten to have. No matter what trouble was affecting me, I could always walk in the door and be comforted that this was my sanctuary. I always went inside and knew that I could find Elijah making food in the kitchen, or reading in his study, or sitting on the couch, waiting to have a good conversation with me, or at the very least he would be coming home soon. He would always smile, pull me into his arms, and remind me I was loved.

Another cold gust of wind whipped around me, and I let the fond memories blow away with it. I opened my eyes and stared out at the gray water. The wind wasn't constant, so it was blatantly obvious that the quiet whoosh of air behind me was something other than a difference in atmospheric pressure.

"You shouldn't be here. The Ninth Ward isn't safe," Klaus' familiar voice said from behind me. "As a matter of fact, you've managed to wind up in the squalidest area."

I kept my back to him. "I'm a witch, werewolf, and vampire; even the roughest of poverty-stricken humans aren't exactly a threat to me. If anything, I'm a danger to them, given my mood."

"I'm not referring to the slum, Fiona. Destitute humans may not be a threat, but this is also witch territory. Do you really want to get mixed up with that lot again?" Okay, he had a point there. "What are you doing out here anyway?" he asked.

"Why are you here?" I questioned. "How did you know where to find me?"

"This is my city. I have eyes everywhere to keep me informed of what's happening in it at all times. One of my vampires saw you outside the Quarter and gave me a call. Now, answer my question," Klaus said.

His question was simple, but I couldn't seem to come up with an appropriate, honest answer. There wasn't really a reason I was here, specifically, rather a reason why I wasn't at home. I supposed that would be the best answer to give him, although I didn't feel like having to explain it. I chose to say nothing.

"I'm guessing Elijah doesn't know you're here," Klaus said, sitting down on the swing not directly beside me, but the next one over. "I'm sure he would have much to say regarding your current whereabouts. I was under the impression he had you on house arrest, given I haven't seen hide nor hair of you around the city in months. Have you snuck away from the little house on the prairie?"

"Elijah kicked me out," I struggled to say, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat.

Klaus did a double take, and all lightheartedness left his face. "What?"

I shrugged. "Over the past couple of months, ever since Christmas, Elijah's been… mean, to state it plainly. I don't know why, but he doesn't want me around anymore. He's been so distant lately. I tried to talk with him about it today, but it's like he doesn't care. He exudes no warmth, and the way he speaks to me is borderline abusive. Something's changed in him, I guess he hates me now or whatever. I must have done something wrong, but I can't for the life of me figure out what. I think he's pushing me away on purpose, but I don't know the reason. Anyway, I can't stay where I'm not wanted."

"So compel yourself a hotel room," he said.

A chill ran down my spine. "I don't think I could ever stay in a hotel again."

"Why not?" I could tell by his tone that he'd realized the answer to his own question before he'd even finished asking it. "Oh, right. Still traumatized from being held hostage in a cemetery, I see."

There was a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's not funny, Klaus," I said angrily. "I was stuck there for three days, thanks to you. I still have nightmares about it."

"You're still breathing, are you not?" he flippanted. "And I came to your rescue... eventually."

"Just go away," I muttered. "I came out here for space."

"Well, the ghetto is no place for a Mikaelson," he said.

"I never planned to stay out here," I told him. "I just needed to get away for awhile, I came out here to think in quiet. It was here or the cemetery, and God knows I'm never going near that wretched graveyard again. Anyway, I'll figure out someplace to go, I just need time."

There was a long pause before Klaus responded. "Come stay at the compound."

Staggered, I turned to face him. "Really?"

"There's plenty of spare rooms, and this way I can keep a close eye on you myself. We wouldn't want the witches or any of Marcel's henchmen to get their hands on my little tribrid weapon, now would we?" he asked fiendishly.

I huffed. "Do you always have to objectify and belittle me? I have a mind of my own, you know. I'm not your stupid little puppet."

"You're right, you're not. You are a great, strong creature with a power unlike any I've ever seen. Coincidentally, that's also the reason you have a target on your back the size of Utah. Ergo, you need my protection," he retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "It's because of you that I need protection."

"Point taken, but that doesn't change the fact, which is, you will be dead by week's end if you venture out on your own."

"So why don't I just speed things up a little by going with you? That way I'll be dead by the end of the day," I said cynically.

"Despite what you may believe, Fiona, I would actually like for you to stay with me," Klaus said.

I studied him for a moment. He looked like he was being honest, but I also knew there were countless ways he would benefit from having me under his roof, and I was certain that was the reason he'd "like" for me to stay there. There was no doubt in my mind that he'd take advantage of my power the first chance he got. Also, there was the matter of the threatening, creepy note he'd left for me as a Christmas present. I suspected he'd been wanting to get me away from Elijah for a while now, and though I hated the idea of giving Klaus what he wanted, there was no point in fighting to stay with Elijah, was there? My uncle had made it pretty clear he didn't care about me anymore. Living under Klaus' thumb wasn't starting to look like such a terrible idea.

I gave him a solemn look. "You'll keep me safe?"

"I will," he said. "I'll see to it that you'll be taken care of, and I have comrades all over the city, so you'll be able to go wherever you please, whenever you please, and they'll be ready to jump to your defense. In return, all I ask is that you do as I say."

"Doing as you say is more complex than it sounds." I closed my eyes. "I don't trust you, Klaus."

"I know that," he said, surprisingly calm. "I don't particularly trust you either, but we both have motivation to play nice with each other, don't we? You reap the benefits of being under my wing, and I get access to your power."

It wouldn't have sounded so terrible except for the words were coming from Klaus Mikaelson. I couldn't exactly ignore the reputation following that name. He uses virtually everyone in his life to his own benefit, and if someone serves no higher purpose, they won't live for very long. He ranked people based on varying levels of potential, and no one was safe from being used as a pawn in his game. Vampires and werewolves were always the means to an end, and humans made for a good meal, though he'd keep them around if they were pretty enough. If he got bored, he'd turn them into vampires, but still they wouldn't last. Witches seemed to be an obsession if they were powerful, but if they were mediocre, they met the same fate as the humans. Klaus was just shy of achieving global domination.

"What if you had nothing to gain from me?" I asked.

"Pardon?"

"What if I was normal? You know, not a tribrid, not powerful, nothing special, what then? Would you still offer me a place in your home, or would you cast me out with the rubbish?" I inquired. "I'm your daughter, does that mean anything to you?"

"Every king needs an heir," he said grandiloquently. "Or heiress."

"Is that really all I am to you?" I asked. "Someone to inherit your empire and keep your legacy? Someone you can mold in your image?"

He dodged the question. "Are you coming to live with me or not?"

"I don't know…"

"Well, it's a three-mile walk back to the Quarter. We can use the time to work out your conditions, and you can inform me of your decision once we arrive. If I haven't succeeded in convincing you to stay at the compound, I'll buy you a condo on Decatur," he proposed.

Wow, Klaus really did want me to stay with him. I was beginning to think that maybe Klaus was starting to want me, as a friend at least. He swore he would never call me family, but he was treating me more kindly now than ever before. Perhaps his heart was beginning to change. Even with his obvious cruel nature, I didn't believe him to be completely heartless. The deaths he caused generally happened for good reasons, and it wasn't like he randomly killed everyone in sight… Well, not all the time. Everything he did was in his own best interest from his perspective, and one can't deny he could be commended for his intellect. He was conniving and strategic beyond all others, and he always had backup plans. His plans rarely failed, but even when they did, as upset as he'd get, he never actually doubted that he would succeed. He'd had a lot go wrong in his life, but that didn't mean there was nothing left to go right. One way or another, Klaus Mikaelson always got what he wanted.

I'd gotten lost in thought and realized that Klaus was waiting for a response. My lips pulled into the smirk I'd inherited from him. "I think I'd prefer something on South Peters Street," I joked.

"You know, I haven't been fair to you, Fiona," Klaus said as we walked. "I haven't given you the credit you've earned for being as powerful as you are, and that's because I don't quite understand you. There is a possibility that you are capable of strength that transcends what the imagination can dream, but no one has taught you how to use your gifts to the fullest potential. I believe I could educate you on a thing or two, should you decide to lodge at the compound. It would give us the chance to get to know one another a bit better as well."

I raised a brow. "You want to get to know me? Since when?"

"I do want to know you, Fiona," Klaus said sincerely. "What makes you happy, what makes you sad… I want to know the little wolf that I bred."

"I want to know you too," I said with a smile. "I'll stay with you, at least until Uncle Elijah comes to his senses." I lost the grin for the last part.

"He's really wounded you, hasn't he?"

I felt like crying again. "He used to look at me with such love. He used to make me breakfast every morning, and he never let me go to bed without a cuddle. We used to talk about everything, and he'd make sure I was happy. He used to care about me, but I swear to God he doesn't give a damn anymore. These past months have been horrific, heartbreaking… I've never felt so unloved and alone."

"Should he return to the man he was before and show remorse for his transgressions, why would you forgive him and restore submitting to his authority if his sins were so atrocious?" Klaus asked.

"Because when he told me I was his family, the closest he would ever have to a daughter, and promised me always and forever, I know in my heart he meant it," I said. "Right now I don't know which parts of his behavior are truthful and which are lies. Maybe he just needs a break from me, maybe he doesn't want me as much as he originally thought, hell, maybe he doesn't even have it in him to love me anymore, but everything prior to the moment he changed was real, I'm sure of it. So yes, if he ever asks for my forgiveness, I'll give it to him."

Klaus didn't say much after that. I wondered if his question pertained to himself rather than really asking about Elijah. Was Klaus considering asking for my forgiveness? Was he looking for a way to get good with me? Did he finally want to accept me as his family? I desperately wished to know the answers to these questions, but I didn't think Klaus was yet to the point where he'd reply honestly. He'd probably respond with a characteristic frosty Klaus Mikaelson glib containing the words 'pathetic' and 'weak' and then stomp away like a child. Moments like that didn't hurt me to the degree they used to because I was starting to think Klaus didn't hate me as much as he claimed to.

We arrived in the Quarter and were just blocks from the compound. The city seemed busier than usual, but perhaps it was only because I hadn't been around anyone besides the cold and phlegmatic Elijah Mikaelson in weeks. There was still a fair amount of litter in the streets from Mardi Gras season, which had ended less than a month ago. When we'd moved here, I'd been so excited for Mardi Gras, but I didn't even get to see a single parade float because I was acutely miserable over Elijah. Now that I was back in the city, I discovered how much I'd really missed it. Not much had changed, but I kind of felt I like I was experiencing it all over again. I considered asking Klaus if it was just me or if there really was an influx of tourists, but I wasn't quite comfortable enough with him to make unprompted conversation.

In all honesty, I was very afraid of Klaus. He was a force to be reckoned with, and I'd been on the wrong side of him too many times. I would never forget the fights where he'd beaten me, the awful things he's said, or the threats he continually tossed my way. What I feared the most was his unpredictability. I could never be sure of how he would react to something, what he would do next, or what his true intentions were. There were no words to describe how sad and disappointed I was every time he hurt me, and it seemed impossible that I would ever be able to overcome the gaping hole that the lack of a father left. Worse yet, I believed there were parts of me that would always be broken in pieces from his abuse and rejection.

So why was I with him now? Because I was holding onto hope. It was true I had no other family to go to - Rebekah hadn't returned a single one of my phone calls or texts - but I could have chosen to fend for myself. I would be in constant danger, but the thought of that didn't scare me as much as it used to. Anyway, I'd tried to let Klaus go, tried to let the idea of having a relationship with my father go, but for some inexplicable reason, I couldn't. Regardless of how wicked he'd been to me and in spite of the evil schemes he still might have, I was his daughter, and I was drawn to him, bonded in an unbreakable way that had proven to be a curse rather than a blessing. But still, I had hope. I was holding onto hope that one day Klaus would accept me as his daughter.

"What's wrong?" Klaus asked, abruptly pulling me from my thoughts.

I hadn't noticed I was crying. I quickly swiped the back of my hand across my eyes to dry my tears. Not only had I wept more in one day than was healthy, but I knew my tears annoyed Klaus. I wasn't comfortable crying in front of him either, I didn't like for him to see me vulnerable and weak. Weakness was not something you wanted to exhibit in front of the strongest in the world.

I'd been too immersed in my thoughts that I also failed to realize we'd arrived at the compound. I hadn't been here since the showdown with Marcel, and the place had some significant changes. It appeared Klaus had been busy updating and redesigning the Abattoir to suit his style. He led me up a flight of stairs and through a corridor before stopping in front of a door.

"Most of the house is still in the final stages of renovation. This will be your room for now, but tomorrow you can choose whichever space you'd like. Mine is upstairs at the end of the hall, so if you intend to cry yourself to sleep every night, do be so kind as to board down a couple floors and at the opposite end of the house, or I'll get no bloody sleep," Klaus derised.

I shot him a look. "You're an ass."

Klaus gave an amused snort. "Love, I've been dubbed worse in my time. You're going to have to do better than that."

"Oh I've got a whole list of names for you," I jabbed. "I worry I won't be able to use them all, even if we do live for eternity."

"I should have left you on the street," Klaus mumbled under his breath.

"But you didn't, so deal with it," I sassed. I was about to make another witty comment, but I realized there was something more profound on my heart that I wanted to say. I was afraid that it might be a bit premature, part of me swore it was, but it was on the tip of my tongue, demanding to be said.

"Klaus?" I asked, taking a serious tone. His eyes focused on me once more. "Thank you, for taking me in. I needed a safe place to land. You've given me that, so thank you."

His characteristically hardened face softened a little. He stepped closer, slowly reaching his arm out and placing a hand gently onto my shoulder. I instantly flinched at his touch out of habit, a reaction he noticed. A slight hint of emotion flashed across his face, almost too swift for me to see. It looked like… guilt?

"Goodnight, Little Wolf."

A/N: I hope you're looking forward to more Fiona/Klaus interaction! For those asking, Elijah is still very much a central character to the story, in fact you'll get a little insight on what he's been up to in the next chapter. I'm toying with the idea of introducing a love interest for Fiona soon, I've seen a few requests for that and I think it could be a really interesting facet to the story, so let me know what you think. Also, new characters will continue to come into the story, I just like to take my time and add them at the perfect moment. I hope that answers the questions some of you have had. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and reviews are greatly appreciated! I'll be back with another chapter very soon, and don't forget that weekly updates are coming starting April 20th! Thanks for reading! :)