Surprise! I thought I would treat you guys with an earlier than usual update! This chapter needs no introduction. I know most of you have been waiting a long time for what's about to happen. I hope you guys really enjoy this. Thank you again for all of the amazing and wonderful reviews!
Chapter 21 – Coffins, Pageants, and a Little Romance
The mansion was eerily still as Cassandra tip toed down the winding staircase, using the darkness for cover. After she'd had a chance to wind down and relax in bed before she went to sleep the night before, her mind had once again drifted to Klaus's sister, Rebekah. She had realized she'd practically been handed a golden opportunity and knew she couldn't let it pass her by. It's why she found herself sneaking out of the mansion at five in the morning the following day. She knew her best chance to get away was while Klaus was still fast asleep because once he awoke and discovered her absence, she knew it wouldn't take him long to find her.
She held her breath as she slowly opened the front door and slipped outside. She all but ran to her car, sighing in relief as she locked the doors once she was safely inside and clicked her seat belt into place. She put the key into the ignition and turned it, bringing the car's engine to life. With a final glance in her mirrors, she put the car into drive and pulled away.
She tried not to speed through the empty streets. The last thing she wanted was to get pulled over by one of her mom's deputies, but she was eager to get to her destination. She didn't know long she had or when she'd get another chance to search for Rebekah and wanted to make the most out of every minute of it.
Ten minutes later, she pulled to the side of the road next to a trail that led into the woods. She opened her glove box and pulled out the small flashlight she kept inside. After she double-checked that it still worked, she grabbed her phone and climbed out of her car. She turned the flashlight on and began following the trail into the woods towards the old Lockwood property. She decided to begin her search where Klaus had taken his own body while he was possessing Tyler's. She reasoned that if he was comfortable enough to bring his own body there for safe keeping, he'd do the same with Rebekah's. If she was wrong, she'd search the existing tunnels next. After that, if she still couldn't locate Rebekah's body, she would find a way to get in touch with Elijah and get his help.
A burst of adrenaline rushed through Cassandra when she reached the remains of the old property. When she stepped forward, her phone began to vibrate in her hand. She looked at the screen and saw Klaus's name flashing back at her. She let the call go to voicemail and took off running towards the cellar doors and pulled them open once she reached them. Now that she knew he was up and looking for her it was only a matter of time before he tracked her down, so she had to search as fast as she could. She pointed the flashlight onto the steps and hurried down into the depths of the estate. She slowly cast the light around and was disappointed to find nothing but a few old crates in one corner. She pressed on toward the small opening that had been created in an old brick panel which the led to the underground tunnels and carefully stepped inside. She silently prayed she wouldn't get lost as she ventured deeper into the winding maze, using her flashlight as a guide.
Minutes passed by slowly, each one deflating her optimism bit by bit. She was so certain she'd find Rebekah somewhere down here. Then her flashlight hit something shiny and metallic. Another burst of adrenaline rushed through her as she traced the outline of the metallic object with the beam from her flashlight. She found the coffin at last! Her heart started to beat faster as she approached it and ran her hand along the top of it. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the lid up and aimed the light inside.
Rebekah looked almost peaceful laying there, though the silver dagger protruding from her chest said otherwise. Cassandra's morbid curiosity had her wondering what Rebekah was experiencing as she lay there desiccated, but she shook the thoughts aside as she reached down and wrapped her hand around the hilt of the dagger. She was about to pull it out when a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from removing it. She yelped in surprise, turning her head and shining her flashlight onto the person the hand belonged to.
"Oh! Geeze, Klaus. You scared me!" Her heart pounded against her chest.
"Don't," Klaus uttered in a low voice, keeping his hand securely clenched around her wrist. "Sorry, sweetheart. I cannot allow you to remove that dagger."
Cassandra ignored him and tried to pull up on the handle, but her hand wouldn't budge against his iron grip. With an exasperated huff, she met his eyes.
"Why not?" She glared at him.
"Rebekah needs to stay dead a while longer," he answered simply.
"Right, right, because the second she's awake she'll spill the beans on whatever secret you've been keeping since you found out about the hunter, the same hunter that is now dead and buried thanks to Elena."
"There are more of them out there."
She stared at him blankly. "More what? More hunters?"
"Yes. I will explain further, but first I need you to let go of the dagger," Klaus's eyes flashed down to her hand. Reluctantly she relaxed her grip on handle and allowed him to pull her hand away from it. "Thank you."
"Just get on with explaining what the deal is with the hunter..or hunters," Cassandra grumbled.
"Somebody's impatient," he chuckled lightly. "All right, yes. The hunters are a group of five men that date all the way back to a century after my siblings and I had been turned into vampires. They are called The Five. They possess supernatural strength and agility which aid them in their quest. Each of them bares a tattoo that grows whenever they kill a vampire. The completed tattoo is a map to a treasure. The treasure is what I am after, and no, I won't tell you what it is. I can't have you running off to tell your sister, and we both know you would."
"So you want to complete the map. That's why you wanted the hunter alive," Cassandra realized. "Guess that didn't pan out so well."
"No, it did not. Luckily, there are more. Whenever a hunter dies, a new one is...activated, for lack of a better word. Our lucky, newest member of The Five is none other than Jeremy Gilbert."
"Oh my god," Cassandra's eyes widened. "So now he has to kill a bunch of vampires to make the tattoo finish growing into the map to this treasure?"
"Yes," Klaus nodded. "Does that satisfy your curiosity?"
She knew she wouldn't get any more out of him and slowly nodded her head. "Even though I still have questions, it's more than I knew before, so it'll have to do."
"I'm happy to hear it," he flashed her a brief smile. Using his other hand, he slowly closed the lid to the coffin housing his sister and began to guide Cassandra back towards the cellar.
"Can I have my hand back now?" She glanced down at his hand still wrapped around her wrist.
"Once we are far enough away from my sister," he told her in a softer voice.
"You think I'll try to free her again," Cassandra frowned.
A small smile tugged at Klaus's lips as they walked through the opening and back up the steps. "I don't think, love. I know. Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't?"
She opened her mouth to argue, then promptly shut it again. She couldn't, and the fact that he knew her that well now was indescribably frustrating. She shook her head, knowing her inability to answer spoke volumes.
"I didn't think so," he turned his head towards her, an amused sparkle in his eyes.
Once they were back outside he released her wrist and moved his hand to her back as they walked along the path back to her car. She knew it was his way of ensuring she didn't try to run back to the cellar and rolled her eyes at the notion.
"Should I be worried you'll attempt this again?" Klaus murmured in her ear.
"No," Cassandra knew she had to leave Rebekah alone for the time being. She didn't want to give him anymore cause to have the coffin moved now that she had located it. Beside that, he'd finally opened up a little about what he'd been keeping from her. Even though he was still keeping a few pertinent details to himself, the things he did reveal had to count for something. She also wasn't willing to risk what he would do if he caught her again. "I'll leave her alone. I promise."
He leaned in and pressed his lips against her temple. "Thank you, love."
-o-
After eating breakfast with Klaus, Cassandra headed over to the Lockwood Mansion to help with setting up for the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant that would be taking place the following day. She wasn't thrilled about facing Caroline after the way they'd left things from the day before, but she had already committed to helping with set up for the big event. When she arrived, there were already dozens of people bustling around setting up tables and chairs, while another group worked on the stage area. She jumped in to lend a hand while she scanned around looking for her sister.
When she finally spotted Caroline standing next to one of the tables, Cassandra took a deep breath and made her way over to her. Caroline smiled when she saw Cassandra approaching, but she couldn't say anything because she was in the middle of a phone call.
"All the more reason you need to cure her," Cassandra heard Caroline say to whoever she was speaking to on the phone.
Cassandra eyed her curiously as she waited for her to end the call. A moment later the two were joined by Elena. Caroline flashed Elena a smile and quickly ended her phone call.
"So…who's curing who now?" Cassandra asked before Caroline started to say anything.
"There's a cure for vampirism. Stefan wants to find it and give it to me to make me human again," Elena beat Caroline to the answer. Cassandra stared at the two of them as she processed this new piece of information and applied it to everything else Klaus had revealed to her earlier that morning.
"Oh my god. That's what he's after. Now it all makes sense," Cassandra noticed the confused faces of her sister and Elena and quickly went on to explain what she was talking about. "Klaus told me about the hunter's mark and how it becomes a map once it's complete. He wouldn't tell me what the map ultimately leads to, but now I know."
"But why would—no, you know what? It doesn't matter right now," Caroline shook the question she'd been about to ask out of her mind. "There's too much to do to get ready for tomorrow. Cass, can you go help get the flowers out for the table centerpieces? I need to speak to Elena for a second."
"Sure," Cassandra nodded. She started to talk away, then stopped and turned back toward Caroline. "Hey...about last night,"
"Don't worry about it," Caroline waved her hand. "I decided the best thing I can do is pretend I never heard what you said."
"Really?" Cassandra was surprised, but relieved none the less. "Okay, then."
With one final smile at her sister, she headed over to the floral truck and started carrying the various crates of flowers over to a table that had been temporarily set up for the floral arrangements to be assembled on. A group of Caroline's classmates were waiting by the table, having been tasked by Caroline to help with the centerpieces. Cassandra showed them how Caroline wanted the flowers to look, and they went to work making enough flower arrangements for each table on the lawn.
A couple of hours later, Cassandra was placing some of the finished arrangements on the set up tables when Caroline stopped beside her, holding a clipboard in her hands. She gazed at the flowers and turned to Cassandra with a grin.
"You are a godsend, Cass," Caroline gave her a small hug. "These look perfect, and you, unlike some others, actually know where to put them."
"Don't be too hard on those girls," Cassandra's eyes flickered on to a group of three girls carrying flowers towards the back of the grounds. "They're doing their best."
"Yeah, well their best sucks," Caroline said a little too loudly in Cassandra's opinion.
"Caroline!" Cassandra hissed.
Caroline ignored her. "Can you go check on the stage and make sure it looks the way I want it to?"
"You got it, boss," Cassandra nodded with a smile. She made her way over to the grand staircase that led up to the Lockwood Mansion which would be serving as the stage for the pageant. Some people were hard at work hanging up linen backdrops at the top of the stairs. She spent a few minutes assessing and pointing out any areas that didn't look right before turning her attention to the giant floral pots at the base of the staircase. She was in the middle of rotating them when a familiar velvety voice made her stop and turn with a smile.
"Now, how did I know I'd find your sister at the helm of this ship, with you as her trusted right-hand?" Klaus smiled at her as he approached, his hands clasped behind his back.
"No one knows her tastes and expectations better than me," Cassandra stepped towards him. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but, what are you doing here?"
"I was wondering what time we'll need to be here tomorrow," he answered.
"We?" She eyed him curiously.
"Surely, as a member of one of the founding families, you won't be attending the party alone."
"Well, yeah, Mrs. Lockwood would prefer that I have an escort, but my sister is so stressed out over the event and making sure it's perfect that I'm not sure her seeing us together is the best idea."
"I'm not about to let anyone else accompany you in my place. Come on, love. It'll be fun. Besides, I'm quite certain your sister will be distracted by Tyler and his lady werewolf friend. I have it on good authority they'll be attending together."
This was news to Cassandra, but she knew Tyler and Hayley had to do what was necessary to keep their ruse going. Reluctantly, she agreed. "All right. Since you insist on being my date, Caroline needs me here early to help with showing the girls where to go to get ready and to welcome guests, so meet me here at two p.m. Black tie optional."
"It's a date," Klaus was pleased at the he left her to get back to what she was doing, she silently prayed their attending the pageant together wouldn't blow up in their faces.
-o-
Cassandra stood in front of the full length mirror in her suite, giving her appearance a final once-over. She'd chosen to wear a royal navy blue sleeveless dress with an illusion bateau neckline. The top layer of the dress was a see-through all over lace with a navy blue floral sequin pattern masking it. The second layer was a solid, royal navy blue strapless liner that fell to the middle of her thighs, while the top layer rested right at her knees. She loved it because the see-through lace was hidden against the flesh of her skin, making the strapless lining pop out to the eyes. It really showed off her curves and was just revealing enough to drive Klaus crazy. She couldn't wait for him to see it. She'd chosen to wear simple silver strappy heels, and pulled her hair back in a low, loose bun.
When she arrived at the Lockwood Mansion, she found Caroline and Elena upstairs in one of the rooms designated for the girls that were competing in the pageant to get ready in, helping April Young decide which dress to wear.
"Oh, Cass, perfect timing!" Caroline motioned for Cassandra to come in and join in the dress debate. "Which dress do you think April should wear? Elena and I both say blue."
Cassandra turned to look at the two dresses that April was holding up. "Oh wow. Uh…actually I kinda really like the red. Yeah, it's bold, but I think it'll stand out to the judges in a good way."
"Cass, you're supposed to be on our side here," Caroline groaned. "The blue is the better choice when it comes to the judges."
"Really? The blue seems a little safe?" April looked down at the garment.
"Safe is good when it comes to the judges," Elena tried to reassure her.
"She's right. Gracie Lockwood had a three-foot slit her year and practically got laughed off the court," Caroline glanced over at Elena. The two shared a laugh as they remembered the incident.
"She got my vote," Damon chose that moment to walk into the room, causing all four girls to stare at him in surprise.
"Get out, lurker!" Caroline through something at him, hitting him in the chest.
"Ouch," he muttered sarcastically. Caroline walked over to shoo him away. "Where's Professor Shane?"
"Check the judges' table," Caroline told him before promptly shutting the door in his face. He stopped it with his hand just before it clicked shut and pushed it back open.
"Red one, definitely," he glanced over at April.
Caroline had been walking across the room and turned back to face Damon, her arms folded across her chest. "We've already agreed that the red one's a little bit too showy."
"Uh, I picked the red one," Cassandra raised her hand.
"See. Cassandra gets it," Damon smiled at her. "It's a pageant. That's the whole point."
"Did you win Miss Mystic last year?" Caroline placed her hands on her hips. "No, I don't think you did."
"Neither did Elena, and she wore blue," Damon argued back.
"Nobody cares what you think," Caroline scoffed.
"I care," April raised her hands slightly.
"See? April cares. Red, right Elena," Damon looked across the room at Elena. Cassandra watched as Elena looked from Damon to April.
"The red is pretty," Elena finally spoke, causing Caroline's face to fall in in surprise.
"And my work here is done," Damon smirked before walking out of the room.
Caroline stared at Elena. "Uh, what happened to thirty seconds ago when you hated the red one? What happened to safe is good?"
"Ease up, Care. She's allowed to change her opinion," Cassandra tried to reason with her sister.
Elena turned to look at April. "Whichever one you want to wear, April."
Caroline stared in disbelief as Elena walked out of the room. "What just happened? And don't tell me she's allowed to change her mind. People don't change opinions in a split second like that."
"I don't know what to tell you, Care," Cassandra shrugged. "Come on, let's let April get dressed."
The two sisters headed back outside. Caroline didn't waste any time putting Cassandra to work, having her make sure everything was in place at the judges table. After that, Cassandra wandered around, glancing at all of the tables on the lawn. Everything looked great in her opinion, but she knew great wasn't always good enough for her perfectionist sister.
Before long, guests started arriving. Cassandra did the whole meet and greet role, smiling as she welcomed people and pointed them in the direction of tables and refreshments. She had to hand it to Caroline for doing such a great job in planning the party, no matter how crazy she may have become in the process.
When a hush fell over the crowd, Cassandra turned toward the large staircase where Carol Lockwood stood behind a microphone.
"Welcome to this season's Miss Mystic Falls," Carol addressed everyone. The crowd clapped as she continued on. "We are so excited to showcase our most outstanding community leaders in the making."
Cassandra smiled and made her way around the lawn. She spotted Caroline a few feet away and walked over to her. As she grew nearer, she could hear Caroline snapping at one of the bus boys as she slammed some empty champagne glasses onto his tray. She watched the bus boy walk off, then turned to Caroline, but before she could speak Caroline walked past her and made a beeline for the orchestra.
"Caroline!" Cassandra hurried after her.
"Will you guys pick up the tempo?" Caroline hissed as she snapped her fingers at them. "This is a pageant, not a funeral."
"Woah, chill Care. Everything is going really well. You did a fantastic job putting this together," Cassandra tried to reassure her sister.
"And how am I doing?" Klaus walked up to them and stood beside Cassandra, dressed up in a navy blue suit with a pale grey-blue button up shirt and silver-grey tie. Caroline stormed off in a huff, clearly not happy to see him there.
"You're…perfect," Cassandra sighed with a smile. "So much so that it's almost annoying."
Klaus chuckled softly as his eyes trailed up and down her figure. "You look exquisite, love."
"Heh, you like it?" She did a quick full turn for him.
"Absolutely," he reached for her hand and pulled her to him. As he snaked his other arm around her waist, the movement of two people walking up the lawn a short ways behind her caught his eyes. "They didn't waste any time, did they?"
Cassandra whipped her head around to see Hayley and Tyler walking hand in. She instantly felt badly for her sister. Even though it was all an act, she knew it wasn't going to be easy for Caroline to witness.
"I suddenly have a really bad feeling about this," Cassandra muttered softly as she turned back around to face Klaus. "Caroline is already high strung enough today as it is. Seeing them together is only going to exasperate her even more."
"Then we will keep our distance. No need to add any more fuel to the fire, not today anyway.," Klaus murmured. He kissed her lightly on the lips and offered up his arm.
"Sounds like a plan," She looped her arm through his. Together they made their way closer to the staircase to watch the announcement of the Miss Mystic Court Procession. When she noticed April was wearing the red dress, she beamed from ear to ear.
The procession went smoothly until April's turn came. Caroline announced Jeremy Gilbert as April's escort while she descended down the steps, but he was nowhere to be seen. Cassandra was about to mutter something to Klaus when Matt broke out of the crowd and walked up to April. Cassandra clapped along with everyone else as he escorted her to the dance floor where the other girls and their escorts were waiting to begin the traditional dance. Cassandra's eyes lingered on the dancing couples until Caroline's movement down the stairs drew her attention away.
"I'll be right back," she whispered to Klaus, who nodded, and made her way over to Caroline and Elena.
"He's not picking up," Elena sighed as she lowered her phone from her ear.
"Do the math. Emo teen. Open bar. It's fine," Damon was clearly not worried about the younger Gilbert at all.
Elena turned toward Caroline and Cassandra, her eyes full of worry. "Matt said that Jeremy's been having nightmares about killing vampires and he's been hiding it from me."
"What?" Cassandra gasped softly in surprise. "That is not a good sign."
"Relax. I'm sure he's fine," Damon was a little to chill over the situation in Cassandra's opinion.
"I don't know. I have a bad feeling," Elena shook her head.
"If I'm not worried, you shouldn't be worried. Let it go. I'll look for him," Damon told Elena.
"Ok," She whispered, watching as he walked away.
Caroline immediately jumped to action, dishing out orders in a hushed voice. "Okay, you go home. Cass and I will start asking around here."
"Maybe Damon's right," Elena started backpedaling. "Maybe he grabbed a bottle from the bar and snuck off to the woods."
"No. Damon's never right. Damon is sneaky and manipulative and rude, but he's never right. How can you not see that?" Caroline stared at Elena, completely blown away by her sudden one-eighty response to Jeremy's absence.
"I don't know, but why do I think you won't hesitate to tell me?" Elena made no attempt to hide the annoyance in her voice.
"Fine," Caroline snapped sharply. "Friend-tervention. I think your so-called feelings for Damon are really starting to cloud your judgment, and I don't like it, and the thought of you two together really makes me want to barf."
"Woah, ease up, Care," Cassandra tried to reign her sister back in. She knew all too well what it felt like to be on the receiving end of Caroline's disapproval when it came to relationships and didn't want that for Elena. "If Elena has feelings for Damon and wants to be with him, then she should be with him."
"Thanks, Cass," Elena flashed her a small smile. As much as Cassandra was trying to help, she ended up only aggravating her sister more.
"You stay out of this, Cass," Caroline pointed a finger at her. "You aren't helping."
"Neither are you. You need to stop trying to control everyone when they aren't conforming to your preferences. First it was me. Now it's Elena." Cassandra spat as she shook her head. "When will it stop, Caroline?"
"Easy, love. You're making a scene," Klaus walked up to Cassandra and whispered in her ear as he pressed a hand against her back.
"Thanks for trying, Cass," Elena nodded at her before turning to Caroline. "And Caroline, thank you for making this very difficult time so much easier."
Cassandra watched as Elena walked off. When she glanced back at her sister, Caroline glared at her before stomping off in the opposite direction, leaving Cassandra alone with Klaus.
"Wow," Cassandra shook her head in disbelief. "She's mad at me for a change. That's different."
"Come on, love. Let's go and get you a drink," Klaus started to guide her over to where the bar had been set up. She waited while Klaus grabbed an unopened bottle of champagne and two glasses, then, together, they walked along the edge of the huge pond that made up the back part of the grounds.
"It's so strange. One minute Elena and Caroline are on the same page, and then Damon walks into the room and suddenly Elena is siding with him, which I don't mind, but I know her, and it's definitely not like her," Cassandra wrinkled her forehead.
"So being a vampire has changed her." Klaus was amused by this new revelation.
"But being a vampire only amplifies who you already are…case and point being my control freak sister," Cassandra had to fight back a laugh. "It doesn't turn you into a completely different person."
"It's very peculiar," Klaus grinned from ear to ear. It quickly became clear to Cassandra that he knew something.
"What's that look for?" she eyed him curiously.
"It'll all make sense eventually," He continued to smirk, but wouldn't reveal what he was thinking.
"Jerk," she shook her head with a laugh as they approached a stone bench. She eyed him as she sat down. "Well, the sooner you find the cure, the sooner Elena is back to normal so all of this weird drama between her and my sister will go away."
Klaus's smile faltered at her mention of the cure. He blinked in surprise as she smirked at him.
"Oh...did I not mention I found out about that?" She snickered in delight.
"You are a lot more resourceful than I give you credit for," Klaus shook his head as he sat down beside her.
"Oddly enough, I didn't go looking for that bit of information. It all but fell in my lap when I got here earlier."
"Well, I'm working on it, love."
She watched as he carefully set the glasses down and began to tear the foil off of the champagne bottle. "Would you ever take it?"
"Now, why would I want to cure myself of being the most powerful creature on the planet, hmm?" Klaus raised his eyebrows smugly.
"Right, of course," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "How silly of me to even think of such a preposterous notion. Seriously, though. There's not one single moment in your whole life that you wanted to be human?"
He flashed her a what-do-you-think expression before opening the champagne with a loud pop. He filled a glass and handed it to her. She slowly brought it up to her lips and took a small sip while he filled his own glass, noting his avoidance of answering her question.
"Life used to be a lot easier. Don't you miss the days of being…" He paused and stood up, grinning as he faced her and pulled a folded up piece of paper from his inside jacket pocket and opened it up to read from it. "'Editor-In-Chief of the Timberwolves Tribune' and the 'Director of the Fireman's Annual Charity Decathlon'?"
Cassandra's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god. Is that my Miss Mystic application? Where on God's green earth did you get that?!" Klaus started to continue reading from the sheet of paper, but he didn't get very far because Cassandra was on her feet a second later in attempt to snatch the paper out of his hand. He held it out of her reach and continued to read it.
"'When I am chosen I intend to redefine excellence.' Now, I'm really enjoying your use of 'when' here. It's very confident."
"Mm hmm," she tightened her jaw as she shook her head, wishing he'd hurry up and be done tormenting her so they couldn't go back to enjoying their glasses of champagne.
"'And above all, I promise to aspire, inspire, and perspire…' Obviously, we found a shortage of words ending in 'spire'," Klaus couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Yeah, it's very funny. Hilarious even. Caroline insisted on making some last minute tweaks to my application," Cassandra tried to grab the paper out of his hands, but he held it out of reach. He grinned wickedly, daring her with his eyes to try again. She knew it was a hopeless situation and burst out laughing at the silliness of it all. Klaus began to laugh with her as they sat back down on the bench and continued to sip their champagne.
A little while later, she watched as April Young was crowned Miss Mystic Falls. She was happy for April after everything that had happened with her father. She deserved something good in her life.
After they'd finished their champagne, Klaus stood up and held out his hand to Cassandra. She slipped her hand into his with a smile and allowed him to pull her up to her feet. He hooked her arm around his as they started to walk. She rested her other hand against his upper arm as they crossed the bridge over the pond to head back to where the party was.
"You know, I never answered your question, if I'd ever thought about being human," Klaus stopped walking and turned toward her. "Once. I was on a trek in the Andes, and a hummingbird flew up to me and just hovered there, staring at me. Its tiny heart was pattering like a machine gun, and I thought 'What a thing, you know, to have to work that hard every day just to stay alive, to be constantly on the verge of death, and how satisfying every day must be that it survived.' And that was the only time I thought about being human."
"That is…incredibly beautiful and poetic," Cassandra smiled at him. "Thank you for telling me."
"Not as beautiful as you, love," Klaus brought her hand up to his lips and brushed them lightly against the back of her knuckles. "And, you're welcome."
By the time Cassandra and Klaus returned to his mansion after the pageant, night had fallen. As they reached the grand staircases in the main hall, Cassandra came to a sudden stop and stared in awe. The stairs were illuminated by little tea light candles on the edges of each step, with a sprinkling of rose petals leading upstairs. She turned to Klaus, her eyes wide with delight.
"Did you do this?" She asked him.
"Well, I may have had help with the execution, but the idea was all mine," he smiled at her. "Shall we head upstairs?"
She nodded eagerly and allowed him to take her by the hand and lead her as they headed up the steps. The trail of candles and petals led down the long hallway to Klaus's master suite. He slowly opened the door and let her enter ahead of him. As she panned around the room, her eyes landed on a small table where a bottle of wine had been opened and placed beside two wine glasses and a tray full of different cheeses and fruits. There was a crackling fire in the fireplace, and candles strategically placed all around the huge room.
"This is amazing," she breathed as she faced him. "No one's ever done anything like this for me before. Ever."
"I wanted tonight to be unforgettable," Klaus smiled at her. "Now, would you care for some wine?"
"I would love some," she nodded enthusiastically and followed him over to the other side of the room. He picked up the bottle and poured the wine into both glasses. He handed a glass to her and clicked his against it.
"Cheers," he smiled as he brought the glass up to his lips.
Cassandra smiled as she took a sip and savored the delicious flavor. She quickly took another sip, then reached for a small piece of cheese and popped it into her mouth. With the wine glass in her hand she casually made her way over to the French doors that led to the balcony and pushed them open. The cool night air greeted her when she walked outside. She had barely walked up to the railing when she felt a presence beside her. Her lips curled into a smile as she continued looking out at the view, sipping her wine every now and then.
"Balconies, are they our thing now?" Klaus chuckled lightly.
"Huh, I guess they are," she smiled, casting a glance in his direction. She noticed he had take off his suit jacket and tie, and had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. The way he stood looking out at the view in the dim light took her breath away. She realized she was staring and quickly looked away before he caught on. She did not want to have to explain her lingering gaze. He'd never let her live it down.
After a little while, Cassandra wandered back inside and went over to where the platter of cheese and fruit was. She popped a piece of cheese into her mouth and began to reach for another when Klaus came up and wrapped an arm around her from behind. She smiled as she reached for a strawberry and bit into it. She could feel Klaus's warm breath against her neck as he lowered his lips onto her skin and began to gently leave kiss after kiss. Just as she was starting to close her eyes, he stopped. She tilted her head, intending to say something, and watched him set his glass down on the table next to the platter. He took the glass out of her hand and set it down next to his before turning her around to face him. She gazed into his eyes as he brought his hand up to caress the side of her face and leaned in, bringing his lips to hers.
The kiss was deep, fueled by an incredible passion that nearly left her weak in the knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, prompting him to bring his arms around her slender frame. As they kissed, he began to slowly move towards the bed until they were standing beside it. His hands lingered against the small of her back for a few moments before migrating upwards to her shoulders. Her heart fluttered inside her chest as he began to unzip her dress. She lowered her arms from around his neck and allowed him to slide the dress down, letting it float to the floor.
Cassandra pulled away from him and quickly undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt. Once she had peeled it off of him, she dropped it on the floor next to her dress and ran her hands up his bare chest as she brought her lips back to his. His hands moved to her waist, reveling in the feel of her soft skin. They were warm against her flesh and sent shockwaves through her whole body.
He gently guided her down onto the bed, hovering over her as his lips broke away from her mouth and left a trail of kisses down her jaw to her collar bone. She couldn't stop the gasps from leaving her lips as he grazed her skin with his teeth while his hands continued moving along her waist.
She slipped her arms around his torso and dug her fingers into his back, dragging them up slowly. She left feathery kisses on his shoulders in between gasps. Catching a glimpse of his tattoo, she moved her lips to his ear. She grazed his earlobe lightly, tickling him with her breath and resulting in a low hiss from him which made her grin in satisfaction.
"I have a tattoo of my own," she spoke in a breathy whisper. "See if you can find it."
"Mmm, challenge accepted, love," Klaus hummed against her skin.
He slipped his hands under her back and unhooked the clasp of her strapless bra with ease. Cassandra couldn't keep her heart from speeding up or the butterflies from swarming in her stomach as he slowly pulled the garment away from her body and discarded it onto floor. She leaned back to look at his face as he took a beat to simply gaze at her before his hands began to roam all over her upper body, gently caressing her with his fingertips. When he brought his mouth into the mix, her eyes rolled into the back of her head as new sensations of pleasure rippled through her.
Growing impatient, she reached down and began to unbuckle his belt. Just as she gotten it unhooked, her breath hitched in her throat as Klaus ran his fingertips along the edge of her cotton underwear and began to pull them down her hips. She watched his face as his eyes landed on a one inch bird tattoo on her left hip.
"A swallow?" He eyed her curiously as he ran his thumb over it.
"Yeah. I liked how it looked and what it symbolizes," she swallowed slowly. His light touch made it difficult to concentrate and stay still.
"When did you get it?"
"While I was in New York with my friends. We all got tattoos together. I chose to get it on my hip because I can conceal it that way."
"I like it. It suits you," he smiled at her. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against the tattooed skin. With one swift movement, he slid her last remaining article of clothing down her legs and dropped it over the side of the bed.
She bit the corner of her lip as Klaus gazed down at her completely naked body. She was completely exposed and vulnerable. There was no turning back now, not that it was even a blip on her radar. No, she wanted this more than anything. Wanted him.
"Klaus," Cassandra whimpered, the want and desire evident in her voice.
He didn't need to be asked a second time and quickly removed the rest of his clothing. His fingers trailed up the sides of her legs as he hovered over her and brought his lips crashing down onto her neck, kissing and nipping at her silky skin before finally lowering his warm body onto hers.