"Come on Nik!"
Azalea smiled lightly as she dragged him through the woods, then felt him yank her to a stop so he could steal a kiss from her lips, then permitted her to carry on yanking him through the woods of their home.
"Where are we even going?"
"You know where!" She smirked, grabbing his other hand and stepping backwards, grinning at him with a light in her eyes that made him suspicious of her intentions.
He looked around now and heard the waterfall, chuckling as he looked to the hill above them and shook his head. "Really? Seriously Lea-"
"Come on misery!" She giggled, emerald eyes sparkling with mischief. Niklaus had no choice but to let her drag him up the hill, but halfway up, he got bored and caught her around her emerald green dress clad waist, making her scream in shock, pounding his back with her fists, but he never let her go, smirking as they reached the top and he dumped her into the field of pretty purple flowers.
Azalea sat among the flowers, raising a hand and skimming the top of the two types of purple flower.
"What are they?" Niklaus asked, sitting down next to her, picking up one that looked like a star with yellow in the middle. Azalea smiled, then picked up one of each, showing him.
"Blaklocka-" she told him, holding the one he had in his hand up, then showed him the other one. "And vervain."
Niklaus took the vervain from her and crushed it in his hand, releasing the beautiful smell, then with the other.
Azalea lay her head down on his lap now, staring up at the sky that was a blue almost the same as Niklaus' eyes. She watched the clouds pass by slowly. A hand was lowered to her, and Azalea felt her auburn hair get pushed out of her eyes, closing her eyes as a kiss was placed upon her own, and she chuckled.
"Nik, off."
"Why? Don't say I'm now a bad kisser."
"Oh you are, but you're making this so very... mushy."
Niklaus scoffed, then pushed her onto her back, climbing onto her and cocked his head. "So?"
"You remember all those stories Mother told us when we were little?"
"Which ones?"
"The fairytale ones."
"Mmhmm. And?"
"You're making all this sound like we're in our own." Azalea laughed, and Niklaus raised a hand to her cheek and smiled. "Well maybe it is. Can't we have our own happy ending, or are we going to let ourselves be cursed?"
Azalea raised a hand at that and put it over his heart, making him frown. "What?"
"We're only human, Nik."
"Maybe so, but we can make it something more." He leaned down and kissed her softly for a moment, feeling her sneak a hand up the back of his tunic, flinching a little as she felt the marks there from a week ago. Raised up like they'd been inflicted a second ago, but they weren't painful anymore.
But she still asked-
"Do they hurt?"
He shook his head. "No, not anymore. That poultice of Ayanas took the pain away and just left me with the scars. But they should hopefully fade away."
Azalea nodded, still worried for him and their new, blossoming relationship. It had been bad enough for Mikael to catch them having sex and next to torture his son as punishment.
Curse that bastard for eternity.
"Good." She smiled, then closed her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her forehead, closing his own for a moment as he said. "I love you Lea."
"I love you too." Azalea smiled, opening her eyes once more, then Klaus moved to her neck and kissed it, moving to her chest and under her chin, making her chuckle. "Nik... haven't you leaned anything from your experience?"
He grinned against her neck and just said, kissing it once more. "That we are alone up here. No one's going to come up here."
"Mmhmm, then Mikael walks up here and sees you with your hand up my dress."
"But I don't have my hand up your dress."
"Mmhmm... you were thinking it though."
"... guilty. You can go in my trous-"
"Niklaus, you have a filthy mind."
Niklaus smirked, then grinned mischievously. "I'm happy about the fact I lost my virginity before my brother who, I'll say it clearly- who is twenty three. Fallen for a woman, accused of fathering her child... and he never even had sex with her."
"So? I see no problem in saving yourself for the one you love."
"Mmhmm... like you?"
"You practically raped me Nik. Plus you need some more practice- I'll find some other guy if you're like that all the time."
Niklaus scoffed at that, then raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I love you (!)"
"I know." Azalea smirked, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him closer, kissing him softly for a moment, feeling him trace a hand up her thigh and Azalea smirked once more, flipping them over in a flash and scoffed.
"If you think I'm lying back like some silly little obedient wife, you've got another thing coming."
Niklaus looked thoughtful, then nodded.
"Fine by me."
Klaus watched Azalea sleep on the hotel bed, curled up under the thick covers, seeing her eyes move under her eyelids, wondering what she was dreaming about.
Happier times he hoped.
He got onto the bed too now, pulling his boots off and slipping under the covers, turning onto his side to stare into her sleeping face, realizing that she literally was all he had left.
Stefan had stolen his other family... Elijah among them. If they woke them up, they would be converted against them. Finn too. That usually placid brother f his would be itching for revenge when he woke up, and that wasn't counting his other sister.
Family... why did he still care for them-?
"You look conflicted."
He never noticed Azalea opening her eyes, watching him this time. Klaus sighed, then smiled faintly. "Just thinking my love."
"About?" Azalea inquired, turning over onto her side so she could face him properly, wondering why there was a... sadness in his aqua colored eyes.
"Everything." He said truthfully, raising a hand and tracing a finger lightly over her soft pale cheek, trying not to meet those forest green eyes, knowing they would make him spill the beans faster than compelling.
"Stefan stole our siblings." Klaus told her now, and Azalea frowned, shifting herself up onto her elbow. "What-? Why would he do that-?"
"Revenge. But I'll exact revenge on the whole town... I swear it."
Azalea sighed, thinking about Mikael... he was dead. Really and truly dead, and she found herself lamenting his death a tad. He may have been the father from hell, but in those times with him, hunting down Klaus... she'd seen the man underneath that grieved for his dead wife, the revenge tainting him.
She'd grieve his own death for a while, and she wasn't ashamed to admit it.
But now she never had to run again.
This was freedom.
"Stop this, Nik. Revenge is not the answer to everything." She told him quietly, and he just sighed, shaking his head a fraction. "I have to Lea. Once this is over, we can stop with... well, we're not running anymore. Maybe we can make a life out of these ruins?"
Azalea so badly wanted to believe that was possible, but knew better- it would never, ever happen.
"Nik... you know as well as I do that is impossible. We're hybrids."
"And? We are the oldest vampires and werewolves to exist, Lea. We can't die, and quite literally. Sure we can have a life."
Azalea was silent, then sighed heavily, closing her eyes. "We're not human again Nik. You said this before Faye was born, and what happened? This- we became what we are. As long as we're alive, we'll never have that kind of peace."
Klaus was quiet at her words, then moved forwards, burying his face in her chest, closing his eyes against her lukewarm skin, feeling more at peace than he had in years. "What were you dreaming about?" He asked quietly now, and Azalea chuckled a little, then Klaus saw her blush a little.
"That time in the Blaklocka and Vervain field."
"Ah, I remember that." Klaus smirked and Azalea scoffed, folding her arms. "You would. You raped me again."
"I did not rape you. I prefer the term 'Inexperienced.'"
"Whatever love." Azalea smirked, feeling a kiss get placed onto her lips once more, then she got to her feet, walking over to the window and looked out, letting out a sigh when she saw that they were in Atlanta, Georgia.
It was covered in ice, early morning from the color of the sky. She walked over to the door and picked up her coat, flashing Klaus a smile as she pulled it on and slipped out for a walk.
Not realizing it was probably one of the biggest mistakes she was about to make...
-AtY-
Azalea noticed the creepy morning mist, but chose to overlook- there was nothing more scary than herself and Klaus in this day and age.
She walked towards a childrens park, sitting down on the slightly damp swing, staring out across the grassy, frostbitten field with a sigh. A glint caught her eye now, and she felt herself get to her feet and walk towards the grass, stooping down and picked up the necklace, frowning as she recognized it-
It was Rebekahs.
What the hell was it doing here of all places-?
Azalea held it up to the light, watching the little ruby sparkle a little in the morning light, but then spotted something reflecting back in the little tiny gem and frowned, turning to find nothing.
But the sparse hairs on the back of her neck were sticking up. Something was in the air... and she didn't like it.
Azalea turned away, wondering why she felt scared, then gasped, eyes widening, necklace falling to the floor with a light tinkle as she faced the figure she thought she'd never, ever clap eyes upon again.
But as she let the necklace fall, he vanished and Azalea shook her head, frightened more than anything. Azalea was frozen, spinning around on the spot, looking with darting eyes for the man...
But he was gone.
She looked to the necklace, wondering... hesitantly, she picked it up once more and gasped quietly, quickly standing up.
"You seem almost shocked to see me." Mikael mused, eyes narrowed slightly. Azalea shook her head, muttering. "I saw Nik drive a stake through your heart... you died. I mourned your death. How can you be alive-?"
Mikael sighed, rolling his eyes a second, then stepped forwards, raising a hand and putting it on her arm... and she didn't feel it. She felt nothing at all.
"I'm seeing things..." Azalea muttered, and Mikael smirked. "Oh you're not-" he nodded to the necklace. "Just a spell or two."
"A... ghost-?"
Mikael was silent, and she took that as a Yes.
Good God... even in death they couldn't be rid of him.
"Gonna haunt me huh?" She snarled now, almost smirking, and Mikael chuckled, looking to the swings for a second. "Oh, I have unfinished business. But that's another story."
Azalea was silent, then asked quietly. "Did you... I mean, is there another side?"
The man was silent too, but after a second, nodded. "There is."
She'd never considered the fact that maybe there was another place after death, and she had to ask, hoping that she was right.
"Did you find Esther?"
Mikael put his hands together for a second as if warming his palms, then just said quietly. "The other side is a big, wild place."
"You didn't-?"
"Oh, I did." He said, then looked to behind her, and Azalea frowned, turning around to face the woman herself, stood there in her attire of a thousand years ago, still looking dangerously beautiful as the day she'd died.
What was going on-?
Azalea smiled faintly at the woman, then saw her expression... her eyes were harder than her husbands.
Something was wrong.
"What have you become, Azalea?" Esther just said now, no expression on her face, and Azalea looked behind her to the man who was staring... no, almost glaring.
"Free." Was her answer, and Esther just said. "Both you and Niklaus are abominations of nature."
Azalea frowned, then shook her head once more. "I've done nothing. And Nik? You made him this way when you whored yourself out with a werewolf." She looked behind her "And hunted for a thousand years by the only man he knew to be his father-? You should be ashamed of yourselves for playing with his life so much. We weren't born these monsters, both of you. I for one just want a normal life."
Mikael scoffed, and then Esther sighed, saying quietly. "But you are a monster... and it cannot be allowed anymore." She looked to her husband and muttered a string of words under her breath that Azalea knew to be a spell, and she gasped as something pressed into her back, then the hair was moved from her right ear, a voice saying into it, a deadly tone, a very solid hand on her side-
"Niklaus killed someone very dear to me... so- a lover for a lover."
Azalea realized in an instant that Esther was controlling the spirits once more, giving Mikael this... corporeal form for a short time, and she looked to the woman, tears in her eyes. "Don't let him do this..." she muttered, but the woman didn't answer, not even reacting when her husband rammed the white oak stake into her adopted daughters back and into her heart, watching her scream in agony as the flames started to spread from the stake.
The man let her go now, watching her crash onto her front, the flames taking over her now motionless body, her eyes closed as the bright orange, amber and red fire enveloped her completely, wondering how it had come to this... having to kill the very girl he'd tried so hard to save ever since she had been twelve years old.
But he'd failed her... and she'd failed him by letting her werewolf side get triggered, becoming a true monster at Niklaus' side.
Of all ways to exact revenge on Niklaus, this was the most brutal. Killing him would be a reprieve for him when he learned his fiancee was dead.
But he had to admit... he hadn't wanted this scenario. Under it all, he still cared for that girl like true family.
It was a minuet later that he turned around to face the young woman, eyes wide at her own burning body, then looked up to him with fear lacing their emerald darkness.
"What did you do-?"
"Niklaus' punishment. Death is too easy for him." He just snapped, then turned around, walking towards his wife, Azalea following, starting to panic. "What-? I'm... dead-? But-?" She ran over to Mikael and grabbed him by the shoulders, realizing that there were no spells involved-
She was as dead as the pair facing her.
Mikael turned and pushed her away, hissing. "You bought this on yourself my girl. Now... you have to pay the price."
"For being what I am-! You bastards!" Azalea screamed at them, furious tears in her eyes as Esther stayed silent once more, then Azalea scoffed. "Are you even going to say anything? You cow. You utter fucking whoring cow-!"
Esther was silent once more, then Azalea looked to Mikael, seeing him glance at his wife once more, then Azalea realized that the pair had vanished, leaving her alone.
Alone... and unable to be seen, heard or felt.
Azalea was numb as she ran back to the hotel where she and Klaus were staying, praying that he could at least pick up on the fact she was there.
But as she walked into the room, she just said hesitantly.
"Nik?"
The man didn't answer, laid on the bed scrolling through something on his phone, occasionally pressing a button. Azalea laughed weakly, then said, almost pledingly. "Nik... say you can hear me, please. This isn't funny... Nik? Klaus, please..."
But now Klaus looked up, and for a start, she was relieved, thinking he'd heard her, but it was a knock at the door, and she walked right past her as he opened the door, exchanging conversation with a bellboy, then Azalea realized he had vanished in a flash, he was gone.
Azalea wanted to know where he was, then blinked as she found herself stood next to him, listening to him gasp in utter horror as he stared at the smoldering form on the park grass, falling to his knees and just stared, eyes wide and tears running down his face.
"Lea-" he just choked out, not realizing that the woman herself was yelling and stomping her feet next to him, trying to make herself heard...
But no use.
She watched with tears dripping off her face as he yanked off his jacket and put the rest of the flames out, feeling so horrified he felt physically sick.
Azalea could only watch as he picked up the fallen silver locket, frowning a little through red rimmed eyes, then pocketed it, picking her charred form up before anyone else noticed her there.
Paradise had been like a mirror... and now it had been smashed into a million pieces.
-AtY-
Azalea was silent as she stood next to her fiance, staring at her own body that had been buried on the same hill from their childhood she'd told him about in her dream.
He had no more tears left to shed, only a hollow feeling in his chest that made him not want to try and live with the thought that he was now truly alone forever.
Azalea was gone. Really... gone.
"Lea... if you can hear me somehow, I love you... and this isn't how it ends. I swear it-" he reached into his pocket and looked at the silver locket with ruby embedded into it, hand closing tightly over it, murder in his heart like never before.
It had to be her. Her and Mikael.
But now he had this locket, and when he found a witch, that mother of his was going to receive hell when her furious son wanted to talk to her.
Azalea sighed lightly as he turned away, walking down the hill and back towards the town-
God only knew what would happen now...
So! What a bang;D Azaleas a ghost for now? Poor pair:( Esther's gonna have one angry hybrid on her hands when he finds a witch, that's for sure! Hope you like and review! Thanks:) Oh! Would anyone be interested in a mini story about the six years we never found out about in he 11th century? Teenage Originals:) x Nix