You're Lost Little Girl

She made several attempts to convince him not to come, but he wouldn't be dissuaded. As capricious as he could be, he also had a firm resolve when his mind took to a decision. She knew from the gleam in his eye that night and the way he'd reacted to Adrian that he would never allow her to leave without him. And that possessive twitch and Adrian's unwillingness to back down deeply concerned her.


"You won't have any fun!"

"With you there? Impossible."


"My friends will annoy you."

"A fact of which I am well aware. You should be flattered that I would still accompany you."


"I haven't even bought my ticket. We won't be able to go."

"I am more than capable of making travel arrangements for the both of us."


She almost had him one night over drinks at her place. She'd sat just a little too close after he'd had just a little too much to drink and looked up at him while keeping her chin down, aiming for that old Hollywood coyness. "You know, we could just stay here in my apartment all weekend. Just you and me. No distractions." She'd ran her hand up his chest to his shoulder.

He'd looked back down at her as if truly considering her offer. She trembled as he took her hand in his, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Nice try, love."

Nothing she said stuck. He was immovable on this. There were many reasons for her to be afraid of his presence on this trip. What sort of trouble would Klaus bring to the other man on the trip? What sort of trouble would he bring her? Another full moon was coming and he'd made no sort of move to whisk her away. Was he considering this trip to be a perfect time for that? As a precaution, Elena texted Elijah.

Take care, Elena. I beg you to be vigilant with him. I fear you do not take the threat of him seriously. I will see you soon. Unfortunately, it seems as if I must celebrate your birthday a bit belatedly, dear friend.


With only a week to secure transport, Klaus and Elena would be arriving hours after the rest of the group. That suited Klaus just fine as he wasn't in a rush to spend any extra time with Elena's acquaintances. When she had suggested that they purchase red eye tickets to pay as little as possible, Klaus barked out a laugh. He'd been so careful to not reveal too much of himself to her, to keep her entertained with the idea of him and not get into the details of him. But travelling amongst a throng of humans crossed a line. He'd arranged for a private flight out to Naples and then a private car to the rented beach house. It should have concerned him that Elena didn't question this, but arrogance blinds those who have no humility.

Elena settled in to her seat and though she'd have felt a little safer in a crowd, she wasn't exactly complaining about the extra leg room. She'd expected him to take the seat across from her, but when he settled in next to her, Elena's chest felt heavy. Like a cat had suddenly jumped up on her.

No, not a cat. A wolf.

Her perception of him had shifted the night he took care of her. She hadn't realized that she'd been living her life with a gauzy film over her eyes. Everything since that night seemed brighter, more lucent.

She'd been so vulnerable in front of him and was begrudgingly annoyed that he'd left before she'd even woken up. It ate at her that he'd never mentioned it since, but spent his time instead shamelessly flirting with her and teasing her with his touches. She should be pleased that he seemed enthralled with her, but she had a nagging feeling about it all.

"So, dear Elena, are we excited to be celebrating such a special occasion with your good friends?" Klaus was slouched just enough in his seat to be able to cast her a teasing, upward glance.

"They're not…we are just friendly." It sounded so pathetic, trying to explain her relationship with them to him. Was there a subcategory underneath friend?

"And the young gentleman, you are friendly with him?" There was an edge to his voice that made 'gentleman' sound like a terrible thing to be. She suddenly felt very cold.

"Adrian?" He was the only man she'd introduced to Klaus, but she couldn't imagine why he would even care. Didn't want to dwell on the possibilities of his interest.

"Any of them, I suppose." Klaus said it with a dismissive gesture of his hand as if he'd already grown bored of the subject and yet, his eyes never left her.

They'd argued about his invitation all week but barely spoke about her friends and this was something she'd been hoping to avoid. Elena had spent more time with Klaus in the last several weeks than she'd spent with any man since, she racked her brain, well since Stefan in high school. Even her visits with Elijah never lasted more than a day or two.

It was always too difficult. She had tried to stay away from the supernatural after leaving home, but she'd also found human men to be far too fragile for her comfort. She was a dangerous person to be around inherently and she couldn't allow anyone to get hurt. It didn't leave her with many options and she'd focused her attention on the lives of her family and friends without giving too much thought to her own. Poured her love into their gardens, ignoring her own.

"Not overly friendly."

"From the way he looked at you, he would like to be overly friendly."

"Does that matter?"

"Inquiring minds, love."

"I hadn't ever considered Adrian in that way. What matters to me is not what some guy wants, but what I want."

The lights had shut off in preparation for take-off, otherwise Elena might have caught Klaus's shoulders relax. As soon as he got the answer he wanted, his whole body melted into a much more casual pose, his arm crowded into her side of the seat and his legs sprawled open, his body invading her space much like he'd been invading her mind. The more she tried to get away from him, the more he claimed her space.

The dark of the plane and lack of other passengers strangely made Elena feel like she had to start whispering. It felt like being back in her bed that night. The rest of the world faded away into the dark. It was just him in front of her, no one else.

"Why did you want to come?" She was genuinely curious, but knew it wasn't realistic to expect an honest response.

"I'm hurt, Elena. Do you think I wouldn't want to celebrate such a special day with you? Or is it more that you wouldn't want to include me in the festivities?"

"No…nothing like that. It's just that we don't really know each other. Why would you care about my birthday?" Care about me. That's what she really wanted to ask.

"Your words pierce my soul, sweetheart. I'd venture to say that I know you better than most. At least those people." He seemed so confident in that, she realized. Maybe he did know her better now than so many others.

Elena was struck with silence. Had she shared too much of herself with him? Had he somehow gotten the upper hand? Had she ever even been in control of the situation? She felt just as foolish now as she did at seventeen.

"What do you even know about me?" she challenged, curious about what he'd say. What was it that he had learned about her? What did she look like through his eyes?

He looked up at her, licking his lips. Her hand itched with the desire to pull his face up to meet hers. She steadied herself, waiting for a response.

"You aren't afraid of being alone, but you are lonely." He held up a finger, anticipating her protests. "You question everything including yourself as if you are checking for weak spots in your armor. You think you are running away from something, but I think you've been running toward something."

Elena began to protest, against what she wasn't sure. Was he completely wrong about her or uncomfortably right? Either way, she didn't like feeling so transparent to him, or anyone.

Before she got the chance to launch her defense, Klaus had pulled her face down to meet his. His hand on the back of her neck was firm where his lips on hers were so tender. He felt soft and rough at the same time, his lips imploring hers to open just a bit more for him.

"Nik?" Elena found herself complying, at the same time seeking out the rough expanse of his jawline. As soon as her lips parted, Klaus was there exploring her further, his tongue darting in and out and his teeth occasionally nipping her lower lip. His stubble leaving a trail of hot, prickling skin behind has he continued his search of her body.

"Oh god, what are you doing?"

His lips dipped lower, exploring the curve of her jaw down to her neck. "Would you have me stop?"

"No," she whispered so low, her treacherous voice full of the built up potential over the last couple weeks.

Soon, his hand was tracing a line up her leg, from her knee to her thigh. Mapping out her body. He stopped here and there to circle some unknown city with his thumb. Her hips rolled into his hands, urging him to keep visiting.

He neared her inner thigh, massaging just below where she ached for him to touch. Elena was feeling unprepared and outmatched, only able to offer small, encouraging noises. He was the Big, Bad Wolf come to eat her up and she was asking him to be quick about it. Begging for him to consume her fully.

She reached out to run her hands through his hair. Something, she had to admit, she'd wanted to do from almost the beginning.

Startled, he pulled back out of her hold and looked at her. It was too gentle a touch.

Elena wondered if she'd see his blue eyes or something darker and more deadly when she opened her eyes. But there was a flaw in her logic. He was deadly whether he looked like it or not.

All the small moments between them, the grazing touches and glances, even him being in her bed hadn't prepared her for this feeling. Her lips were raw and swollen and she knew that they'd been wrapped up in each other for much longer than she'd initially thought. She gathered her courage to lean back in again when Klaus abruptly pulled back from her, closing his eyes. Closing her out.

"I suspect we may be landing soon, love. You may want to have a look in the mirror." He teased, pleased with himself. She felt the words land like a cold, steel wall shooting up between them.

Elena inspected herself in the bathroom mirror. The lights were harsh and already doing her a disservice. She passed some chap stick over her lips and ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it up into a ponytail. She inspected her neck, relieved that there was nothing she'd have to hid or explain away tomorrow morning.

What was that, she thought. He's toying with you, that's all. Don't think about it too much. He's just playing with you. She'd grown so accustomed to him being around that she'd nearly forgotten exactly who he was. He's trying to seduce you to your death. No, what just happened didn't mean anything special. She wasn't anything special in that way, not to him.

She'd straightened herself out and splashed some water on the back of her neck, trying to cool down a bit before going back to her seat. She was embarrassed by how caught up she'd gotten in him, but she wouldn't let him in on that fact. She needed to find a way out. Escape him.

"You alright there, love?" He smirked, a telling glint in his eye.

"Yeah, fine." She did her best to seem unaffected.

They spent the rest of the flight in silence, Elena in her head and Klaus smug and satisfied. Maybe not satisfied completely, but enough for right now. She stared into the middle distance as they grabbed their bags and settled into the car. Elena was relieved to be able to stare out the window, pretending to be absorbed in the scenery instead of the way she'd wanted his hand to keep exploring or how afraid she was that she'd even let him kiss her in the first place. Her heart jumped into her throat as he leaned into her, his mouth hovering just above her jaw.

"Don't worry, love. I'm not yet done with you."

He was pleased by how alarmed she was around him now. He'd been wanting to kiss her, to claim her, for such a long time now. It seemed that way, at least to him. The infuriating ways she'd managed to avoid his many touches becoming more. Poor excuses of deadlines or exhaustion, ushering him out of her home before the night really began. He mused to himself. There is no escaping me now, love, he thought as he watched her step out of the car.