That very same day, I received an unexpected visitor at my door, one with a somewhat cocky smirk as I opened my front door in the evening to reveal Klaus standing there. "Hello love, surprised?"
"What are you doing here? How did you find out where I lived?" I frowned at him, glancing behind him to see if he had other people with him and worrying for a moment that he'd come to cause trouble. His hands were clasped behind his back, as he stood back on my porch, tilting his head slightly to regard me carefully.
"I have my ways. Don't worry, I'm here purely on a social call." He promised me so I levelled my eyes at him to study him with suspicion, though my defensiveness only seemed to amuse him. "I simply wished to express my gratitude in keeping your word and not involving yourself in my affairs, and to inform you that I will be leaving town tonight."
"You're leaving?" Honestly I couldn't say I was disappointed, in fact the sooner he left the better. "Why did you feel the need to come all the way out here just to tell me this? You couldn't just drop me a text? If you can find out my address I'm pretty sure my number wouldn't be too hard for you either." His smirk deepened as my phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket, making my face flicker before I reached behind me and pulled it from my back pocket where I found a text message from an unknown sender with a simple message which read hello Ophelia Martin-Jones. "Really?" Giving him a look, Klaus continued to smirk.
"Well what can I say? I have a flare for dramatics." Unable to help it, I laughed quietly, checking over my shoulder to make sure my parents couldn't overhear us as I folded my arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Are you not going to invite me in?"
"Do you think I'm stupid? I know vampires can't enter a household unless they're invited in. Apologies but I don't trust you enough for that." Inclining his head to accept that it was probably a wise decision not to let him in, Klaus took a step closer over the porch, focusing on me rather intensely.
"Since I am leaving tonight, I thought a courtesy call would be in order, seeing as you have become something of a new interest to me. Have you given any further thought to my proposition?" He asked me as I remained perfectly still, watching him steadily. "I promise you will not regret it."
"I'm still in high school. I'd quite like to finish there and graduate first before I figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. Besides, there's no way I would ever leave my parents. It's not going to happen Klaus."
"Come now, love, no need to be so resistant. I can assure you that your parents would naturally be provided with the most comfortable life were you to become one of my people."
"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" Smiling at his persistence, I clicked my tongue lightly as I then pursed my lips thoughtfully, Klaus leaning in closer as he lingered at the border of our house. "I'm not one for taking orders, just so you know, so you might as well just give up now. You can't have my power, and seeing as you're all curse free and everything, I don't see what you could possibly want with me. Aren't you indestructible now? What do you need a druid for?"
"Let's just say that I still have enemies who would seek a way to destroy me, and I am simply ensuring my own survival through building my own forces." Frowning curiously for a moment, I wonder what kind of enemy could possibly exist that would have Klaus so worried that he wanted to build himself an army.
"How about this." I decided, daring to reach out over the border of my house in order to touch Klaus's coat lapel, pulling it lightly so that it sat more neatly and smoothing it down as I proposed my offer. "If there comes a time when your enemies catch up to you and you are still unprepared, you come to me then and I'll decide if I feel like helping out at that time. Of course it will cost you, but we can talk about that later."
"You're bargaining with me now?" He questioned, eyes lighting with a bright predatory gleam which I ignored as his voice remained low and husky.
"I wake up and suddenly have these awesome powers, why shouldn't I charge people for them? It's just good business. Besides, I get the feeling that if I can work out an agreement with one of the most powerful supernatural beings in the world, it can only be to my benefit. Then again, I may refuse to help you. I'm whimsical like that." Teasing him rather daringly, I showed him a smirk as I looked at him without fear, causing him to regard me with that same animated curiosity as before.
"No one has ever dared to bargain with me before now, love. I'd tread carefully if I were you."
"So long as we continue with the agreement to not interfere in one another's lives, there won't be any trouble between us. I let you do your thing, and you don't touch me or the people I care about." Keeping myself calm and steady, I continued to barter with Klaus who considered my words, though purposefully avoided agreeing to the understanding that I had stipulated both at the Grill earlier today and as of now.
"Brave words for someone standing within the safety of their home." Rising to his challenge, I purposefully straightened up and took a single step outside so that Klaus and I were standing toe to toe with one another, my arms still folded as I lifted my chin proudly, hardening the exterior of my expression as I moved outside the safety of my house's boundaries. Now having been corrected, Klaus looked a little impressed at my guts before it quickly vanished. "You are either exceedingly courageous or exceptionally foolish, and I am not yet certain which it is."
"Does it matter?" Accepting that it didn't really, Klaus leaned his face in towards mine until I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin as I steadily looked into his calculative eyes. "Didn't you say you were leaving?" Pointing out that Klaus had long since overstayed his welcome, I watched every flicker that passed over his features, his striking face still invasively close to mine as he breathed in deeply as if to take in my scent and closed his eyes to savour it.
"In a hurry to get rid of me, love?"
"What gave me a way?" Chuckling richly, Klaus drew back, giving me my personal space back as we stood together on the porch. "Before you go though, may I ask you something?"
"Ask away, Ophelia. How may I be of assistance?" He questioned brazenly with a grin and a spread of his hands as he continued to walk slowly backwards.
"What happened to Elijah? Seeing as you're still alive I presume he failed to kill you. What did you do to him?" Klaus paused at my question, one foot still on the porch steps as I took another step to follow him out, further leaving the safety of my home behind me. "You don't strike me as the type to forgive someone for trying to kill you, so what did you do to him? Did you dagger him again?"
"Clever girl." Klaus praised and I found myself sinking slightly with disappointment, a little saddened that I wouldn't get to talk to Elijah again. "Does that upset you? Apologies but my brother will not be returning for anymore visits for a while, and I wouldn't get any ideas about trying to free him either." Warning me clearly that Klaus would not accept me trying to rescue Elijah, I quickly cast that thought aside.
"How long will you leave him like that?"
"Until I deem him worthy to be awoken once more. Why, do you miss his company already?"
"We talked a lot about history. It was interesting, seeing as he knew more than pretty much any professor on the planet. Just, take care of him. Please. Don't stay mad at him for too long. I'm guessing you weren't exactly undeserving of being named the villain where even your own brother wanted to kill you from the rumours I've heard. Whatever it was you did to drive him towards wanting you dead, you should probably consider that you played your own part in this." Klaus seemed to be slightly pissed at my words, so I'm guessing they hit home.
"Do not presume to know me, Ophelia. My family matters are none of your business."
"No, they're not, but I quite liked Elijah and I'd even go so far as to consider him a friend, so at the very least, keep him safe. You can't keep him daggered forever, you know." With a clench of his jaw, Klaus rushed at me so I immediately narrowed my eyes, causing him to freeze in place and he grunted from the strain as he lost the use of his entire body, my magic holding him down. Immediately I saw several witches appear seemingly from out of nowhere, chanting and trying to channel their magic at me so I smirked as Klaus continued to glare at me, their magic completely ineffective. "Something else for you to consider. Magic doesn't work on me, so good luck with that. Now, I'm going to let you go, but if you try coming at me again, I will find another nasty curse to put on you, and this one won't be so easily broken, I can assure you."
Having no other choice, Klaus agreed to back down and once I released him, he lifted his hand to signal to his witches to retreat. They obeyed, their murmuring falling silent and backing away from my house as I returned my attention to Klaus. "You don't want me as your enemy, so if I were you, I'd work on your people skills. Yours suck, a bit like your teaching methods." This seemed to work in breaking through Klaus's anger, returning to a slight edge of amusement as he tugged at his coat as if to settle his ruffled feathers.
"Harsh words love, but I shall take it into consideration. Until next time." Thankfully he and the rest of his witches left after that, Klaus disappearing with super vampire speed and his followers either getting into cars of their own or simply walking away, leaving me to stand alone on the porch where I could finally relax and breathe. That's the second time in one day I'd talked to the supposed super villain Niklaus, and honestly, he made me nervous. There was a deep sense of unpredictability about him which I didn't like. His moods changed so quickly it was hard to keep up, and provoking him too far could easily land you with a death sentence.
Quite honestly it was exhausting, and I was not sorry to know that he was leaving town. Pausing to make sure that Klaus and his minions had really left, I went back inside my house and closed the door firmly behind me, locking it just to be certain before pushing all thoughts of Klaus and Elijah to the back of my mind so that I wouldn't have to worry about them from now on.