Quietly coming to a stop in the open doorway of the room that Davina would now be occupying, I took a moment to finally see the girl for myself in person. She was cute, a pretty little thing with full wavy hair and a sweet shaped face, dressed neatly in a summer dress as she unpacked her things and seemed to be searching for something in particular. Smiling to myself, I lifted a hand before knocking against the door, announcing myself to her and Davina immediately jolted, head snapping up to stare at me before she settled. "Hey, can I come in?"
"Who are you?" She asked me suspiciously, remaining rooted to the spot so I tried to give her some reassurance that I was a friend.
"My name is Lia. I'm a friend of Elijah's? He might have mentioned me at some point, I'm the one who can help you get better control over your magic." I told her, remaining at the doorway as I was still waiting for an invitation, wanting Davina to see that I wasn't going to invade her space. For a moment her brow furrowed, then her eyes popped open with recognition.
"Ophelia, right?"
"Yeah that's me." Giving her a smile, I asked again if it would be okay for me to come inside, and this time she allowed me to enter. I stepped in, glancing around the room to make sure it was big enough and that Davina had everything she needed as I walked on over. "You're an artist. These are really good, you know I draw a little myself. If you need anything or run out of supplies, just let me know and I'll get some more to you." I said to her, trailing a hand across one of her paintings as I looked around with interest.
"I wasn't expecting you here, I thought it would be the other girl. The pregnant wolf?" Davina said in confusion, sitting down on her bed in order to watch me as I snooped around nosily.
"Oh right, you're talking about Hayley. Well see, she's not actually the one who's pregnant anymore. I am." I explained, glancing over and grinning at Davina's puzzled expression. "I performed a transference spell on the baby, switching places with Hayley so that I could protect the little one more effectively. See, I'm pretty strong. Probably just as strong as you."
"You can do something like that?" Davina seemed amazed staring at me as I continued to look through more of her paintings and drawings. She did have talent, what a crazy coincidence.
"Sure, I can do a lot of things, and I promise to teach you all I can. How about for today, you just get settled in and make yourself comfortable, then tomorrow we can start on learning some more control over your magic. It's all over the place at the moment, you're lucky you're still holding it together." Seeing the energies all mixed up inside her, Davina looked a little concerned so I assured her that she didn't have to worry with me around. "Listen, I know all this is probably very daunting. You've got Klaus and Marcel who will probably start playing a tug of war with you soon enough, but I just want you to know that no matter what, you can trust me."
"Why? Why should I trust you over everyone else? Everybody says they just want what's best from me, that they want to protect me. Why are you any different?" Davina asked me rather smartly, so after a moment I went on over to her before placing my hands on her shoulders and looking deep into her eyes so that she could see me clearly and know that I'm not lying.
"Because, Davina, I'm one of the few people around here who doesn't want anything from you." Her mouth dropped slightly. "I don't want your power, your loyalty, I don't want anything except to help you. That's why you can trust me. So, if ever you have a problem or things get too much, or even if you're just scared and confused, you can come to me. My room is upstairs and down the hall. You'll be able to find it easily, so just come knock and if I'm not there, just wait inside until I'm back. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, and I promise I'm not going to let anybody use you or manipulate you, and I'm going to do my absolute best to get you out of this ritual nonsense and help you control your magic until it's over. Okay?"
Nodding her head mutely, I wondered just how brave this girl had to be to go through all of this and still seem so collected. Feeling maternal, I reached out and gave her a hug to which Davina immediately responded, holding me tightly and even sniffled a little as her emotions started to catch up to her. "Hey, it's okay. You're going to be okay." Sitting with her a bit, I let her lean into me as I stroked her hair like Klaus did for me, knowing that it always made me feel better and it seemed to have the same effect here.
Sensing someone approaching, the vampire that Klaus used to compel, Josh, appeared in the doorway hiding something behind his back, though he stopped when he saw me there. "Oh…sorry, I didn't realise you'd be with someone." He said awkwardly whilst also looking terrified for his life.
"Relax Josh, I'm not going to rat you out to his highness. How about I leave you two to it?" I suggested as Davina brightened at Josh's arrival. Good, I'm glad she has a friend here, I won't have to worry about her too much if she's got company. I'll have to add sparing Josh to the list of things I needed to discuss with Klaus this evening. Giving Davina a smile I left the two alone, looking back as I left to see that Josh had brought her a violin which made me smile further. He seemed like a nice guy, I hope he somehow manages to survive all this.
With Klaus out of the compound right now, I took to just drawing in my room, getting the feel for my favourite pastime again with no one but the baby for company. I had the balcony doors open to let a cool air inside, the light gradually fading into night until I heard two voices down below outside in the courtyard, so I lifted my head in order to listen, sensing it were Elijah and Klaus before both of them had even spoken. "Haven't you had your fill of telling me all the ways I've disappointed you, Elijah?"
"Well, there is something important we neglected to discuss." Listening to Elijah's voice as I remained curled up in the most comfortable chair my room had to offer, I sat up a little as I listened. "I accused you of having ulterior motives regarding the child. I was wrong. I'm sorry." There was silence for a while, and part of me wanted to go out onto the balcony in order to take a look but I remained exactly where I was, not wanting to interrupt and potentially ruin a moment.
"I imagine that must have been hard for you to say." Klaus eventually responded, and I could hear the strain in his voice as he struggled with his conflicting feelings inside.
"You don't make it easy to love you, brother." Speaking slowly but honestly, Elijah seemed determined to at least try to make amends, and when Klaus gave his final reply I couldn't help but smile and cover my mouth with my hand, practically straining every muscle in my face from the overwhelmed beaming I couldn't even hide.
"And yet, you're obstinate in your desire to do so." Pausing once again, Klaus then addressed his brother with a magnitude of personal growth I had never expected to see from him, but it made me incandescently happy to witness it as Klaus continued after another moment's thought. "When you're ready, should you be so inclined, both you and Rebekah are welcome to join me here. It is, after all, our family home." I heard him then going up the stairs to one of the other balcony ledges, leaving Elijah in the courtyard as I just sat there in blissful quiet, replaying that moment over in my mind.
Setting my drawing aside, I waited expectantly, knowing that soon enough Klaus would find his way here and I didn't have to wait long. He knocked and entered after I invited him in, and when he saw me sitting in my new favourite chair, grinning like an idiot and teary eyed, he started at me in surprise. "Ophelia?"
"Don't panic, I'm not crazy I swear." Holding up a hand as he moved towards me, I dabbed at my eyes and sniffed. "I told you I'd easily turn into a wreck, and right now I'm just so happy." Taking a deep breath I tried to pull myself back together enough before I then held my hand out towards him, beckoning him over. Klaus was quick to cross the distance, a rush of air swarming around him as he came to a halt before me and took my hand, leaning down in order to press a kiss to my fingers before then taking a seat in the chair next to mine. "I heard you just now with Elijah."
"And that's why you are on the verge of tears?" He seemed confused, and rightly so because I know it hardly made sense. I gave a laugh, rubbing my face before then settling back against my chair.
"No, I'm happy because I saw you reach a milestone just now. You showed a side of you that you don't often let out, and it made me happy to see it. Patience. Acceptance. Even a little forgiveness." Still smiling like I'd lost my mind, I rubbed my sleeves against my eyes to continue soaking up the tears as they came. "I'm proud of you, Nik. You know, I was fully prepared to have a row with you about the werewolf hunt you allowed as well as talk about other things like the human council, Davina, even Josh, but now I just…I'm just dumbstruck. It's probably stupid, I mean listen to me. I'm rambling on and I can barely stop crying and now I look like a total moron but I'm just so damn happy." Now I was laughing, shaking my head as Klaus just continued to stare at me, and I couldn't quite tell what he was thinking from that rather blank expression of his. "I'll leave everything tonight. It can wait until tomorrow. I just want to bask in this feeling for a while."
"I'm glad that you are happy, Ophelia." Smiling at him, I allowed myself some time to calm down so that I was at least not crying anymore. I then pushed myself up out of my chair and wandered over to him as he had taken to looking through my latest drawings. Seeing me approach him, Klaus glanced up then naturally lifted his arm, allowing me to come and lay against him however, that wasn't exactly what I was going for. I wasn't even thinking really, a desire having jumped into my head and now I was going for it because I didn't believe in holding back from things that I wanted.
Throwing a leg over him, I straddled Klaus before he realised what I was doing, his eyes looking to me quickly as my hands curled around his neck and my head lowered to his. I kissed him before he could respond to what was happening, kneeling up so that I had a higher angle to him and captured his lips with my own. Beneath me he stiffened, drawing in a quick breath from the shock and the sketchbook he was holding fell from his grasp with a flutter of pages before it landed on the floor with a clatter.
Rubbing my thumbs against his jawline as I moved through our kiss, I couldn't help but fully throw myself into the feeling. Ever since I'd taken over Hayley's pregnancy, I felt like everything was heightened. My senses, my emotions, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was partly to do with the little one's influence. In any case, all my feelings seemed to burst forth when I kissed Niklaus and I was reminded just how much I liked him. How attracted I felt towards him, everything spiralling through me as my lips continued to move in a slow burning passion before I then pulled back, needing a fresh gulp of air.
All the while, Klaus was yet to move so I cocked an eyebrow at him, starting to feel worried that maybe I'd overstepped or misread something here. He was just staring at me, breathless yet unmoving. Brow furrowing, I paused for a moment before murmuring his name, hoping to see at least some kind of reaction, but he seemed totally and completely spellbound so I started to get up, thinking maybe he needed a moment to process but when I moved, I felt his hands suddenly grab onto my waist and the back of my neck, bringing me all at once back to him and as I inhaled sharply, my breath was cut off by him.
It was like something had been unleashed inside him, a fire so bright and hot that I could almost feel it pouring through into me as Klaus kissed me fiercely. His fingers weaved tightly into my hair as he pulled at my waist to draw me closer until there wasn't a pocket of space between us. I dug my nails into his shoulders, following his tempo as I struggled to keep from smiling at the same time. He picked me up all at once and with vampire speed, I was suddenly laying back on the bed with Klaus over me, mouth resuming his attack as all my senses went into overdrive. The feel of his hands and lips on me, the smell of his hair, the heat we kindled between us, everything was kicked up into high definition.
A soft moan rose from me as his hand slid under my shirt in order to expose my torso, his hands roaming smoothly and gently as somewhere in the back of his mind he seemed to recognise that he still needed to be gentle with the rest of me. Opening my eyes I caught a brief flash of his, seeing them heavy laden with all kinds of emotion, but the one that had the greatest possession right now was desire, and it sent me into a flutter of thrills as Klaus kissed at my neck and the exposed part of my chest at the hem of my shirt.
Wriggling beneath him, my hands gripped onto his shirt then gave a single, firm tug that brought it up and over his head as Klaus then leaned back in order to grab it, breathing heavily as my own breath struggled to catch up to the rest of me. When I saw him bare chested before me, I couldn't help but smile wistfully. I liked that he wasn't all hardened muscle and overly packed like some guys. Sure there was definition there and I could feel the taught muscles as I begun to run my fingers over his arms as Klaus planted his hands down either side of me, taking me in as I also took my time to do the same.
His skin was soft and pliable, a layer of smoothness over the firmer sinews of his body. Other guys who worked out too much and went completely over the top with their muscles were uncomfortable to me. Sure it was great to look at, but it made it near impossible to get comfortable against them. Their arms were too bulky and hard, making for the worst pillow ever, and most of the time you could barely get your arms around them. Niklaus was perfect, the exact kind of guy I liked best. Lying back and just running my hands over him leisurely allowed us both the time we needed to catch our breath and actually think for a second, slowing down before we could get too carried away.
Looking at his tattoo, I traced it curiously, wondering what had compelled him to get it and what it meant, thinking I'd ask him sometime. This was as far as we could go, considering the little one and all, and I found I was okay with that. This was all so new, raw and alarming so I welcomed the reprieve where I could take some time to understand all this, not knowing where we stood now. I mean, Klaus had clearly been a very willing participant just now, but understanding exactly how he felt was a whole other matter. "Stay with me." I didn't even recognise my own voice when it came out, it sounded so small and fragile. Not me at all.
"Ophelia…"
"Please?" After such a vulnerable plea, Klaus really had no choice but to join me. He lay beside me that night, arms around me and buried me against his chest as he rubbing tiny circles into my shoulder. I savoured that moment, where everything seemed so quintessentially perfect. A flawless moment, timeless. Later on I would treasure moments like this, the times when Klaus was just a normal person and wasn't giving into his dark side, where he would just hold me in his arms through the night and make me feel so cherished that I couldn't think of anything better than this. Such rare, fleeting moments.
I wish there had been more.