The Turnabout
Overnight, the first snow falls, coating the lands around them in a thick layer and covering their sins. Their poor little shed has a drift on its side that makes the walls creak, moaning and shuddering like she had last night. She stirs awake with the subtle noise and notices how warm it still is in the room. Klaus must have woken up at some point to keep the fire going and she's embarrassed that he'd exhausted her so much that she hadn't noticed the many times he'd left her side to keep her warm.
His arm is heavy, draped across her side. She tries to roll over, turn into him without him waking. He grips her tight, nuzzling into her neck. "I hadn't meant to wake you up." The surprise has her sounding squeaky.
"Wasting a moment with you on sleep? Do you take me for a fool?" He lets her turn to him then, so he can see her face. "I've waited so long and without any hope for what could be. To have it realized as what is, well…sleep can only put me in a dream that isn't half as sweet now as this." He plays with her hair as he tells her how much he loves her, twirling pieces of her about in his fingers.
"What were you doing last night?" She's ever curious, even now. "Wandering about in the forest?"
"The castle can be stifling at times. With everything that has been happening…I had to put some space between me and certain events. I had to breathe." He can feel her shoulders stiffen. "I'm glad you found me, Elena. I can be alone, with you."
She relaxes into him again, to his relief. The woods around them stirs to life. She can hear animals, small and large, walk past the shed. The snow has muffled the sounds but not completely. When the last of the logs smolder into dying embers, Klaus shifts closer to her. "We should probably start back home. Before anyone notices both of us are missing. Father would likely assume I'd stolen away with." She leans him into, her fists clutched together against his stomach. "What's wrong?"
The cover is up around her ears, her head buried into his chest. "I don't want to go back," she mumbles. "A month ago, I was supposed to marry Kol. And then Elijah. Now, I've slept with their brother and all before marriage, and I don't want to live in a world where you aren't the man I marry. How can I go through this with Elijah now?"
"We'll think of something, Elena. I'll find a solution. I promise." His lips are soft on hers save for his beard, scratching at her chin.
He swings his legs over the side of the bed and cold air penetrates the warmth they'd created together. She shivers but when she spots the long, thin white scars decorating his back, she shakes more. Scars he'd received from Mikael's fury. She'd always heard that Mikael punished him worse than the rest of them, but she'd never had the courage to imagine what that might entail. It was never in front of the family, and it seemed easier to paint a better picture than sit with her worst fears.
In a rush, she's pressed to his spine. Her arms are wrapped around his stomach and her breath comes in small hitches. She wants to tell him that she won't ever hurt him, that she'll never let anyone hurt him like this again. She won't let anyone come close; she vows. But the words don't come. At this point, there isn't anything she could say to absolve the years of abuse and neglect.
Instead, he lets her hold him, crying tears that were lost to him years ago. Anything she could say doesn't come close to this.
Klaus has to use his shoulder to shove the door open, enough for them to pass through the gap and walk out. Elena stays back at the threshold and when he turns back to her, she nods sheepishly at her shoes. "I didn't have the foresight to bring boots on my little excursion last night." The hem of her dress dampens where the snow touches it.
He looks so much like the boy she knew once when he grins at her and bends on his knees before her. He carries her through the snow, her arms hanging about his shoulders and her face close enough to his to pepper pecks on his cheek. The skin she kisses flourishes in bright red. They have her wishing that they could walk forever like this, past the castle and past any of her responsibilities, to a place where she doesn't have to be Elena Gilbert.
They aren't surprised that the castle isn't quite awake yet, only a handful of the servants are scurrying about in preparation for the day. Lucky for them, the ones they meet are ones who adore Elena and look away from the couple. Though, a few glance back with delight at her genuine smile, there is a somber looking man who stares at them from a distance, his dark eyes flash with a perverse delight that goes unnoticed by the lovers.
Klaus sets her down in front of her door, pulling a twig out of her hair. "We've made it, hopefully keeping your honor intact."
She smiles and pulls him into her room by the collar of his shirt so her hands can explore the smooth expanse of his stomach as his mouth explores her own. Last night wasn't enough for either of them. Years of mutual pining had built to a crescendo and neither was ready to face the harsh light of day.
In a swift motion, Klaus picks her up and presses her back against the cold wall behind her. Instinct dictates her legs wrap around his waist. Boldly, they both return to the freedom they allowed themselves in the abandoned shed. He's hard against her and she delights in twisting her hips against him, eliciting a moan from his throat.
"We shouldn't be doing this here," he mutters under his breath, not meaning a word of it.
"You shouldn't be doing this anywhere!" Ms. McDaniel interrupts them, horrified and meaning every word of it. "Is this what you've been doing all night?" The older woman rushes to Elena, intending to grab her arm and drag her away if not for Klaus stepping in front of her.
"You'll not touch her."
"Words I should have spoken to you, it seems." Her steely grey eyes narrow at him. "Have you soiled her? Laid your claim to a woman you can't have? And for what? A single night's passion to destroy her entire future. I'll admit, Niklaus, I had a certain soft spot for you. But being liked isn't enough to survive in this world."
"Surviving is not living."
"For some of us, surviving is all we can manage." The two stare each other down, Elena suddenly aware that she could likely slink out of the room without either of them noticing her. It's Klaus who breaks the silence.
"I would never put her in harm's way."
"Not knowingly. That's the problem with men like you."
"I'm going to find a way for us to be together."
"A bold dream that I wish could be true, if only for her sake." Her eyes look sad now, even to Elena who had only ever seen the woman as iron made human. "You need to leave now. Go to your rooms and get out of yesterday's clothes. I need to get my lady ready for the day as well, wash the…night off of her so none will be the wiser."
Klaus leaves but not before taking in the sight of Elena, still flushed from his adorations. His hand traces the hollows above her collarbone, up her neck to her jaw to memorize her face like he hasn't already through the years of carefully watching her from a distance.
When Ms. McDaniel clears her throat, Klaus gives Elena one last look before he leaves. As soon as the door shuts, the older woman chides Elena from the moment she draws the bath to the second she puts the finish touches on her braid. The only relief she gets is when they leave her room and in an instant, the woman acts as though no big revelation had ruined her day.
The morning keeps them away from each other. Elena does her best to avoid Elijah, her guilt and shame tug at each hand like little demons. Any time Klaus tries to get close to her, Ms. McDaniel appears out of the shadows like a wraith, ready to send him to an early grave.
When Rebekah comes to him, begging for his help with Mikael, Klaus jumps at the distraction without really hearing his sister. Anything to keep him from the growing animosity he feels for Ms. McDaniel and the tension he feels holding back his frustrations.
That's how he finds himself standing in from of Mikael with his sister begging Mikael to let her marry Stefan instead of Damon. Squaring off with his father on behalf of Rebekah's insistence on true love has him considering how tough Ms. McDaniel might actually be and who he'd rather be facing right now.
"Please!" she pleads, but her earnest cries fall on deaf ears. "I love Stefan. He is the one who has my heart. Not Damon."
Rebekah continues on until Klaus finally interjects. "Damon has been disrespecting her ever since the night of the ball. The rumors have become truths at this point. And the whisperings amongst the court are growing louder. It's not only disrespect to Rebekah, but our entire house."
"It's possible that if I were to speak with the boy…" Mikael vaguely waves his hand in the air, a casual threat.
"I'd imagine that would go a long way, father. But think of the time you'd be wasting on him, given that he isn't even Giuseppe's favored son." Mikael's eyebrow shoots up, intrigued, and Klaus has to silence Rebekah with a stern look when she tries to jump in. "I've heard a few whispers that he's even been considering removing Damon from the line of succession. Led, of course, by your esteemed example with Finn and Elijah, though I imagine with far more shameful reasons. Elijah merely being the stronger option while Damon, clearly not serious enough for the vast Salvatore inheritance."
"And what would you have me do with this information?" That Mikael was even asking the question meant his words were having an effect.
"Should he have your assurance that you would make the match between Rebekah, your sole treasured daughter, and his son. The one he would like to succeed him. Then it would solidify Giuseppe's resolve to go through with the plan. Unlike you, the man needs a bit of a push to follow through with his gut." Rebekah looks at him with her shining, hopeful eyes and Klaus raises his palm discreetly to her.
Mikael raises his long fingers to his mouth, tapping his fingers against his lips as he considers the argument. Getting him to listen is often half the battle. "The logic seems solid Rebekah. I'm glad you are finally using that brain of yours to advocate for the right path. Made more impressive that it also aligns with your own desires as well as our family's. It brings me joy to make my little girl happy."
Klaus leaves first, turning his back to his sister squealing her appreciation to Mikael. It doesn't take long for her to catch up with him, her footsteps echoing down the hall. He nearly topples over when she jumps on him, swinging him around with the sudden weight on his back.
"Thank you, Niklaus. Truly. Whatever father had to say about it, you are my hero today." She squeezes him twice before she lets him go. "I have to go tell Elena! She'll be so happy!" Klaus watches his sister run down the hall, off to find her best friend, wondering how he might manage the same result for them.
Thankfully, Rebekah interrupts her swiftly after her triumph to catch Elena up on the news. Staring at Elijah from across the table had felt like torture, knowing what she'd done and being unable to tell him the truth yet. She's a decent liar, but she feels awful knowing her lie will only hurt someone who's been nothing but nice to her. Elijah looks at her like nothing has changed, so earnest and happy that it breaks her heart for him.
Rebekah holds her hands; recounting Klaus's brilliance and she wishes she could speak of the swell of pride in her chest for her lover. But she can't. She smiles, just enough but not more than she should. Listening intently and congratulating her friend. It's only fitting that Rebekah should save her from one gut-wrenching situation where Elena is the slithering liar only to sit her through another. She hopes Klaus has a plan so she can finally tell the truth.
Eventually, Rebekah's excitement piques and she leaves Elena to find Stefan. She wonders if Rebekah has any idea what she's managed to do. Create upheaval in the Salvatore house dynamics to follow her heart.
A woman's heart is a wild place and its potential for destruction, limitless.
Left alone, Elena searches the castle for her own destruction but winds up running into Kol first. As soon as he sees her, an impish smile spreads across his face. "How was your evening walk, darling?"
She purses her lips, a little embarrassed. "Eventful." She hides a laugh when he raises an eyebrow at her. "That's all you'll get from me, Kol Mikaelson."
"Not one to…kiss and tell? I'll take your silence as evidence that my brother finally relented to his true desires." Kol rests his hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring pat. "Klaus has locked himself up in his studio all day. Alone. Waiting it would seem. I'll keep Elijah entertained for a bit. I've been meaning to talk to him anyway."
The light in the studio is near golden, windows overlooking the expansive gardens that Mikael had cultivated for Esther when they were first married. The snow makes the property feel more romantic, though that could just be her love for the man in the room. Klaus stands with his back to her, looking out at the new snow coming down to add another layer to the already densely packed landscape.
At first, she tries to keep her feet light against the floor. She's intent on sneaking up on him. The last few months have aged her, but the few hours with him have her feeling like a kid again. His shoulder twitches, fighting the urge to turn back, and she takes the chance to launch herself at him.
Klaus is too quick, turning on his heel to catch her, spinning her around.
"How long did you know I was there?" Her hands sneak up the back of his shirt, tracing the outlines of the overlapping scars.
"You can't sneak up on me, Elena. My sense are attuned to you."
"Rebekah told me what you'd done for her." The way she trails off, hopeful, leaves a stone in his chest.
"I doubt greatly that I could produce the same results for you and I." His mouth pinches at the sides, hating to disappoint her. "My happiness is in direct conflict with Mikael's."
"It isn't fair. You were the one who talked him out of senseless bloodshed. It's obvious to anyone that you are the reason Elijah was returned safely to us. Even what you did for Rebekah. It's your diplomacy, Klaus, your machinations that have impacted us for the better. What other counsel have you given Mikael that he's attributed to himself?" She is loud, impassioned, and though he finds her fiery spirit endearing, he also worries about being interrupted prematurely. With two fingers on her lips, he silences her.
"Although I agree, I'd rather the entire castle not hear your heresy. I can't possible protect you if Mikael suspects you of leading an uprising." He'd meant it as a joke, though she didn't take it as one.
"That's not a terrible idea actually." If Rebekah's wild heart could cause a stir, then what was Elena's capable of?
"Love, no. That's not…a viable idea let alone a plan."
"No, Klaus. Think about it. How much convincing would it take Rebekah? And with her, Stefan Salvatore. With Kol, Davina and the witches. Jeremy and the Bennett house. Who would Mikael have? He rules not with trust and loyalty, but fear. At some point, even a scared dog will bite back."
"I was hoping to end the day by holding you in my arms, not conspiring to overthrow my father."
"We can do both."
"And Elijah? He could side with our father."
"He wouldn't," she says with such conviction that Klaus believes her too. "I'll talk to him. Tell him how I feel and that this is the only way."
"That message might best be delivered by me, love. Besides, for all of Elijah's noble attributes, I think he may need a more convincing argument than love to go against our father. You find Rebekah, talk to her first. The more of my siblings on our side, the easier it will be to convince Elijah of this course of action." He holds her just a little longer, watching the sun set over the hills with her.
This morning, it was Elena who didn't want to leave, hesitant to break the newly cultivated intimacy with Klaus. This evening, it's him who doesn't want to see her go, afraid of the fall from her grand plan and what that could do to the uneasy balance of their lives.
On her way to talk to Rebekah, reveal all that she'd been hiding from her and apologize for keeping her best friend in the dark, Elena overhears two loud voices arguing with each other. One, sickeningly, has that high pitched upturned tilt to it that's unfortunately grown familiar to her. She hovers around the closed door, pulled between wanting to know what siblings might be at odds on and not wanting to pay them any mind at all.
"You failed, Aurora. You let your heart dictate your actions when you should have listened to me."
"This is still salvageable."
"How! Elijah won't even consider you, he nearly laughed in my face at the suggestion. He shouldn't even be alive right now to have done it. It shouldn't even be him I'm angry with, but you for allowing this to happen. You and Lucien were supposed to have killed him. Can you even explain why he was still alive?" It's Tristan's brash admission that sticks Elena in place, unable to move.
"The Sisters, they told me that their spell would make him forget it all. There'd be no need to kill him if he didn't remember who he was!"
"Then how did he!" His roar shakes the door in front of her, the motion has her taking two steps back.
"How was I to know that he'd take up residence in a home belonging to witches? What were the odds?"
"Obviously higher than my sister listening to me for once and following through with a simple task."
"We can still make this work with Niklaus."
"Exactly how do you plan that? Lucien saw the Gilbert girl sneaking off into the forest after him and he assures me that they weren't seen again until this morning. That certainly sounds like a man in love to me, just not with you."
She's listening so intently just outside the door that she doesn't notice the footsteps behind her until a strong arm pins her to chest and drags her kicking inside the room. Tristan and Aurora gape at Elena, struggling in the man's arms.
"I caught her listening at the door for who knows how long. I take it neither of you were being particularly discrete." He sounds exhausted, having heard this argument develop its teeth over the last few weeks.
"Elena, I see you've met Lucien." Tristan's voice, calm and collected, terrifies her more than any tantrum Aurora could throw. "Have a seat please."
"This is the perfect solution to our problem." Tristan doesn't look pleased to Elena, but he listens anyway to his sister. "Elijah doesn't want me, then fine. Niklaus is easier to control than Elijah would be and with him not only could we have a seat at the table, but we'd also be the table."
"And how exactly would that happen under Mikael's rule?"
"Mikael is getting older." She's scrambling to come up with a plan as she speaks. "It's only a matter of time before old age takes him."
"And Elijah?"
"We have The Sisters perform a similar spell on Elena. Taking all of her memories and feelings for Niklaus and attributing them to Elijah. Where Niklaus was, Elijah will be and with the heartbreak of being spurned by her, I am certain Niklaus will come back around to me. He was fond of me not too long ago."
"While inventive, I fail to see the advantage of such a plan." Tristan seems mildly bored, the only hint of entertainment in his eyes is when Elena winces under Lucien's tight restraints, knocking her legs a part so he can tie them to the chair.
"Time, Tristan! We wait until Elijah and Elena wed. Wait until she is heavy with child. And then, manufacture some kind of tragic accident. With the death of his favorite son, Mikael's heart gives out on him leaving Niklaus to rule with me at his side. The woman who took him back with compassion and love."
"It's a tragic story you've written in that twisted head of yours." He doesn't say it though, like he's disgusted. Elena notes, that it sounds quite the opposite.
"And one that will elicit sympathy from the people. Nothing is more compelling than a family in mourning. Nothing rallies people's loyalty more than a devoted wife to her husband. We would be cemented in their minds and hearts as the rightful lord and lady. In time, no one would stand before the power of our combined lands."
While Tristan and Aurora fight over Elena's life as if she weren't present in the room, Lucien leans over her shoulder to whisper in her ear. "You've caused all this trouble. Proud?" When Aurora turns to look at them, Lucien straightens up, quick to take his hand off Elena.
Tristan nods to the corner and a small-framed young woman approaches, one Elena had failed to see when she'd first been dragged into the room. Either by her fright over the situation or some kind of spell that the quiet girl had lifted the veil on at Tristan's signal. She walks slowly, but intently over to Elena, held tight to the chair not only by rope cutting into her wrists but by an unseen power. She struggles against it fruitlessly, tears sting her eyes making it impossible to see, though she feels the markings cutting into her forearms.
"This won't work. Klaus will see right through you," she manages to spit past the intolerable, sharp pain on her body and in her mind.
"He hasn't yet. And dear poor thing is quite used to heartbreak where you're concerned. I dare say that he's already steeling himself for disappointment already," Aurora teases and Elena wants nothing more than to reach out and scratch the condescending look off her face.
The girl leans over Elena, a swatch of her bright blonde hair cascades off her shoulder and around Elena like a wall. It reminds her, in a way, of the snow Klaus had carried her through just this morning. She focuses on that thought as the girl's chants grow louder. The repetitive words begin to lose shape in her head, intimate memories are probed and re-set like dominos and with as much compassion.
She is helpless. All she can do now is focus on the snow.
Hours have passed from when they said goodbye in the studio. The sun has long since gone down, and any warmth with it. Klaus had looked for her in all their familiar places. Finding their library empty had settled a troubling feeling into his bones.
After a while, Kol joins him in his search for Elena. He's frantic but still trying to keep his head about him. The anxiety bubbles up in his throat like bile. Kol tries to assure him that she's fine, but Klaus's fears are not so easily placated.
When they run into Rebekah and she confirms that she hasn't seen Elena since that morning, Kol joins in his brother's worry. All three of them seek out Elijah, the only other person they can think of who may have seen her since sunset.
"No, I haven't seen her since Rebekah stole her away this morning with her good news. I'd have hoped she would have returned to join me for a drink." Elijah's demeanor is calm until he sees the horror on his siblings' faces. "What's happened?"
They split up, frantically searching the castle grounds. At some point, Ms. McDaniel catches wind of the commotion and its her who finds her girl, sprawled out in the snow with a deep gash along her hairline, her blood bright against the fresh powder. Her scream calls the Mikaelson siblings out of the castle and to the grounds.
It's the kind of gut-wrenching sound only a mother could make for her child.
Klaus breaks out into a sprint, Elijah tries to keep up, but his brother is motivated to get to her first. Kol and Rebekah follow behind, a close but respectful distance. He drops to his knees opposite of the old woman and by a miracle, she lets go of Elena to let Klaus cradle her to his chest. Be it that the sobs racking through her body made it impossible to keep holding her or because she knows how Klaus feels, he's grateful, nonetheless.
Her fingertips and lips are blue, her skin is ice to his touch. In so many hours, he again feverishly warms up her hands in his, blowing hot air from deep in his chest. He squeezes her hands in his, rocking her back and forth desperately begging her to open her eyes. "Please, don't leave me here alone."
He chokes on his plea; his desperate adorations are muffled by his lip pressed to her forehead. Begging her to come back to him. Kol holds Rebekah close, letting her cry into his shoulder.
The only person in the circle entirely shocked by Klaus's outburst is Elijah. He places a hand on his brother's shoulder, gentle but firm. "We need to get her inside. Warm her up and have someone look at that cut."
It takes Kol and Rebekah both unlocking Klaus's grip on Elena and Elijah seizing the window of opportunity to scoop her from Klaus so that he can carry her inside. Rebekah follows behind with Ms. McDaniel staggering in her arms. Kol stays with Klaus, too in shock to be moved. Together, the brothers lean on each other.
The chance that she's gone gives him a glimpse into what death might feel like.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Only three more chapters left until this fic is done. Fingers crossed before the holidays. Then I'll start planning outlines for more. I have some in mind that I'll be posting about over on my tumblr, if you are interested.