I woke up twisting and turning, terrified, still trying to fight him off. I fell out of bed and just when I hit the ground I realized I had been dreaming. Klaus knelt beside me but I shoved him away.

"Don't touch me!"

I couldn't do that anymore. I would never let him touch me again. Whatever had happened between the two of them, whatever history they had, I didn't want to know. I couldn't know. The knowledge would kill me.

The Noble Brother, my ass.

I was breathing so heavily I was sure every vampire in Volterra could hear me. My hands were shaking and I had the strangest pain in my left arm. I thought maybe I was having a heart attack.

Klaus watched me from a distance. I closed my eyes. I couldn't look at him any longer.

"I was angry with my friend," he chanted, his voice filling the room, "I told my wrath; my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe; I told it not, my wrath did grow."

I opened my eyes. "I know what being a vampire means to you. I felt your anger like a white-hot liquid filling my veins."

His blue eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Being a vampire means revenge. Revenge against life itself. Every time you take a life it's revenge. No wonder, you can't appreciate anything. The nuances of vampire existence aren't available to you because you're focused with a maniacal vengeance upon the mortal life you've left."

"What are you talking about?"

"Consumed with hatred, you look down on us. Consumed with envy, nothing pleases you unless you can take it from others, and once having it, you grow cold and dissatisfied, not loving the thing for itself, and so you move after something else."

Klaus stared at me like I was crazy. And maybe I was. "What are you talking about, Nessie?" he repeated. But I didn't know. I wasn't even sure I was talking about him.

"Vengeance, blind and sterile and contemptible."

"Stop!" he ordered. "What is happening to you?"

I felt the warm tears on my face. "I have a gift." It was the first time I acknowledge to anybody, the first time I said it like that. "Like Aro. Like my parents. When I was little I could communicate through touch. My mother said it was the only way I would talk to a person. I liked showing them my feelings. But... As I grew older, it... expanded, it got stronger. Now, whenever I touch someone's bare skin I see whatever it is in their minds. I feel what they are feeling." The words came out of me like a waterfall. The only noise in the room was me talking and sobbing. "I've seen everything, Klaus. The first time you turned into a werewolf. When your-your father tied you to a cross and Elijah helped him even though you begged him not to. When you found out Mikael wasn't really your father. And I saw-I saw Tatia."

Klaus' blue eyes shone with tears of his own. He sat on the bed and stared at his own hands. Then he shook his head and looked at me with pure hatred. "You know nothing, Nessie."

"I understand-"

"You understand nothing!" he shouted getting to his feet. "You really are a hideously evil little thing."

Rebekah burst into the room. "Why are you two shouting?"

Klaus turned his back at me and walked out of the room. Well, like I cared if he was mad at me. I was too busy being mad at Elijah.

Darn vampires.

"I suppose you've heard everything," I said.

Rebekah crossed her arms. "Not everything. We're leaving tonight, Nessie."

"What? But-"

"I've talked to Aro. He already knows why we're here. He doesn't have Elijah."

I struggled to stand up. "How did you-"

"Like I said, we've talked." Rebekah sat on the bed where once Klaus had been. "You're not going to like this, dearie."

As it turned out, I did not like it. Rebekah told me Elijah and Klaus had made up a plan after Aro's little visit. The plan was for Elijah to come to Volterra, without telling me, to spend some time with Aro in order to find out what the evil vampire wanted with me. He would assure the Volturi he was not romantically involved with me and that he knew nothing. If things went according to plan, he would return to New Orleans with enough information to get Aro killed.

But Aro, according to himself, meant me no harm. He wasn't interested in me in any other way than a possible wife for his dear friend, Marcus. He said he let Elijah leave Volterra unharmed. So someone – something else – had captured him on his way back.

"What can capture an Original?"

"A witch," said Rebekah. "A very powerful witch."

She meant someone called Cassie. Whoever that was, Klaus had promised Rebekah her head.

"Why wouldn't he tell me?" I choked. "Klaus...?"

"I don't know why my brother does things. But he's asked me to take you back home, Nessie. I'm afraid your trip ends here."

"No! I'm not going anywhere until I know what the fuck is going on!"

"Manners, please. We can risk-" she proceeded to tell me a whole bunch of bullshit.

I wasn't leaving Italy without Elijah. Yes, my feelings toward him had gotten a little messed up. He no longer was the beautiful, merciful, noble vampire I thought he was when we met. But he wasn't a monster. I didn't really believe him to be one.

Maybe he had hurt Tatia even though he'd loved her. But he must regret it. If he could go back, he would surely change it. I couldn't believe him capable of doing that, not the Elijah he was now, the Elijah I knew.

And he would never do that to me. Whatever had happened was in the past and I was willing to let go of it if only to have him back in my arms.

I wasn't leaving Italy without him, no. But I told Rebekah I would. Klaus came back and he seemed in a better mood. He said they would be busy the entire afternoon and that I wasn't to leave my room. He made me promise I would wait for them.

"I promised," I said. "But I want to know the plan."

Klaus gave me that crooked smile of his. "Well, that depends on what plan you mean, love. My plan for global domination, or Rebekah's plan to find love in a cruel, cruel world."

"Bite me," murmured Rebekah.

"The plan to rescue Elijah," I said patiently.

"The plan," said Rebekah, "as you have demanded, is for us to leave Italy whilst Niklaus will ask Cassie for Elijah to be returned to him."

Oh, boy.

"I so dearly hope that's not the entire plan."

Klaus chuckled. "That's only plan A, love. There's always plan B."

I thought I was being more patient than they deserved. "And what's plan B?"

"War," he said without a shred of amusement. Well, that was much better.

I liked that plan.