Hey guys :) I feel like a broken record with the apologies but hey ho, it is what it is and I do try my best to update when I can. I don't think this is my best chapter and it's not as long as usual so I do apologise for that.

At the moment I cannot get over how much I love Klaus and I am so totally leaning towards a Klaus ending lol but that may change as we are no where near the end yet.

Enjoy and please tell me what you think :) xx

Laying perfectly still, Klaus kept his eyes trained on the ceiling of his bedroom. Its bland, off white colour was marred with numerous cracks each one differing in size, and he listened to the silence of the room as it assaulted his ears. He lay naked and dishevelled beneath the sheets. If he remained where he was then her scent would permeate his skin and he could imagine she was right there next to him; back in her rightful place. The clock to his left was the only reminder that time had indeed passed and that the woman he loved was gone. Hours had turned into days and not even his anger at his younger brother was enough of an incentive for him to leave his make-shift sanctuary.

For not the first time that day the piercing shrill of his cell phone shattered the quietness and just as he had done before, Klaus ignored the unknown caller. Lacy was the only person whom he yearned to speak with and he knew deep in his gut that she would not be the one to make contact with him. Once again, the numbers changed on the clock and the minutes ticked by unacknowledged until disruption came in the form of an unwanted visitor.

Grimacing when the incessant banging did not cease, Klaus dragged himself from the bed and pulled on a pair of cotton bed shorts and a matching shirt. Running his fingers through his dirty, unkempt hair, he trudged down the stairs and through the hallway. Yanking open the door, he gripped the frame with great strength and let his free hand curl into a tight fist.

"It's the middle of the afternoon, Niklaus."

"Mother."

Unfolding her arms with a heavy sigh that spoke volumes, Esther breezed past her son and stopped in her tracks when she heard Klaus mutter under his breath. Cocking an eyebrow, she eyed him with a look of disdain and silently challenged him to speak his anger out loud. Letting the door slam shut behind him, the sleep deprived man chose to ignore his mother and spoke only when he had put enough distance between them that he no longer had to look upon her face.

"Have you come to gloat?" Klaus spat, pouring himself a glass of water from the fridge before replacing the jug and leaning his back against the cold metal of the refrigerator door and keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the pale cream tiles of the kitchen floor.

"I was worried about you." Esther answered honestly; saddened when she saw her son snort in disbelief.

Taking a tentative step towards Klaus, she paused slightly when his blue eyes met her own hazel ones and she felt herself shiver. Her heart yearned to take her estranged son into her arms and soothe his aching heart but the realism within her prevented her from doing so. She had lost her son years before and he would never want nor need her again. In spite of this, though, she took another step and reached out to cradle his stubble laden cheek. Flinching at her touch, Klaus turned his face away but made no physical attempt to remove Esther's hand. The gesture was a level of intimacy he was not accustomed with where his parents were concerned and he felt his body freeze up and his heart begin to race.

"Niklaus…"

Whatever he had imagined his mother would say to him, the words which left her next were the last he expected her would ever from her. Not even in his wildest, heart break induced psychosis would he think himself capable of dreaming up such a speech and it had him staring at her in complete surprise.

"I am so sorry about Lacy."

"Excuse me?"

His hand gripped the glass he held and a fuzz descended upon his mind at the mention of Lacy's name.

"Elijah told me you lost a baby. I'm so sorry, my dear boy. No-one should ever have to go through that."

Despite all that had passed between herself and the woman that she had always blamed for the strained relationship she had with her second youngest son, Esther was sincere in her apology. She had spent years having lived with the pain of losing her still living son; she could not imagine what it would be like for him to cease existing or how it would destroy her soul.

"How is she?"

"She's not here." Klaus finally replied. "She's gone."

Taken aback by the venom excreting from the man, Esther dropped her hand away from his face and did not follow him as he marched past her.

"Oh."

Spinning around she impulsively stretched out her arm and caught him by the wrist just mere moments before he crossed the threshold of the room. Just as before, he did not pull away or berate her. It took merely once glance in his haunted eyes for her mother's instinct to tell her all she needed to know.

"She'll come back. When the time is right."

"No. She won't. She doesn't want me anymore. You got your wish, mother. Now please, leave me alone."

"Did you know you're broken?" Rebekah chimed as she sat herself down next to Kol on his bedroom floor.

The two siblings sat squatted on the cold, hard floor with their arms crossed against their bent knees and leaned their heads against the cream painted walls.

"I couldn't himself myself, Becca. She was worth getting broken for."

Silent, Rebekah stared up at the immaculately smooth expanse of the ceiling. Lacy was the sister she had never had and she felt torn and lost in the sea of family drama that was going on around her. The unfolding of the secret events had stained the family forever and she hoped that they were not beyond repair.

"But is she worth losing Nik over?"

"Yes." Kol answered without any hesitation.

With a grimace, Rebekah sighed and then rested her head on Kol's sturdy shoulder. Next to her, he squeezed his eyes shut and called to the forefront of his mind an image of Lacy. The last he had seen of her she was still lying in the hospital bed and Klaus was standing like a protector over her; his hand clutching hers and his lips caressing her cheek. His heart screamed out for her but they were over before they had even had a chance to begin.

"I miss her." the blonde haired woman whispered. "I've never realised how quiet it is when she's gone."

"She's coming back."

"Kol, I'm not sure this time." said Rebekah, worried at the adamant tone to her brother's statement.

"She's coming back. She has to."

"Kol-"

"She loves Nik too much not to come back"

It was as if a poisoned spear had been plunged deep into his heart and pierced the chambers of the live giving organ. He was bleeding out at a exponential rate and any delusions of hope were merely band aids to cover to many wounds he had suffered. There was no cure. No miracle that could save him. He was indeed broken but he was willing to endure the agony because one day Lacy would return.

Scrolling down until he reached her name, Klaus hovered over the 'call' button before breathing in and stabbing the icon before his nerves could get the better of him and cause him to chicken out. The ringing tones seemed to go on forever as he paced furiously up and down the length of his - no, their - bedroom and waited anxiously for Lacy to accept his call. When the sweet tones of her voice filled her ears like a symphony of the finest music, Klaus felt his heart almost physically bloom with relief. Only to have his happiness cruelly snatched away when it dawned on him that the greeting was a recording. She had chosen not to speak to him but he had too much to say.

"Lacy, I…"

Klaus started to talk but the sound of the door bell distracted him and furrowing his brows he stormed out of the room and journeyed down the hallway and stairs, already annoyed at the unknown guest. Still, he persevered and let his words spill freely.

"I'm not going to ask you to come home. I don't know if you even love me anymore but I love you. Whatever you want, whatever makes you happy, I want to give you that and I'm in this… for better or worse."

Ending the call, Klaus scowled and pulled open the front door to his home and prepared to yell at whomever had interrupted him.

"What?"

Standing on his doorstep was a man Klaus was certain he had never met in his but who seemed so familiar that it instantly began to gnaw away at the inside of his brain. Eyeing the man with great suspicion, he took in his almost jet black hair, broad shoulders, structured jaw line, and tanned skin. His face held an expression of unadulterated purpose and it set Klaus on edge.

"I'm looking for my fiancé and I believe you can help me find her."

It was not a request. It was a demand and Klaus did not appreciate the aggressive nature of the stranger.

"Is that so? I think you may have me confused with someone who gives a damn."

The door he had attempted to close was stopped by the sheer strength of the dark haired man holding out his arm and pressing with all his will against the wooden door.

"My name is Tyler Lockwood and I'm looking for Caroline Forbes. You're going to tell me where she is."

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"You slept with her and now my baby might be your baby."

So?