Before we start, there is something I would like to clarify. First of all, thank you for all the comments! I've written stories on public platforms before and I've never gotten, like, asked questions, so love this engagement.

Anyway, I know I said at the beginning of the story that it was meant to be fun. When I originally started writing, I was in an okay period in my life. Now….I'm ok, but there is a lot going on.

I do plan on maintaining one aspect of the story, and that is that it's about healing.

This is why I talk so much about Elena's arm and bruises. I mention how it's an aching, consistent wound because I want it to be a symbol of her loneliness and pain.

But since this is about healing, that pain is going to go away soon. And the Mikaelsons will realize they're assholes.

Also, I'm on a crusade to make Elena not the bad guy and to try to make her likable again because a lot of people or a lot of fics paint her out as the villain or just plain boring. Nina Dobrev did a fantastic job of portraying her and her various doppelgangers, so I'm trying to do her justice and add a little touch of my own.

As for how frequent Elena's donations are, ignore that real life plot hole. The story takes place during the summer. If she donated, like, in a healthy way, she wouldn't have as many interactions with the Mikaelsons. So yeah, there is that. Hope you enjoy this chapter! If you have any questions, please let me know!

Klaus doesn't approve of Kol's fondness for me. He also severely doesn't approve of my fondness for Kol.

"He's going to leave soon," Klaus says nonchalantly the next afternoon at my next donation. The new nurse is late. I'm reading a book I found on the coffee table about ancient obelisks and their history. I honestly can't tell if it belongs to Elijah or Klaus, but I hear no objections.

I hum for Klaus to go on but don't pay him too much attention. My lackluster response makes him expose his teeth in half a snarl.

"Kol," Klaus goes on, his growly voice still managing to sound sophisticated. "He never stays put in one place for too long. He also finds Elijah too "stifling" to be around for long."

The page crinkles loudly as I turn it. "Okay."

It takes a moment for the next scoff to make it out of Klaus' lips. I continue, "I know. He told me. Don't blame him at all."

The scoff dies down in Klaus' throat, and he leans back in his chair. "And you're okay with that? You're not attached to Kol?"

I put down the book on my lap, careful not to move too quickly. "I mean…" I suck on my inner cheek to stall a little. "He did kiss-" I swear the room crackles with tension at the look in Klaus' eyes that moment. I give him a weird look. "-my forehead, so I'm not sure what that means."

For the second time, Klaus forces himself to relax back in his seat. His leg shakes in irritation.

"I'm sure it doesn't mean anything," he tells me.

AATBYJ Ch. 8

Klaus follows me to the deck a few minutes after I go for a breath of fresh air, shakily wrapping a red lollipop to calm my unsteady heart and put an end to my clammy hands and sweaty forehead. He has a glass of whiskey in his hand. If it were Elijah, he would have brought something for me in his hands, not alcohol for himself.

"The lonely doppelganger," Klaus quips, his dark gaze perusing me in that emotionless but amused way, like he enjoys having me here, but just at his beck and call- at least, that's how I believe it.

The original reason why I'm on the deck is because I'm second away from at least tearing up a little. The new nurse and I did not get along. Correction: my arm and the new nurse didn't get along. She had to have stabbed me six different times before she forcefully got the needle to draw the blood. Even Klaus had stood up straighter at that moment.

I want to act poised, like I'm not affected. I've been orphaned, kidnapped, beaten, bitten, slapped (by Klaus, no less), and more, but this one consistent wound just...gets to me.

"Ugh," I end up saying. My next words are supposed to come out snappily, but I think my venom sounds watered down more than anything. "Why do you have to keep calling me that?"

Klaus freezes- or, it's more like he stops to observe me.

"Are you not lonely?" he asks deliberately.

I scoff. I'm so lonely I feel like I'm drowning. "Do you think if I could be anywhere else, I would be here?"

No strong vampire allies. No witches. Not even a werewolf who was only powerful once a month. No one to act as the buffer between me and someone who could be as malicious as Klaus freaking Mikaleson. Not even his brother- either one of them.

I turn to Klaus, tired of his deliberation and silence. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be traveling the world? Terrorizing someone else? Looking for ancient artifacts to gain more power?"

Klaus' eyebrows raise almost unnoticeable. "I did receive a lead about Excalibur a while back," he says.

An eye roll would make me dizzy right now, so I settle for shrugging irritatedly.

"You know," Klaus says. "You are right. We're both here."

"Guess we're both alone then," I say for a lack of better words.

"Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell you that solitude is fine," Klaus said, all preach-y. He then says, "Honoré de Balzac. French novelist."

I suck on my lollipop with an audible sound, rolling the abundance of flavor in my mouth and mulling over his words, wondering if he was staring as hard as I was in his eyes or if he's naturally this intense.

I remember thinking something like this the night I stayed here. Klaus had nothing better to do than to accompany me to and from the hospital. He also showed up in the blink of an eye when my house was getting robbed. Klaus, who was draining me by the bucket to create a makeshift family- and never actually getting around to it in fear of pissing his only family away.

"Ditto."

AATBYJ Ch. 8

Just when I think I might have to, like, be friends with Klaus, Caroline's name pops up on my barely charged phone, requesting a video call.

It's been so long since I checked my phone that I startle at the call's consequent urgent vibration. Old high school etiquette makes me wait for a few rings before I answer, and I do with a half sincere smile.

"Caroline," I greet, well aware of how gaunt my face looks and wish she had requested a normal call. The fact that I'm out on the Mikaelson patio where all the pretty flowers, sunshine, and glint of a sparkling pool wash me out even further. An Instagram influencer would have loved this backdrop.

"Elena!" Caroline yells back happily. Her face scrunches happily as Tyler presses a kiss on her cheek. I think he mumbles a "hey, 'lena," but he walks away too soon for me to reply. "How are you, babe? I've missed you! It's been so long."

Something in my "gaunt" face stretches like I've sucked on a sour lemon. "I'm peachy." Bruised up like a peach, too. And actually, I'm waiting for Klaus to come home so we could get this over with. The eternal hybrid wasn't even at the manor when I arrived half an hour ago. So w- rude, actually.

"You look pretty thin," Caroline comments. "Are you on a new diet or something? Or is it, like, breaking up with the Salvatore diet?"

Ah, I thought the lemon in my mouth couldn't turn any more sour. Now, it has a rotten taste.

"Klaus," I say. "Hybrid army. Blood donations. Anemia."

Caroline's eyes widen. "Wow, really?" She deflates a little. "I guess it makes sense, you know. The blood."

I purse my lips. "Yeah."

Caroline does a similar expression. "You haven't heard from Stefan or Damon since…"

"Nope." I don't think we're ever going to detangle that last conversation. I'm not sure I get it myself either. "Look, Care," I say, tired. "I gotta go, alright? I think I can hear Klaus coming and with Tyler with you-"

"Oh, fuck. Yeah, sure," she says quickly, worried about Tyler. "Talk to you later, yeah? Stay safe."

I raise my eyebrow but obediently say, "On it."

AATBYJ Ch. 8

"You're such an asshole," I say laughingly despite swearing at Klaus, who doesn't look at all offended. He had arrived a little while after Caroline and I hung up- yeah, I lied about hearing him.

Why was he late? Taking care of "business." He also said the nurse said she'll be a little late and that I'm free to go home if I'm willing to come back in a bit. I thought of making that soul-draining trek again back to my house and listened to the last part of his sentence. Keeping up with Elijah's instructions, he was to provide me with replenishing food.

And since Kol wasn't here anymore, the manor was 'safe' to be around again.

Somehow, after a late lunch of Italian food on the breezy patio- God forbid we ever order McDonald's- somehow, again, we ended up not going back inside. Only this time, Klaus had an easel tucked away that I hadn't noticed before.

"What?" Klaus says carelessly.

"You can't say that about your own painting," I say. His exact words of the...confusing portrait were 'a bloody, shitty mess.' "You can't tell me you're an asshole even to yourself."

This time, he looks offended a little. "I have standards," he says. His phone rings. "You know what? If you're as bored as you look, help me paint over this with white paint."

Before I could get offended, he answers the phone with an assholish, snappy 'hello?' and goes inside the house. I wait a moment before getting up, leaving behind the glass of whiskey I was sipping on. It tastes like crap, but it's the only liquid Klaus had in the house.

The painting beckons me forward, and I tilt my head as I examine it. Klaus is slightly right. The background is a mess of earthy tones, like he was trying to recreate muddy roots or something. The background, as 'shitty' as it is, highlights a very pretty middle. It's a flower, shaped kind of like a rose, but Klaus hasn't colored it in yet except for a squiggly middle.

Painting it blank makes me feel sad. It's so pretty, even if it's surrounded by mud- seriously, what was Klaus trying to paint?

I pick up one of the medium sized brushes he has in a cup on a table nearby and the messy palette of colors he mixed himself. I recognize the same color as the squiggly bit in the middle and dip my brush into it.

Sneaking a look into the kitchen's transparent French doors reveals Klaus is still on the phone, arguing actually, which means he's dressing down someone- and will likely take a few more minutes.

The first streak I make is bold and satisfying, the pinkish-reddish color standing out even surrounded by the earthy, dark tones. My next move is more careful, being mindful of coloring inside the half-assed lines Klaus made for himself.

I've painted about four of the petals when the color Klaus made runs out and I have to stare at the insane amount of unlabeled bottles of paint Klaus has.

He was going to paint it blank, right? So it shouldn't matter if I mess it up by making a new color, right? I try to get it as close as possible, mixing in several reds, pinks, and one splash of white to lighten the color a little.

Eventually, I reach a color that I like even more than the one Klaus made. Before I know what I'm doing, I'm biting my inner cheek to the point of pain as I carefully add color to each beautiful petal.

Klaus comes back after some time. I'm on my third-to-last petal, and he doesn't say anything. We share a look as I look over my shoulder to see if either one of us would talk or object in his case, but no one speaks. I finish the painting.

"I made it better," I boldly state once I'm done, handing the brush and wooden palette back to him. "But you can still paint over it if you want. I don't think it's shitty now. I mean, it was before-" he doesn't stop my onslaught of inner thoughts. "-yeah, anyway. It's better now."

Klaus obediently takes the stuff, regarding the painting and not me first. He also holds them strangely, like he's not used to other people handling his art stuff.

Patiently, I wait for his response. Patiently- but hella anxious. Eventually, after a few nerve-wracking moments, he makes a strange movement with his expression, like he's also not sure if he wants to be angry or not.

Yeah, me neither, buddy.

Have I ever updated three times relatively within the same month? Lol, I don't think so. Anyway, thank you guys so much for the 40+ comments! I never thought 40 people would read my stories, never mind share a comment with me, so it means a lot!

I know I kind of skipped over Kol, but it's only because I'm planning something bigger with him! Next chapter: probably- probably- Elijah's return!

Oh, and the flower they painted is called the Middlemist Red flower, and I believe it's the rarest flower in the world with only, like, two of them. (*cough* doppelgnager symbol *cough*).

So see you next time!