Alright everyone, buckle up because this one is a long one. It's taken me a bit of time to write this all out, but I think it's a pretty good chapter (or at least fun, I hope) and I managed to get back on track plot-wise around the end. So I hope you enjoy it. :)
Chapter Twenty Two: A Night to Forget, A Day to Remember Part 2 - Kiara's Birthday
Kiara and Klaus explored Downtown Nashville for much of the early morning. Although she had been hesitant at first, her curiosity seemed to take over as time went on and she actually seemed to be enjoying herself little by little. Nashville, also known as the Music City, was filled with colorful signs sticking out of the buildings and music in the streets. It was busy. Loud. Exciting.
It wasn't quite as amazing as New Orleans, of course. Klaus wished he could have brought Kiara there instead. In fact, he found himself daydreaming of other trips he could take with her in the future. New Orleans. Venice. Athens. There were so many places they could go and Klaus realized a long time ago that travel was much more enjoyable when he was with someone he cared for. He spent most of the morning watching Kiara out of the corner of his eye—happy to catch a look of wonder cross her face or see her turn to him to ask him a question about something she'd never seen before. He didn't dare say it out loud, but there was something about Kiara that brought out the romantic in him. Nothing bothered him as long as she was having a good time.
Thankfully David had managed to get to know Kiara quite well over the past couple of weeks and was willing to give Klaus some suggestions concerning her birthday celebration. It turned out that Kiara wasn't just an avid reader. She loved gazing up at the sky, night or day. She searched for beauty in the world around her and wanted to see it all, not just read about it. Kiara told David that of all the things she hasn't done, she wanted to see the ocean and ride in a hot air balloon. And most importantly, she said that back in Mystical Falls she was almost always wearing headphones when she was out in public. She loved music. So in a last-minute decision, he decided to bring her to Nashville for her birthday. It should have been perfect.
And yet, Klaus could feel Kiara shrinking inside herself as they walked along the sidewalk. The more people that were around them the fewer people seemed to notice her and the more claustrophobic she felt. It seemed to be a lose-lose either way. Whenever she would start to slow her pace, he would pull her into a nearby store so she could calm down. Shops became little hiding places for the two of them to catch their breath. Because they both needed it. As Kiara tried to process the multitude of things stimulating her senses, Klaus tried to come to terms with the complicated feelings shifting between them. Emotions that Kiara seemed content to ignore for the time being.
It seemed that Kiara didn't remember all of last night, or at the very least, she didn't want to talk about what happened. Or the tension building between them. Which left Klaus in a rather complicated position because he was just dying to know what she was thinking. About him. About last night. Because he woke to find his thoughts were consumed with nothing but her. Even making hybrids felt secondary to him all of a sudden. All morning he wanted his eyes on her. He kept thinking perhaps if he just allowed himself to really look at her, to study her facial features, he'd feel better. But then he found he wanted to be close to her and then once he was in close proximity, his fingers itched to touch her again. And again. And again. He would keep touching her if he could.
Now that they were out in public, he was using any excuse to put his hands on her. His fingers would trail down her lower back when she needed comfort or lace through hers to pull her through a crowd. He'd never been so enthralled with a person before. He began to wonder if she was doing it on purpose. If she was, she did a great job pretending she was unaware of her effect on him.
"Do you like it?" Klaus asked, standing behind Kiara as she looked over a magenta colored sweater that would compliment her eyes beautifully.
She glanced over her shoulder at him and shrugged. "It's pretty."
"Do you want it?"
"Why?" She smiled a little. "Do you want to buy it for me, Klaus?"
"Not if you don't say please…" He shot back, not liking the amusement she felt when she asked him the question. It made him feel like some teenage human with a crush.
But this only seemed to amuse her more. She turned to face him properly. "Don't be silly. It's like… a hundred dollars," she said.
"The cost isn't of concern to me," Klaus told her.
"Yeah?" She turned away from him again. "Well, it is for me."
Klaus watched her continue to move through the store. When she wasn't looking he purchased the sweater and anything else that she seemed to like and arranged to have it sent to their suite. He did this at every store they wandered into. He prepared himself to spend quite a bit of money on her by the end of the day, but the truth was, Kiara wasn't much of a shopper. And thanks to their still lingering link, he knew when she truly liked something. Buying presents is part of the fun of birthdays to Klaus. But Kiara clearly felt uncomfortable having him buy her things so he opted to do it in secret for the day.
Preston, David, and Stefan may be out looking for werewolves, but he had other underlings still around. Ones that Kiara didn't even know about. After the incident with Stefan, Klaus always had someone nearby to look out for Kiara. These same underlings would run her presents to the hotel for him. It would be a lovely surprise for her later, he expected. Hoped.
Perhaps it was a bit over the top, but Klaus couldn't help himself. He was resolved to make her happy on this day. Her eighteenth birthday. It was such a special year in today's American culture. Certainly, something to celebrate. And so far, she's hardly even smiled.
So many questions rang in Klaus's mind as they were exploring the city. He wanted to know more about Kiara. That had been the case for some time now. But it seemed the closer he tried to get to her, the further she retreated into herself. She was clearly conflicted. He knew that. And he knew that at least part of it had to do with Elijah. But what could he do? Undaggering Elijah wasn't an option at the moment. Klaus was still furious with him and since Elijah will no doubt wake just as furious it would do them no good to face one another now. No, Klaus knew he had to wait until he cooled down some more. Then he could ask Elijah for forgiveness. Although the more time he spent with Kiara, the more he wondered what he would need to beg Elijah's forgiveness for…
Suddenly, Kiara paused. Klaus, lost in his own thoughts, nearly ran into her. Together they watched as a line of people passed by them riding segways. They were dark two-wheeled machines that seemed to glide across the ground. Klaus never really saw the appeal of the odd new method of travel. But Kiara's eyes followed them. Or perhaps it was the family of three trailing behind the group that caught her attention. Still, Klaus decided to ask anyway.
"Would you like to ride one?"
Kiara looked at him as if she wasn't sure if he were serious. When it became obvious that he was, she said, "Oh, I don't know… my luck, I'd end up crashing and breaking my face."
"Nonsense I'd never allow it." Klaus raised his eyebrows at her. When she didn't respond, he added, "Though I doubt you'd even need my help. You seem to be quite capable on your own."
"Yeah now I do, but there was a time when getting on something like that could be the death of me. I was kinda a huge klutz before all this," Kiara told him, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"That's hard to imagine." He always found her movements to be quite graceful.
"It's only natural really," Kiara shrugged and continued on down the sidewalk. "I spent most of my early years inside reading books. I didn't have an athletic bone in my body. Once I was finally free, I felt like I had to learn to walk all over again. The world is so big, you know? I just didn't know how I fit in it. I guess I still don't."
"I think I know what you mean, love…" Klaus murmured.
And he did. Klaus and his siblings spent centuries running from their homicidal father. All the while wondering, where do we belong? The only place Klaus could recall truly feeling at home was in New Orleans. But like everything else, his father ruined that too.
That's not even mentioning the existential loneliness that Klaus felt his entire life. Being the only one of his kind was unbearable. If there were no others like him, there could be no one to truly understand him. Except perhaps another unique being who was completely alone in the world. A being who was also cursed with dark impulses and an unquenchable desire to feed on human life. Whose father also wants to see them dead. Whose mother may have also been a witch. A being so filled with self-hatred and fear that she could never understand, much less accept, love from another. The more Klaus thought about it, the more alike he and Kiara seemed to be. And he didn't know what to do about it.
If Klaus knew the words that would have kept Kiara talking, he would have said them. But despite his best efforts, she grew quiet again. They passed bars, restaurants, food trucks, a giant cowboy boot, and store after store. As they rounded the corner they heard music. Loud live music vibrating through the city. Kiara's eyes instantly lit up. Up ahead there was a crowd of people around a stage set up in what looked like a park.
Klaus kept close to Kiara as she moved towards the crowd like a woman under a spell. They could hardly make out the words from that distance, but the melody drew her in any way.
"Do you like country music?" he asked, once again unable to keep himself from asking her the question that popped into his head.
And again she just shrugged her shoulders. "I guess. I don't really care what kind of music it is," she told him. "Music is music."
That was all Klaus needed to know. He slid his hand into hers and locked their fingers together before pulling her forward. He maneuvered them through the crowd of humans until they were in front of the stage. He watched Kiara close her eyes like the sounds passing over her were sunshine. They were close enough to feel the music.
Klaus pulled her close so he could speak into her ear. "Do you want to sit here for a little while?"
Kiara's eyes found his before she nodded with a wide smile on her face.
They sat there on the grass for about an hour. A few different performers took to the stage and although Klaus didn't find any of them particularly appealing, they all seemed to entertain Kiara for one reason or another. Her eyes watched everything they did. She studied the guitarist's fingers as they plucked at the strings and the lead singer's foot as they tapped to the rhythm of the drums.
Klaus hardly paid attention to the musicians. He was too distracted by Kiara's leg pressing against his and the look in her eyes as she listened to each song, but he enjoyed himself anyway. Because she was enjoying herself.
At some point, clouds passed over them blocking out the sun so Kiara laid back and stared up at the sky with a far-off look in her eyes. And Klaus found himself wanting to ask her what she was thinking about. This time, however, he didn't have to.
As the most recent performer walked off the stage, Kiara said, "It's different hearing music live. It's like it's alive. I can feel it moving through my whole body."
"Is this your first concert, love?"
She sat up a little and leaned on her elbows. "Does a middle school acapella concert count?"
Klaus looked insulted by the very question. "Absolutely not."
"That's the only other time I heard someone sing live, other than my mother," she shrugged. "It was at the first school I went to, in Arizona. The whole school was brought into the gym… I had no idea people could do things like that. I thought it had to be some kind of magic. Pretty funny, huh?"
Klaus would have disagreed. He would have explained that it was more than understandable that she thought such a thing. He also would have explained that had he known this was her first concert he would have taken her to see someone much more exciting, but someone above them cleared their throat interrupting them.
"Uhm, excuse me," a teenage boy said, staring down at Kiara like she was the only person in the world. He shifted from one foot to the other. "My friends and I were just talking and well, we all agree you're the most beautiful girl we've ever seen. I had to come over and ask you your name."
Kiara blinked up at the shaggy-haired boy as Klaus resisted the urge to point out that he didn't actually ask her anything. Then she glanced behind him at his friends who were watching with open mouths. They didn't even try to look away. When she looked back to the stranger, she said, "My name's Marlo."
"Marlo," the boy repeated. "do you think I could buy you lunch or something?"
"Oh…" Kiara got to her feet. "Thank you, but no. We were actually just leaving."
"Aw, come on," The boy reached out to touch her shoulder, but Klaus pulled her back just in time.
Kiara allowed his arms to circle her waist as he said, "You know, it's quite rude of you not to introduce yourself to a lady before asking for her name. It's also poor etiquette to ask out a woman who is clearly already spoken for."
Although he managed to keep his voice calm, Klaus was quite obviously pissed. Kiara must have felt that because her hands moved up to rub his arm. Interestingly enough, she didn't object to anything he said or try to pull away from his touch. A fact he would have fixated on had he not been so annoyed with the teenager in front of him.
"Oh, I," The boy looked back and forth between Kiara and Klaus. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't realize she was your girlfriend."
"Well, what else would she be exactly? We did arrive here together—"
"Okay," Kiara took a step to the side, pulling Klaus by the hand. "Let's just go… hun. I've heard enough of this music anyway."
Klaus didn't even attempt to argue with her. He was too stunned to hear her call him by the little term of endearment. He let her apologize to the boy before dragging him off in a random direction. Once they were a safe enough distance away, Kiara slowed her pace and relaxed her grip on his hand. Klaus knew that she probably wanted to let go. But Klaus made a point to hold onto her hand anyway.
"Are you angry with me, love?" he eventually asked her.
"No."
"Really? Because you seem upset now," he pointed out. "And you seemed to be enjoying yourself before. Would you like to go back?"
He would have spent all day there if that's what she wanted.
"It's fine," she told him.
"Well, something must be bothering you, love."
"I'm fine really."
Suddenly Klaus pulled her into an alleyway and pressed her up against the red brick building behind her. It was cooler in the shaded area. The sudden change in temperature made her shiver a little. Before she could even think of trying to escape, he placed his hands on either side of her keeping her there with him.
"Let's hear it then," he said.
She glared up at him. "Hear what?"
"Tell me that I made an ass out of myself. Scream at me for making a scene over someone asking you a simple question. Tell me off for acting like a jealous idiot. Say whatever it is you want to say, but let me make one thing perfectly clear to you sweetheart, you won't hear an apology from me."
Kiara just stared at him for a little while as she tried to catch her breath. The intensity of him made her stomach flutter. His eyes felt like fire on her skin. To any outsider looking in at them, Klaus would appear angry. But there was no question in Kiara's mind that he was feeling something entirely different. Possessive.
"I didn't ask you for an apology," she looked away from him. He remained firm and waited for her to tell him whatever was bothering her. "I actually thought you handled yourself pretty well back there."
Klaus squinted down at her in confusion. "You did?"
"Well yeah," she shrugged. "I could feel how much you were holding back. I just… I don't understand why he made you so mad."
And he struggled to answer her.
"Well he went to grab you and I just—"
Kiara smiled.
"What?" he asked her.
"I think I get it now. Your reaction, it may have been partially my fault," she told him, relaxing against the cool brick. "I hate it when strangers think they can just touch me without permission. I actually threatened to break the hand of the last guy who grabbed me."
Klaus smirked. "That's my girl."
"There you go again," she tsked at him with a shake of her head. "Claiming me as yours."
She was clearly teasing him now and he could have kissed her. Anyone else would have scolded him for his behavior. But not her. No, instead she seemed to understand him without explanation.
"Did I?" he asked, not sounding as innocent as he hoped.
Kiara nodded, biting her lip. "That's okay though. I tend to bring out the possessive side of people."
"Well if that's not what's bothering you, love… then, what is?" He asked her.
"I don't wanna say." She looked away from him and at the people passing by.
"Why not?"
"Because," she sighed. "You've been trying so hard to cheer me up and I don't want to bum you out."
After a few moments of silence, Klaus said, "This wouldn't have anything to do with your mother, would it?"
Kiara's eyes met his. "How?" she asked and added, "David told you, didn't he? Damn it, I told him not to say anything!"
"Don't blame him, love. I didn't give him much choice."
"Is that why you've been so determined to celebrate my birthday? Because David opened his big stupid mouth?"
"I really do like birthdays," he asserted. "But I also know how difficult such anniversaries can be… it's quite tragic this one falls on a day that should be celebrated."
Kiara looked up at him with sad eyes. "You can be really sweet when you want to be, you know."
Klaus tried not to look too proud of himself, but the words flattered him. "Yes, well, you may be the only person in the world to think so."
"I can't imagine why," Kiara faked a confused expression making Klaus roll his eyes. But in the end, the little joke showed that she was trying and that was enough for him.
"Come on, love. There's more to see," he told her, taking her hand and pulling her back into the light.
They continued down the road together. It took a few minutes for Kiara to silently process what had just happened between them. Then she asked, "Where are we going exactly?"
"Well, I thought since you seem to enjoy music so much you should see the Musicians Hall of Fame. Get an idea of who you should be listening to," he told her.
"Hall of Fame?" she asked. They slowly came to a stop in front of a building with those exact words on the front of it.
"That's right, love," Klaus nodded. "Only the best of the best end up here. Or so they say."
The blonde woman at the front desk said it would take them about an hour and a half to walk through the whole museum. Maybe less since it wasn't very crowded. She didn't know that she was talking to a vampire, of course, so she couldn't have known that Klaus would stop and explain how things really were every few seconds. Often he would be correcting what the videos and plaques were telling them. He seemed to enjoy Kiara's undivided attention and was quite confident discussing the various artists. Although he did dismiss some of the genres he didn't really care for.
"You really know your stuff, huh?" Kiara asked him around the end of the exhibit.
"I don't just know it, love," he said. "I lived it."
"Still… your memory is impressive. I barely remember last night. I can't even imagine remembering a specific event or day a hundred years from now."
"Some of us recall better than others," Klaus agreed in an unusual tone of voice.
They stopped in front of a wall of guitars. Some of the owner's names Kiara recognized and some she didn't. Klaus told her about the ones "that mattered". She listened patiently and he happily answered her questions.
"Do you play?" she asked him, gesturing to one of the guitars in front of her.
"I never really took to instruments," Klaus told her. "Not like Elijah did."
"Elijah?" Kiara swallowed, surprised he would bring up his older brother. "He plays?"
"The piano," Klaus nodded. "He's quite good. I, on the other hand, was always partial to the finer arts. Sketching, painting, and the like."
Kiara nodded. "Are all the Mikealson's talented like you are?"
Klaus hesitated. Like he suddenly wasn't sure if they should be discussing his siblings. But Kiara could feel the dash of pride he felt when talking about them. Soon he was talking about them in age order. He explained that he was never very close to his oldest brother. Finn and their mother had been attached at the hip before Klaus was even born. Like their father, Finn never approved of anything Klaus did and would often tell their parents when he did something wrong. After they were turned into vampires and Klaus was outed as the bastard son that he was, Finn's disapproval of Klaus only deepened into hatred.
Once he touched on his history with Finn, Klaus found it easy to breeze through the other siblings. He explained that Kol had been a promising witch when he was alive and upon turning into a vampire, his connection to magic was severed. It seemed vampirism didn't agree with Kol because he went mad over time and was often difficult to manage, even when fleeing their father.
Although Elijah had told Kiara about each of their siblings, it was different hearing about them from Klaus. Especially when it came to Rebekah. It was clear that she was Klaus's favorite. He described her as romantic and stubborn, mean and foolishly optimistic at times, and it turned out she was the only one that never treated him like the bastard sibling.
"She's your best friend," Kiara realized.
"Yes," Klaus agreed. "I suppose she is."
A question bubbled in Kiara's throat. One she thought was rather obvious, but she didn't want to upset the vampire so she opted to keep it to herself. Unfortunately, their magical link didn't allow for many secrets.
"What is it?" he asked her, fully aware of the question she was holding back.
"It's just, I was wondering why she wasn't here right now. With you."
Klaus paused.
"I mean," Kiara felt her face heat up. "I understand why you won't wake Elijah at the moment. He tried to kill you, so of course, you're angry, but—"
"Each of my siblings has disappointed me at one point or another. Rebekah, though I love her dearly, is no different."
"Isn't that just how it is with siblings?"
Klaus didn't answer.
"I don't have much experience with family myself obviously, but I do know loneliness pretty well. If I were you and I had the choice, I think I'd choose to have my family with me. Disappointments and all."
The statement seemed to strike a nerve because the next thing Klaus said was, "If those were my two choices, I would probably do the same. But I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that."
Kiara wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but it was clear he was done talking about them. In fact, he was done talking for a while.
When they reached the end of the museum tour, Klaus carried on to the next thing he had planned for them without a word. It was clear that talking about his siblings upset him. He was quieter now, almost colder. But he wasn't treating her badly. It was more like his mind kept drifting no matter how much he tried to stay present.
In the afternoon, they strolled through the Cheekwood Estate and Botanical Gardens. It was gorgeous, probably one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen, and oddly romantic. Colorful flowers were sprinkled in patterns on the ground. Archways loomed over the pathways they walked. The sun shined through the tree branches above them. Everywhere they looked made a beautiful photo. It was one of those places that seemed to exist outside of time. The kind of place human Klaus would have spent hours sitting in just sketching and painting the day away. And Kiara would have been happy to sit with him basking in the sunshine. Despite her better instincts, Kiara found herself wondering if it was that part of him that picked this place to bring her. It was silly of course. She didn't even know if that part of him still existed. After all, one thousand years was a long time. She imagined he changed quite a bit.
"I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high over vales and hills," Kiara muttered to herself. Though she knew full well that Klaus could hear her. She quickened her pace down the path and crouched in front of a patch of flowers. "When all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of yellow daffodils."
"Wordsworth," Klaus nodded as he caught up to her. "You're quite well-read for your age."
Kiara shrugged and stood up. "I didn't have much to do but read."
"Still, most children don't spend their days inside reading poetry."
"Robin, one of my caretakers, liked to read it," Kiara told him with her eyes still on the flowers. "Sometimes he would read it to me. Like a bedtime story. I guess it's just… something I took with me when I left."
Klaus smiled almost bitterly to himself before saying, "No wonder my brother managed to catch your attention. He's always been the type to write poetry, certainly, read enough of it."
"He does have a way with words," Kiara agreed and turned to look at Klaus. "But I always kind of thought you'd be the more romantic one of the two."
"Really?" Klaus didn't believe her.
"Yeah. You're the artist after all. You're the one who drew me and left the sketch in my locker and you hardly even knew me then. I think if anyone were to write love notes, it would be you. Assuming you were trying to seduce someone, of course."
Kiara's eyebrows raised in a suggestive way. A question without actually asking.
"Of course." Klaus looked down to hide his smile.
"Although now that I think about it, you're probably more of the Jack Dawson type."
"Jack Dawson?"
"Yeah. You know, from Titanic?" Kiara pressed her lips together and she started walking along the path again. "There's that iconic scene where he draws Rose wearing nothing but a necklace?"
Klaus tried to catch her eyes, but she didn't stay looking in any one direction at a time. "I'm familiar with the movie and the scene to which you're referring."
"So are you?" She asked him.
"Am I what?"
"The kind of man who has women pose naked for him."
Klaus looked away and kept his hands gripped tightly behind him. "I have been," he told her and then couldn't resist adding. "Why? Are you interested?"
"What?" Kiara stumbled, tripping on her own feet, and Klaus reached out to steady her.
"Easy there, love."
Klaus tried not to laugh, but she was so shocked by the question. When she saw the amusement in his eyes and the grin on his lips, she smacked his chest.
"Don't look at me like that. It's not funny," she said. Her face was redder than he'd ever seen it now.
"It's not laughing, love," he told her. "I'm actually quite serious. I'd be honored to have a gorgeous creature such as yourself pose for me."
The words only seemed to embarrass Kiara further, even her neck flushed with color. She shook her head with her lower lip tucked in her mouth. It was impossible to get her to look at him. And in a strange way, Klaus felt proud to have gotten her in such a flustered state.
Finally, she said, "Is this really you on your best behavior?"
Klaus's heart sped up at the question. There was something about the way she asked it. Her voice was low, teasing, and confident. And he realized it was how she sounded the night before. His mind searched for a witty retort, but then she glanced up at him through her lashes and he saw the gleam coming from them.
"You promised you'd be good for me today," she said. Her fingers trailed up his neck and into his hair sending chills through his body.
Then just as suddenly as she started, she stopped.
"Sorry." Her eyebrows scrunched together and she blinked her eyes back to normal. Slowly she brought her hands down to lay on his chest. "I guess I'm a little… hungrier than I realized."
It seemed impossible for her to need to feed again. But then, Klaus didn't know enough about succubi to know what their normal feeding habit was. The first week they were traveling together she refused to feed on him. Then she started sneaking a little, feeding here and there from him while he slept. He thought it was strange, but didn't mention it because she was still technically doing as he asked. But from what he gathered, she needed to feed at least once a week. After last night, Klaus would have expected she'd be satisfied for quite some time. But it seemed that wasn't the case. Curious.
"It doesn't bother me in the least, love," Klaus told her, only just remembering that they were still in a public space. "I did promise to feed you whenever you're hungry. Perhaps it's time we went back to the hotel?"
Kiara chewed on her lip again. "Um, yeah. Okay. That's probably for the best."
Klaus moved quicker now. He led her through the city as if he lived there his whole life. Before Kiara knew it, they were standing in front of the hotel again and it wasn't until they were walking through the doors that Kiara realized how tired she actually was.
The ride in the elevator was quiet. Kiara still seemed a little uneasy. He could see her flexing her fingers at her sides—a nervous tick of hers that he noticed back when he was still pretending to be Alaric. Klaus wanted to ask her why she was so anxious but didn't want to make her feel worse than she already did.
When Klaus opened the suite door for her, he was surprised to find David standing in the middle of the room waiting there for them.
"David," Klaus glanced at Kiara to gauge her reaction. "You're early."
"Yeah, boss, and I meant to call you but—"
"Kiki?" A woman with ginger hair stepped out of the bathroom and rushed towards them. "Hunny, is that you?"
Kiara's eyes widened at the voice. "Holly?"
The two women pulled each other into a tight embrace with tears clouding their vision. If Klaus didn't know any better he might have assumed they were actually related.
"You're okay," Holly pulled back to look her ward in the face. "You are okay, right?"
Kiara nodded, sniffling a little. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. What about you?"
"Surprisingly…" Holly glanced over Kiara's shoulder at Klaus. "I've been fine. Thanks to your friend here or so they tell me. Niklaus, right?"
"Please, call me, Klaus," he told her.
When Kiara looked back at Klaus, he smiled a little at her and said, "Surprise, love."
"You knew she was coming? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It wouldn't have been a surprise if I had now would it?"
"But, why now? I've been asking to see her for weeks."
Klaus lifted his shoulders and walked towards her. "I thought you'd want to spend your birthday with her. She would have been here earlier had I known, but you chose to keep it a secret from me and David had to get on a last-minute flight this morning just to get her here."
Kiara said nothing.
"Well, it's a good thing I am here, Klaus. You would have needed my help soon enough," Holly spoke up.
"Is that so?"
"Holly, I told you, I'm fine. Really."
"Yes, well you always say that. Don't you? And you never are."
Again Kiara didn't respond. She just crossed her arms protectively in front of herself and kept her face void of emotion. But Klaus could feel the irritation radiating off of her.
"What do you mean by that exactly?" Klaus asked. His blue eyes studying the two women in front of him.
"Nothing," Kiara snapped. "Holly, I'm handling it. I swear. You don't need to involve him in this."
But Holly ignored her and turned to Klaus instead. "Has Kiara been getting really irritated lately? More and more so over the past week. She would also be feeding more frequently and starting to withdraw before experiencing controllable mood swings. And not just any mood swings. These would be extreme like to the point where she's like a whole other person."
Klaus tried not to react. He tried not to even think about it. But he knew exactly what this woman was talking about. He had noticed Kiara's change in behavior. He'd seen her eyes flashing and heard her voice changing. In a way, he'd even been a victim of hers. A completely willing victim, of course, but still. It was exactly as Holly said. Even if Kiara didn't realize that. It would have been foolish not to hear Holly out.
But Kiara didn't give him a chance to answer Holly's question. "It's none of his business!" she said.
"Kiara, please don't make this harder than it needs to be."
"It's been almost six months! I have a better handle on things now," Kiara told her. "Please, he doesn't need to know."
But Holly just shook her head at her. They all watched as the witch crossed the room to where her bag was on the couch.
"I'm sorry, but I know you too well. After what happened back in Mystic Falls and now today of all days… it's bound to happen eventually and if he plans to continue things as they are, he should know. Lucky for you," Holly said, pulling a vial out of her purse. "I came prepared."
Panic rushed through Kiara at the sight.
"Alright, enough games," Klaus stalked towards the woman. "what's going on here?"
"It's really better if I show you," Holly insisted and gestured for Kiara to sit down on the couch next to her.
Kiara rolled her eyes but did what was expected of her.
Meanwhile, Klaus opted to stay standing with his back leaning against the wall opposite of the scene unfolding in front of him. Holly held the little bottle in her hand for him to see. The liquid inside was light eerie pink.
"I'm sure you've wondered by now how it is that Kiara has such good control of her succubus urges. Considering her age… she should be struggling to keep her darker side at bay like any other supernatural creature," Holly said, turning the glass bottle in her hand. "And at the beginning that's exactly what she did. Not long after Kiara's sixteenth birthday, she "turned" and nearly killed someone. So I developed this potion to keep her from losing herself. It worked well, to begin with, but any time Kiara experiences emotional stress, she requires another dose, and each use has lasted for less time than the last."
"Don't forget to mention that it tastes like dog piss," Kiara added with a sarcastic smile.
"Kiki! Enough!" Holly said. "You know this has to be done. Do you want to hurt someone again?"
"Of course not."
"Then drink the stupid potion and let's get this over with."
Without another word, Kiara grabbed the vial from Holly's hand and downed it in one gulp. Her face scrunched up at the test so Klaus knew she had been serious when she said it tasted horrible. Then slowly she relaxed back into the couch cushions and closed her eyes.
"Kiara?" Klaus stepped towards her. "Are you alright?"
"She's fine," Holly told him.
"I'm afraid that you and I must have different definitions of the word fine. Now if you don't tell me exactly what that potion just did to her, I—"
"Mhm isn't he just delicious Hol?" Kiara lifted her head and her glowing eyes met his. "I could just eat him up."
Klaus froze.
"Klaus, this is Sky," Holly said, gesturing to Kiara who was grinning at him now.
I know I know. I didn't mean to leave things off on a cliff hanger, but it's taken me so long to get to where I felt I had enough to post again and I didn't want to put off updating any longer. I'm also sorry if this is full of spelling and grammar mistakes, but it's four in the morning as I'm posting this so there isn't much I can do when I'm this tired.
Anyway... I hope you all liked this chapter. I plan on having the next chapter jump back into the general storyline Klaus goes through in Vampire Diaries (at least for a little while), but we'll see.
Thanks for reading and as always reviews are appreciated, but not necessary. :)
