Alright friends, the person I had that was supposed to be looking over my writing hasn't been feeling well and so I am once again without a beta reader. I apologize for any obvious errors as I am writing and editing these chapters late at night after work.

Reminder: This takes place around Season 3 Episode 3


Chapter Twenty Nine: Unease

The anger that rattled in Kiara eased as the distance between her and Klaus grew. She took a seat at the bar and breathed out a sigh of relief. Her shoulders lowered. Her jaw slowly unclenched. It seemed the longer she was linked to the hybrid the harder it was becoming to differentiate his feelings from hers. She had been annoyed with Stefan, but certainly not enough to break his neck. She stared down at her hands wondering what else she was capable of. Was she becoming something she never wanted to be? And more importantly, were such changes irreversible?

Kiara wondered what her mother would think of her if she could see her now.

Monster. The word rang in her mind like a mantra meant to reveal an inner truth. You're just like your father.

No. She pushed back. Her eyes squeezed shut and she shook her head. Being a monster, a true monster, took more than genetics. They were created—forced. Born in a moment of trauma, they were the bite that comes after being backed into a corner. Kiara reasoned she'd done a monstrous thing, but she hadn't passed the point of no return yet. She could choose differently from now on. She could be better.

"She had that same look in her eyes," said Gloria.

When Kiara looked up, she saw Gloria was sweeping pieces of broken glass off the floor. Kiara vaguely recalled the sound of a glass breaking when Stefan's body dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. She wanted to apologize. Instead, she said, "Who?"

"Your mother. It was like she was waiting for her luck to run out too."

"You said she was scared. Do you know what she was afraid of?"

"There was a family she was trying to run away from. A coven of necromancers that held her prisoner for years. They were threatening to kill someone she loved if she didn't return to them. Mirebelle wanted to protect him, hide him. I told her it'd be nearly impossible. Hiding from a necromancer is a bit more complicated than just a simple cloaking spell. You need to be able to hide from the dead."

Kiara swallowed and forced out a single, "Oh."

"But I think she managed to find a way. For a little while anyway."

"Who was he?"

"She didn't give me a name, but she was pregnant so I'm thinking maybe it was your father?"

"My father?" Kiara tried to imagine her father ever needing protection, but she couldn't. "No. There's no way. There must have been someone else."

Gloria shook her head. "Succubus don't fall in love easily. Into beds? Sure. But in love? Not so much," she told her. "It's not in their nature. Legend says—"

"A witch named Callista put a spell on herself to protect her from experiencing heartbreak again after having to kill her boyfriend in self-defense. Only the spell turned into a curse that turned her into a heartless soul-sucking monster?" Kiara nodded. "I heard."

"Well… my guess is, she used her werewolf boyfriend's heart to do it. Explains why werewolves are resistant to you."

Kiara nodded thoughtfully to herself. "That makes sense. Do you think it's a curse that can be broken?"

"We'd have to talk to Callista, get the ingredients that were used in the spell, assuming she ever existed in the first place."

"Yeah," Kiara nodded. "And that's pretty much impossible without something that belonged to her, right?" Gloria nodded. "So why aren't there more succubus out there? Considering how they feed and what can come from it… wouldn't there be a lot of little succubus babies running around?"

Gloria laughed. "There's a theory about that too," she leaned her elbows on the counter. "Rumor has it that succubus are protected against all consequences of unprotected sex and they can only get pregnant if they have sex with a person they're in love with. And considering how protective they are over their hearts… it stands to reason that that person would likely love them back."

It should have been a relief to know that she shouldn't have to worry about having any unwanted pregnancies popping up on her. Not that she planned on making it a habit of sleeping around or anything, but if she did have the occasional slip up with a human she was feeding on, she had no reason to worry. Yet, she found herself thinking of her mother. And how impossible it seemed that she could have ever been in love with the man who raised her.

Kiara had never known Orion Blake to be a kind man. She'd been on the receiving end of his cruelty on more than one occasion and in the years that she was locked away in that room she'd never seen a loving bone in his body. Not even a shred of sympathy for her when he would visit her or permit her to see her dying mother.

Most of the time when Kiara saw her mother, they were alone. It was possible that Orion was nicer to her when no one else was around, but Kiara doubted it. Even as a child, Kiara knew that her mother was afraid of Orion. She would constantly ask her how she was doing, how she was being treated, and check over her body for injury. Kiara could remember sitting on her mother's bed and watching her mother take her little hands in hers, gently turning them over to look for any signs of damage on her arms. Then a look of relief would wash over her face and she'd hold Kiara tight against her chest. Tight as if she never wanted to let her go.

Despite all that, Kiara had to wonder: could she have been a product of love?

It seemed unthinkable. She couldn't imagine that Orion could ever love someone, much less be loved in return. Impossible, she told herself, that true love could sour into such misery. It was too painful to imagine. Too heartbreaking to accept.

"Excuse me," Kiara mumbled, slipping out of her seat. "I think I need some fresh air."

"That's alright, sweetheart. We're opening any minute now anyway. But don't worry, we'll talk later. I promise."

Kiara nodded and made her way outside. It was humid and the breeze was warm on her face. She took a few deep breaths and made her way to the side of the building. Her thoughts ran wild with terrible memories. The ones she'd repressed for years were suddenly bubbling up the surface. She leaned her back against the cool concentrate and then placed her hands on her knees. Suddenly she was hyperventilating. A full-blown pain attack was coming to life in her chest.

Kiara tried to concentrate on the sound of passing voices and the music that flowed through the open doors out onto the street. She focused all her attention on the melodies flowing through the air. Each note was a weapon used to push out the terrible images coming to life behind her eyelids. Eventually, her body seemed to decide that throwing them up onto the gravel below her was a better method of relief.


When she wandered back into the bar, it was crowded with people. A sea of strangers chatted with one another, listening to the live band playing on the stage, and drinking the liquor the servers brought to them. Walking through the scene felt like entering a hazy dream.

Gloria was still behind the bar when Kiara took a seat. "You're back," she said with a smile.

"Never really left," Kiara told her.

"Kit-Kat?" Someone called to her right. Kiara looked down the bar and saw Damon. "Funny seeing you here."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "Give me a break."

"Good one," Damon faked a grin. "So… how've you been?"

"Peachy."

"And my brother?"

"Still a class A, asshole. Like you. Why?"

"Look, I know things didn't end well the last time we saw each other, but can't we just let bygones be bygones and get along?"

Kiara glared at him. "What are you doing here? I can't be that unlikely to just run into you like this."

"I'm here for my brother."

"Well, he's not here."

"No, but I hear that he will be."

"Great," Kiara offered a sarcastic smile. "I hope you two ride off into the sunset together."

Damon stood there for a moment, clearly wanting to say something else. But then he seemed to decide not to. Instead, he said, "Thanks for the help. I'll be sure to remember this in the future."

Kiara rolled her eyes but didn't respond as he stood and left the bar. It wasn't until after he was gone that she wondered how he even knew to come to Gloria's bar for his brother.

"Hey dollface," a man sat down where Damon had just been. He looked to be a man in his thirties with short brown hair and a cheap suit. It looked like he had come to the bar directly from work. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Kiara glanced at him. "I guess."

Gloria gave her a look like she knew that Kiara was under the legal drinking age. But she also seemed to know it didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. Kiara was a succubus. Gloria was a witch. What authority figure do they have to answer to really?

"So," the man turned to her and leaned an arm on the bar top. "What's your name?"

"Brooke." Kiara lied without a second thought.

"Hi, Brooke. I'm Mike."

"Thanks for the drink, Mike. I really needed it. It's been a hell of a day."

"Yeah," Mike nodded, not really listening to what Kiara was saying. "Can I just say… that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen?"

Kiara took a sip from the drink as soon as it was handed to her. She allowed the alcohol to begin the process of dulling her senses, and then offered him a tight smile. "Thank you. I appreciate that."

"Hello, love," Klaus said, walking up behind her. He leaned close and kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry to have kept you waiting. We got caught up."

"That's alright, Mike here was keeping me company."

Klaus turned to the man. "Thanks for that, mate, but you're kind of sitting in my seat."

"Wait," Mike frowned, looking from Klaus to Kiara. "Is this guy your boyfriend?"

Kiara went to answer, but Klaus beat her to it. He placed an arm over her shoulders and grinned looking almost human for a moment. "I know, right? Hard to believe I managed to snag this one. Three years next week, isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"Yes," Kiara said, not quite sure what game Klaus was playing.

Mike, however, didn't look convinced. "She didn't mention a boyfriend."

It wasn't as if they'd had a lengthy conversation.

"Did you even bother to ask?" Klaus chuckled. "You can't honestly think a woman of such stature would be single. And even if by some miracle she were available," Klaus paused. His entire demeanor changed along with his tone of voice. "what makes you think she'd be interested in the likes of you?"

"Klaus!" Kiara said as Mike got to his feet, fury flashing in his eyes. She placed a hand on the man's chest to keep him from getting any closer to the hybrid. "Please don't! This won't end well for you."

The two men stared at one another for a moment. "Whatever," The man said. "It's not worth it." Then he stormed off.

"I can assure you, mate. She's very muchworth it!" Klaus yelled after him.

"Klaus!" Kiara whacked him with her arm as he took the now empty seat next to her. "What was all that about?"

"Just a bit of fun," Klaus grinned at her. "He's lucky that he caught me in a good mood."

"Or what? You would have killed him for buying me a drink and calling me pretty?"

"I've done much worse to those who try to take what's mine."

As much as Kiara hated herself for it, she felt her body respond to those words. A tingle rushed through her body. Goosebumps erupted up her neck and all the way down her legs. Her eyes widened in surprise before she quickly looked away from him. She took the straw out of her glass and quickly gulped down the remainder of the drink.

Klaus, fully aware of how the statement affected her, allowed his smile to grow. His eyes looked her over, deliberately slow, from her toes to her face. He watched her cross her legs before he leaned towards her and muttered, "Do you enjoy that? Having me stake my claim on you for all to see?"

"No. Of course not." Kiara flushed bright red.

"Your body says otherwise," Klaus said. He stared at her for a moment, clearly expecting some kind of rebuttal, but she refused to even look at him. Finally, he said, "Oh, Gloria, two beers and some whiskey, please? Thank you."

Gloria grabbed two bottles and brought them over. It was then that Kiara noticed that Stefan had managed to take the seat on the other side of Klaus. Gloria put the bottles down in front of them and said, "Where's Rebekah?"

"She'll be here," Klaus said. "I can't just conjure her on demand." Gloria rolled her eyes and went back to dealing with her customers. Klaus looked at Stefan who looked a bit down (more so than usual). "What's with you?" he asked. "I thought Chicago was your playground."

Stefan stood and looked at him. "So this is why you asked me to be your wingman? Because you liked the way that I tortured innocent people?"

Kiara glanced at the pair with wide eyes. This wasn't exactly something to discuss in a crowded bar.

"Well, that's certainly half of it," Klaus told him, not at all bothered by the accusation.

"What's the other half?"

"The other half, Stefan, is that you used to want to be my wingman." Klaus poured two shots and slid one over to him. He went on to explain to them that they had shared things with one another, private intimate things. The pain they experienced at the hands of their fathers. Their family drama. Their insecurities. Love. It turned out, there was a time when they really were friends. And it seemed Klaus still believed they were. When he was done explaining himself, Klaus lifted his shot and said, "To friendship."

Stefan lifted his glass to meet Klaus's with a clink. After they downed a few more, Stefan said, "I'm confused. If we were such great friends, why do I only know you as the hybrid dick who sacrificed my girlfriend on an altar of fire?"

"All good things must come to an end," Klaus said before explaining that they had been attacked by police officers shooting wooden bullets.

"You compelled me to forget," said Stefan.

Klaus looked sad as he said, "It was time for Rebekah and me to move on. Better to have a clean slate."

"But why? You shouldn't have to cover your tracks…" Stefan thought out loud. "Unless you're running from someone."

"Storytime is over," Klaus said, cutting Stefan off before he started asking the wrong questions. But Kiara knew the truth. Stefan was right. Klaus was running from someone. His father.

Kiara watched Stefan glance across the bar and notice his brother nodding for him to follow him. As Stefan glanced at Klaus, he met Kiara's eyes. "I need another drink," he said. "A real one." He left Kiara wondering what she should do.

Should she tell Klaus that she saw Damon? He was clearly up to something. But if ignoring it meant not having to deal with ripper Stefan anymore, what's the harm? Then again, Klaus could find out what they were doing and kill both Salvatore brothers in a fit of rage. Kiara wasn't sure exactly how she'd feel about that once it was all said and done, and the thought scared her a little.

And then there were the things that Klaus had said to her earlier. After sleeping together things felt… different, for obvious reasons. They were closer now. A part of her felt a sense of loyalty to him.

"Hey Klaus," Kiara sighed. "There's something you should know."

"What's that, love?"

"Damon Salvatore is here."

Just as Gloria announced the last call, Damon sat down next to Klaus. "I knew you'd tattle," he said, making Kiara roll her eyes.

"I see they've opened the doors to the riff-raff now," Klaus said, not looking all that bothered, or surprised, by Damon's arrival.

"Oh, honey, I've been called worse." Was Damon's response, making Klaus chuckle.

Klaus took the little umbrella that had been shoved into Kiara's drink and turned it around in his hands. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Give me my brother back… you'll never have to see me again."

"You have my vote," Kiara said, making Klaus turn and glare at her. She just shrugged. "What? I love a two for one deal."

"Well, I am torn. You see, I promised Stefan I wouldn't let you die, but how many freebies did I really sign up for?"

Kiara nodded. "That's a fair point."

"And clearly you want to die," Klaus reasoned. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here, so…"

"What can I say?" Damon tapped the bar top. "I'm a thrill-seeker."

Klaus grinned and in a flash, he was holding Damon by the throat. He lifted him up off the ground and a snap echoed through the bar. A snap that made Kiara's own neck ache. She reached up to touch it as if wondering if somehow someone had attacked her without her even realizing it. But she was fine.

"Oh, dear, what was that?" Klaus asked, his voice devoid of emotion. "I'm a little boozy, so you'll forgive me if I miss your heart the first few tries." Damon grimaced a laugh out before Klaus stabbed him with the toothpick again. "No, that's not it," Klaus mumbled. Klaus continued to pretend to accidentally miss and pressed the improvised weapon harder and harder into Damon's chest. Getting closer to Damon's heart each time.

"Have you considered the possibility that Damon doesn't even have a heart?" Kiara wondered.

Klaus glanced at her. "Funny, love, but I'm kind of in the middle of something here."

"Sorry." Kiara shrugged.

Damon, actually starting to fear for his life, said, "You want a partner in crime? Forget Stefan. I'm so much more fun."

Then, suddenly, Kiara began to realize why that snapping sound felt so real to her. It was familiar. An echo of a memory making its way to the conscious side of her mind. "You…" Kiara stood from her seat as she found herself saying what her mind had been trying to put together since she woke up. "You broke my neck last night, didn't you, Damon?"

"What?" Both vampires asked her at the same time.

"You broke my neck…" Kiara repeated. Her hand reached up to touch her throat. "I remember now. You were there. On the mountain last night, weren't you?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't remember that," Damon laughed.

"You. Broke. Kiara's neck?" Klaus asked, his eyes flashed gold before he threw Damon across the room. He crashed down onto a pair of tables, the impact breaking them instantly, sending Damon down to the ground. Patrons instantly started to flee, somehow picking up on the fact that this was not a fight worth the risk of watching. Klaus kicked Damon repeatedly, earning the sound of cracking ribs. In a blink, Klaus had snapped the leg of a chair off and pointed the makeshift stake at the younger vampire. Before Klaus could stake Damon. Gloria lit the wood in Klaus's hand on fire making him drop it.

"Really?" Klaus looked at her. "I'm kind of on a roll here."

"Not in my bar," Gloria told him. "You take it outside."

Damon went to stand up, but Klaus pushed him back down. "You don't have to negotiate your brother's freedom. When I'm done with him, he won't want to go back.

And then, to Kiara's complete surprise, Klaus let him go.

"You're just gonna let him go?" Kiara asked, stalking forward as Damon struggled to his feet. "He broke my neck! Clearly, he wanted me dead. If he'd been successful—"

Klaus met her halfway and blocked her way to Damon. "Yes, I heard you."

"Then why?"

"I made a deal with Stefan. I'm a man of my word. Besides, he suffers more now. Death is a mercy he doesn't deserve," Klaus cupped her neck gently as if it may still be sore and gazed down at her. "For daring to harm you? I will stretch his suffering over the course of decades."


To the Reviewers:

I have been pretty open about the fact that I wasn't sure if Kiara was going to end up with Elijah or Klaus in this story. I started off leaning towards Klaus. However, her chemistry with Elijah surprised me. It's completely possible that she will end up in a poly relationship with them in the end. Because she is a succubus, I imagine it will be difficult for her to have a relationship with only one person and I want to do what feels right for all the characters. In the book I am writing based on this fanfiction, I do plan on having the relationship end up poly. We will see if I can pull it off with these two and how readers react to that idea.

That said, characters do change over time and make mistakes just like people do. I can't keep Kiara the same as she was in the beginning of the story because the events of the story have changed her. Kiara is slowly changing and becoming stronger and more confident. I'm sorry if that is upsetting to any of you.


End of chapter. Thank you for reading.