Heartless to Heartfelt
Authors Note/Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or The Originals or Legacies. All credit goes to the writers and creators.
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Chapter Four
Klaus lay silently in his bed, eyes closed however sleep did not claim him, his thoughts were focused on last night. He could hear her breathing, feel her cuddled close with her head on his chest, one of his arms around her waist holding her to him. Yet it all felt like a hallucination. He could not bring himself to realistically believe that he was in this moment with Caroline, the woman that had made him believe that he could love.
Love.
It was a term, a topic that he had never thought would open it's door to the abomination, the bastard son as his father had once labelled him. Who could love someone as evil as him?
Even as she slept beside him, he was reminded of the fact that even she had once called him a paranoid psychopath.
Had he himself ever felt love? Yes, though it was fleeting, a feeling that he had tried to ignore in fear of more disappointment and more heartbreak. He had not wanted the feeling of his heart being ripped from his chest and stomped on.
However, that dagger being pulled from his chest had given him a new prospective on life. Perhaps he shouldn't draw disappointment, fear and weakness from love; maybe it was possible that love was in fact strong and powerful, just like Elijah had always wanted him to believe.
He ran his fingertips up Caroline's right side and into her blonde hair. It was time for him to make a serious change. He needed to love without fear; and it was because of her that he was drawn to the idea. She was the first person that he had truly felt a connection too.
"Did you sleep well?"
Klaus did not startle at her words, though his lips spread in a grimace. He had fallen asleep when they first climbed under the covers but as the nightmares of the past stirred within him, he had awakened. Her presence alone had been able to sooth him enough that painting wasn't required, but he still couldn't bare to close his eyes. "I slept for nine years, love."
Caroline lifted her head to look at him, her fingertips gently gliding across his chest. "A restless night?"
"No." It was a small white lie, but he did not wish for her to worry. "I slept; then I watched you sleep."
"Creepy." She teased him lightly. "Do you know how long I have waited for this moment, to wake with you?"
Klaus tilted his head, sweeping a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. He had missed the simple pleasure of seeing her smile, it had been way to long between Mystic Falls and this moment. "Nine years?"
"Longer Klaus. Much longer."
He brushed his thumb along her cheek; how long had he waited for those words. To know that she was choosing to be with him. "You can call me Nik."
She raised her eyebrow in surprise. "I thought that was only reserved for Rebekah."
"And Kol."
"Nik," The name left her lips. "That sounds different."
He chuckled. "That it does, perhaps Klaus is better fitted."
"Oh no," Caroline tutted flipping herself on top of him so that she was straddling his hips. "You cannot take that back, Nik," The name rolled off her tongue and she couldn't help but grin with confidence at the little shiver that rolled through his body. "You like that?"
"What I would like," He flipped them over so that he was hovering above her. "Is for us to make up for lost time." He pulled the blankets over them and leaned down to kiss her.
"Marcel Gerard!" Davina's voice was loud and demanding as she stormed into the living area, completely unsurprised to find him sitting on the couch, legs on the table and phone in hand.
She had over heard Marcel letting Josh know that he and Klaus were leaving; she hadn't gathered much apart from their destination.
And if there was one thing Davina despised it was being out of the loop. She was no longer a child even if she was forever frozen at sixteen.
"Good-morning, D, how are you feeling?"
Davina ignored his pleasantries. "Don't try and distract me. Why are you taking Klaus to Atlanta?"
Marcel looked unphased, placing down his phone and picking up his glass. "I got word there is a meeting beginning held in regards to the stake. We are going to go and..."
"You want to take Klaus to a place where vampires are gathering to find the very object that could kill the Mikaelson family? Are you insane, has someone cast a curse on you? Marcel, this is not funny!" She scolded him for laughing at her. "You cannot take him. I will not allow it. Atlanta could be a war zone."
"I wasn't aware that you are my mother, Davina." Klaus entered the room, his eyes flickering to the youngest of the two. "I retract that. My mother would take pleasure in sending me to a war zone."
Davina pointed at him. "Have you gone crazy?"
"Always been a little crazy, love, can't believe you haven't noticed." He sat down. "You do not need to approve my whereabouts. I will be fine."
Davina squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. These two would be the death of her. "No, this is insane. It could be a trap. I'm coming, you cannot go alone."
"What am I, chopped liver?" Marcel stretched his hands above his head. "He wouldn't be alone. I will be with him the entire time. Besides, we are more then capable of protecting ourselves." He stood up. "You aren't coming with us."
"You do not control me. If you are intent on going to his meeting. I should be there." There was a chair between her and Marcel, which was lucky because her temper was rising. "You are risking everything by taking him out into the world. Everyone assumes he is still missing."
"Davina, he is the original hybrid. Practically unkillable. I do not see him going to down without a little fight. Have faith."
"Marcel!" She scolded him, her eyes flickering to Caroline as she entered the room with her twins by her side; she had vampire hearing, she would have heard the conversation they were having, which meant she would surely she would understand. "You can't possibly agree with this."
Caroline glanced towards the teenage witch; while she still didn't know Davina nor Marcel well, she did know they were like children to Klaus; and she loved him which meant they were a package deal. Not that it bothered her, since she did have the twins.
However in this moment Davina was looking at her as if she wanted her to do something; but the teenager had to know that no one ordered Klaus around. "You must know he'll do as he pleases. No one has been able to tame him yet." Though Elijah had tried, Caroline knew that.
"Oh love; the people trying to tame me weren't you."
Caroline rolled her eyes, leaning down to place a kiss on his cheek. "Would you be as amusing if you were tamed?" She saw his smirk as he thought over her remark. "Look, girls, breakfast."
Lizzie jumped into the chair beside Klaus. "You aren't a lion."
Klaus raised his eyebrow. "A lion? What on earth does a lion have to do with anything?" He asked the child.
Lizzie shrugged. "They tame lions in the circus."
Klaus couldn't help it, he chuckled as did everyone else at the table. "I'm no lion, sweetheart; I'm a wolf." He had yet to have the conversation with Caroline that was lingering, but he knew it would come. These girls; how had they come to be? What did they know?
Lizzie tilted her head to the side, as if she was studying his features. "You don't have a tail."
"Elizabeth." Caroline exclaimed, biting her bottom lip.
Klaus simply waved her off. "I'm a hybrid; right now I am in vampire form."
"Can I see the wolf?" Lizzie leaned forward on her elbows. "Can I?"
"Not at the dining table; perhaps when I return from my trip."
"The trip you shouldn't go on." Davina steered the conversation back to the original topic turning back to Marcel. "You should know better."
Their banter had reminded him of Kol and Rebekah. It was an intriguing aspect of their relationship, one he had not had the privilege to witness yet; however even though it was entertaining, it was unnecessary. "It has been decided, Davina, Marcellus and I leave tomorrow. You will not be joining us. Use the time we are gone to think of your future." It might no longer be important to her, but it was important to him that she return to normal life as quickly as possible.
If Hope were here with him, he would want her life to be normal, not ruled by the supernatural. It was the same thing he wished for Davina.
"You're not serious." Davina's jaw ticked with annoyance. "I will not stay here while you are in Atlanta. I am a woman not a child."
Klaus raised his eyebrow, clearly she did not realize that she was indeed throwing a tantrum with the way her foot stomped against the ground. "You may have lived longer then your sixteen years but your brain will not age over time. For example, Rebekah was seventeen when she was turned, and now at a thousand years old, she still craves things a human teenager would."
"Do not compare me to Rebekah, she is spoiled."
Klaus chuckled slightly. "That she is. And although she can appear mature, at times she falters." He saw her grimace; because she knew what he was saying. That while she might mature in someways, she would always be a teenager at heart. "You are not coming with us, love."
"I am not a child! I will not be treated like one!" She turned around and walked out of the room, the door to her bedroom could be heard slamming moments later.
"Hmm, I think we can all agree that went well."
"You think that went well?"
Klaus nodded to Marcel. "You were exactly like that at sixteen, Marcellus, as were Kol and Rebekah. Nothing to be concerned with. Now, I am rather famished."
Marcel frowned. "Will you stop calling me, Marcellus?"
Klaus waved his hand dismissively. "I am your father, I do as I please." He reached forward to pick a grape off Lizzie's plate, the child reacted by attempting to smack his hand but he got what he wanted and popped the grape in his mouth, leaning back in his chair and completely missing the look on Marcel's face.
Marcel could barely believe the words that flowed from Klaus mouth, it had been a long time since he had the original referred to him as his father. While Elijah used the term often, and even Rebekah at times, Klaus rarely spoke the words.
It was not only strange to hear but it awakened something inside of Marcel that he thought died years ago when the Mikaelson siblings fled New Orleans.
Caroline slipped into the chair beside Josie running her hand through the tiny girls dark hair, she was staring at the plate in front of her quietly eating; she was incredibly shy and it would take her a little while to warm up to anyone in the compound. "I need to look into schools,"
Klaus opened one eye, after last night it shouldn't have come as a shock yet it still did. Schools meant permanent. He knew deep inside, buried within him that abandonment was an issue for him, though he would never admit it aloud. Caroline had told him she was not leaving, he had told her that he wouldn't let her go but inside there had been a whisper from the very moment he saw her when he woke. A whisper that told him she would leave, after all everyone always did.
"Do I have to go to school?" Lizzie whined. "Davina's not."
"Davina is." Klaus looked at the blonde child. "In fact, I think she would love to look at schools with you."
Lizzie scrunched her nose up. "Really? Cause I don't want to."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "We'll have fun." She glanced between Klaus and Marcel. "And you two will be safe. I expect two fully formed vampires when you return. Understood?"
Klaus smirked. "Yes love."
"We have no choice, we have to leave."
I failed once to protect those that needed it.
I will atone for that.
I will remove you from the equation.
I'll do the right thing.
Rebekah looked away from the note, turning to Elijah. He was leaning against the fireplace staring into the flames as if they would hold the answer. "It wasn't meant to be like this. We were meant to be safe. No more running."
"Removing Niklaus from our lives was meant to cease all threats from his enemies." Elijah spoke as if he didn't understand why someone would want to hurt the family.
Hayley felt sick; her heart was in her stomach. In order to keep her child safe she had done a terrible thing; she had stolen her child from Klaus only to be betrayed by two people in the room with her. Two people she was now being forced to deal with because they could help keep Hope safe. "We still can't confirm that the threat isn't coming from Klaus himself."
"It's not."
All eyes turned to Rebekah, as she placed the note back onto the table. "How can you be certain, sister?" Freya did not know Klaus as well as the others, but she knew enough to know that he was a danger. That this was something he would do.
"For one; Klaus wouldn't send a note. He would merely strike when the time was perfect. Second; I've come to terms with the fact that Nik would never end our lives."
"Rebekah,"
"Do not be mistaken, Elijah; if he is awake then we will all be punished for our actions but he would never kill us. It's written in our past."
Hayley raised her eyebrow, all those years ago Rebekah had commented that it was treachery worth death, now she was saying otherwise. "How can you be certain?"
Rebekah pulled the curtain back from the window, looking out onto the garden. "Niklaus can be a miserable excuse for a brother, he has no tolerance for betrayal yet of all the acts we've committed against him in thousand years, never once has he attempted to kill any of us." She glanced back at Hayley. "I remember back when I was just a child, no more then Hope's age, I accidentally dropped one of Kol's wooden toys that Klaus had made him in the fire."
"Accidentally?" Freya questioned.
"I shouldn't have been playing so close. It was in my basket, I was spinning around and it flew out and into the fire. Kol was furious. He pounced on me, threatening all sorts of things. I'll kill you, Rebekah. I didn't understand why he was so angry, it was a mere toy."
"How does this..."
"Nik grabbed him, pulling him off me. I remember his words. Never threaten to kill a member of this family, Kol. We are all we have. Once she is gone, you never get a second chance." Rebekah turned back towards the window. "Klaus would never end our lives. It's permanent. He wouldn't get a second chance."
"He chooses to dagger you."
Rebekah hummed in acknowledgement. "The dagger is not permanent."
"If it isn't Klaus; then who is hunting us?"
/
Hope sat on the bottom stop of the staircase listening to the conversation between her parents and aunts. The name Klaus kept coming into discussion and she felt as though she had heard that name before. Someone had mentioned that name, she was certain.
At nine years old she was more then able to comprehend bad news, someone was hunting their family and if that was this person named Klaus then she certainly wouldn't let him hurt her family.
Hope
Hope frowned, turning around she did not see anyone standing behind her, it was just the voice again.
She had not mentioned it to anyone in fear of them thinking something was wrong with her. Her parents might think that she was practicing magic without them, and then she'd be in trouble but the voice was getting louder, at first it had been quiet and soft, nothing more than a whisper. Now it was loud and demanding at times. The voice wanted her attention but it never said more then her name.
Hope
Hope blocked her ears and stood up, tiptoeing quickly and quietly up to her room, shutting the door behind her. "Go away," She mumbled.
Hope
"I said go away." She climbed into her bed and hid under the covers, blocking her ears with her pillow. "Go away."
He's evil
Her head popped back out from under the blankets, shivering as the words run through her ears. "Who is evil?" Her question was met with nothing but silence.
"Do you have someone you trust that can stay here with the girls while we are out of town?"
Marcel nodded, as they came to stop outside Davina's door. "I'll ask Josh; he hasn't left town again yet."
Having Josh in the compound would give him comfort; knowing that his girls had someone else to rely on if the situation arose. Though it was more of a situation for them to have backup, because he knew that they could defend themselves quiet easily. "Thank-you, Marcel."
Marcel stared at him for a moment, he would never be used to hearing Klaus openly expressing gratitude. The Klaus Mikaelson he had once known never showed it before. "You're welcome. Uh," He tilted his head in the direction of the door. "Go easy on her, Klaus; she hasn't had a parent in many years." Even after all the years that had passed he could clearly remember the type of father Klaus was. He was a loving parent, open to giving the world but he was strict in the sense that he wanted his children to succeed. Something he noted though, was Klaus was never cruel.
He was unsure of the comment Marcel had made, a parent, it should have bothered him slightly, especially since he had his own blood daughter that he was unable to raise but it didn't. He loved Hope, he always would but that did not mean he couldn't be there for Davina. "She'll be fine." He reassured before knocking on the door three times and entering the room.
He was not at all surprised to see Davina sitting by the window with another book on magic in her lap. It seemed to be all her life revolved around. He hadn't been back in her life that long but he was slightly concerned. Often wondering how she had not burned herself into the ground, there was only so much research one could do without letting it consume them.
Davina looked towards him with narrowed eyes. "What do you want, Klaus?"
The look on her face reminded him of the very first time he had seen her after Kol's death.
Eyes narrowed, Davina watched his every step as he moved across the attic floor. "What do you want, Klaus?" Her words were spoken with a bitter tone, the only reason he would be in the room was if he wanted something from her.
Klaus looked around at his surroundings, the room destroyed. Her belongings tossed everywhere, and there she sat in the middle of her bed surrounded by the mayhem. "You're grieving."
Davina glared at him through her tears, she had been crying since Kol had passed, unable to hold the sadness within her. She couldn't help but wonder how she still had the tears, how her body could hold this much. "Does it bother you?" She pointed to the door. "Get out!"
"Don't do that." He walked further into the room, bending down to retrieve the photo of Davina and Kol that was lying in the middle of the candles, it had clearly been thrown onto the floor in sadness or anger. "He was happy."
"Of course he was. He was a witch, something he always wanted to be."
"I mean with you."
"Why are you here? Do you wish to gloat over how I have once again lost another loved one."
"He was my brother, do you believe that I wished for him to die? I grieve for him." He snapped at her, closing his eyes to conceal his anger. This was for Kol, he had to reminded himself, he was here for Kol. "I am here out of courtesy . You meant something to him, and while I might not understand it. I respect it." He walked towards the bed and held the photo out to her. "I want you to remember that you are not alone in your grief."
Davina took the photo from his hands. "You weren't that close with him."
"I was closer with him then most people imagine." He took a step back. "If you need anything, you know how to reach me."
"Why?" Confusion spread across her features. "You're acting as though you care. You hate me, and I you."
"I am doing this for Kol." He left the attic, leaving her alone with the knowledge that he was around if she needed him.
"I want to speak with you." He closed the door behind him. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
Klaus raised his eyebrow, approaching the window seat. "You seem to be acting like a teenager, one you claim to no longer be." He sat down beside her. "Kol was seventeen when he transitioned. He believed he was an adult." He knew he had her full attention the moment he spoke Kol's name; she knew that he was young but not how young he was. "He was a few months shy of his eighteenth birthday when we transitioned. Elijah and I attempted to treat him as an adult; it was easier then looking looking after two teenagers and running from Mikael. For a while it worked; Kol was a mature teen. However, it didn't take us long to see that when Kol's facade of being an adult slipped, and he threw a tantrum, it was uncontrollable. Severely heightened by the fact he was a vampire."
"What is the point to this?"
"He needed distraction, a way to satisfy his curious mind. Learning to control his vampire side, and live as this new being only satisfied that curiosity for a short time. He then through himself into witch craft, studied every aspect of magical history that he could get his hands on. This however came at a price." He let his eyes wander over her face. "I do not want you to suffer. I do not wish your life to be all about magic. You are forever sixteen, Davina; I want you to live the life that was stolen from you. In time you will learn the facade, you'll act mature and your brain will cooperate with you to a certain extent. But you must understand and embrace that there will always be moments where the inner teenager shines through. Don't fight it, nor be ashamed of it. It is who you are."
Davina shook her head. "My life was not stolen, Klaus. I wanted this transition."
"If the transition could have been avoided then it would have been so yes, your life was stolen. You made this choice because of the pressure placed upon you."
Davina exhaled, turning to look out the window. It had been years since anyone had treated her like a child. Even when she lived a human life with her mother, she had been forced to play the role of an adult. For the last several years she had been hiding, practicing magic, worrying over Hope's safety and theirs while she worked hard to free Klaus never knowing if any of what she did would work.
She wasn't sure what it would mean to have her life back. To have it be her own. There was no written next step. "I want to help." That was all she knew, that she wanted to help because she knew she could.
"I won't stop you from helping. I just don't need you to accompany me on a simple scouting mission."
"How long will you be gone?" She bit her bottom lip, the vulnerability seeping into her eyes, something she rarely allowed anyone to see.
"Just a few days."
Davina didn't want to appear weak, and it wasn't about her being stubborn. This just happened to be the first time Klaus would be leaving since he had woken and he was walking into a dangerous situation. Davina couldn't help the nervousness she felt.
"Is something bothering you?"
"You'll be cautious, you'll stay safe?"
He gave her a slight smile. "I will be fine." He reassured her. "I'm the original hybrid." He saw her weak smile, and he reached forward to tilt her chin so their eyes met. "I'll come back to you. Never doubt that." He didn't know whether it was because she lost Kol, or if it was because she almost lost him or perhaps she had lost to many people in general. But he could see in her eyes that she was scared, and that was the last thing he wanted her to be.
He stood in the shadows, watching them through the windows, the fire was burning behind her, allowing enough light that he could see her face. From years of experience he was able to tell that she was scared, uneased by the thought that someone was hunting them.
It was sadistic but he relished in the knowledge that he was making her feel this way, after all she deserved it. She had aided in daggering and burying Niklaus.
She had made it so he would never see Klaus again, for that not only her but all of them needed to pay.
He allowed his gaze to wander to the top floor, his eyes falling on the room where the little princess slept among the people that ripped her from the father she should have had. He'd see to it that Hope got to live a better life then the one she was living currently, the people that lied to her, and stole her biological father from her would not be apart of her future.
He leaned against the tree, the house in the distance but it wasn't where his focus was drawn. His focus was on the man in the shadows, the man that was watching and plotting the move to kill.
He wouldn't allow it to happen. He couldn't. He had already failed Niklaus in the past. He could fail him again by allowing this to happen.
The ringing in his ears appeared sharply, raiding through his mind forcing him to his knees. All thoughts that were his vanished, for thoughts that were hers.
"He is not our focus."
The ringing only intensified and then magic was forcing him to look in the direction of the upper window.
"She is."
Let me know what you think.
Much Love. x
