Hey guys! How long has it been? Too long, I know; I'm so sorry.
In my defense, I have been working on not one but TWO Christmas presents for you guys!
The first one is this EXTRA-LONG chapter which I hope you will enjoy..., and read the author's note at the end for the second.
Please forgive any spelling mistakes: you know English is not my first tongue and I don't have a beta.
"What do you think our two lovebirds are doing right now?" Kol asked rhetorically, making his brows rise and fall in a malicious way causing Rebekah to giggle.
The three Mikaelson siblings were still at the bar, owing to Kol's instance and Rebekah's state of intoxication.
"I'm hoping they're in bed." Elijah declared casually. As he glanced up, he met his brother and his sister's incredulous and utterly shocked expressions. He looked at them quizzically then, understood.
"Good gracious! That is so not what I meant!" he clarified. "Your minds are seriously twisted!" he remarked.
At their elder brother's reprimand, Rebekah and Kol exchanged a conniving look. Then, the blonde fighting back her laughter a hand on her mouth, Kol burst out laughing. Elijah closed his eyes in disbelief and pinched his nose. How was it possible to be so immature despite thousand years of existence? His siblings were just unreclaimable. All of them.
He took his glass of scotch and played with the liquor tediously glancing at his watch. He put down his glass roughly. "Can we please go now?" he asked his siblings.
"Hum…" Kol finished swallowing his sip. "Not yet. Come on a last small round." He pleaded. "Bartender!" he called and a woman came at his table. "My scotch is getting lonely, dear." He subtly asked for ice.
Rebekah laughed. "I'll have an other one, please!" she ordered in a yelling voice at the waitress.
Elijah sighed.
/
Back at the Salvatore Boarding House, the model couple was in separated rooms: Elena was in their king-size bed stirring in every direction whereas her lover was lying down in one of the numerous guest rooms, their argument keeping them both from getting some sleep and the storm outside not really helping either. She had lost the habit of sleeping without him, and he needed to feel her warmth and her head resting on his chest to sink in Morpheus' arms.
This situation he was in with Elena… Stefan never would have thought he would find himself in such a predicament. He hated this, he hated it. The mere pronunciation of his brother's name aroused a wall of tension to build between him and his girlfriend! It was impressive, and really nerve-wracking. Since Damon had left, they had talked about him like four times; and only randomly when Elena asked how the latter was doing or when he spontaneously volunteered the information. It was if they were afraid to talk about him, as if they feared the outcome if they did. He had brought up a pertinent point earlier: how can you overcome an issue you never recognized as one? His brother was an issue. Well, not his brother himself but the love story he had shared with Elena was. And as long as they wouldn't both admit it and deal with it, it would stay an issue and build a wall between them that would only get thicker with time.
/
The Original Hybrid was in his room backed against his headboard. As usual, he wasn't getting much sleep –truth be told, the violent storm raging outside wasn't helping either –he was rather remembering of the events of the day. It had been a really surprising day, to say the least. Caroline moving in! The woman of his unknown dreams in the same house as him! Now, that was something he hadn't seen coming. She had said no, not once but twice and he understood her: she had absolutely no reason to say yes, even though he hoped she would. When she told him she was moving in, he was stunned; he heard her, but the information did not reach his brain. It was just impossible in his mind. Why on earth would she do that? What craziness could have gotten into her for her to make such a decision?! Klaus felt so lucky… he almost couldn't believe it; it was too much to believe. Sure, she only intended to spend a few days in the mansion, unless he made her want to stay… And he would. Oh yes, he would. The woman his heart desired more than anything was giving him a chance; he was not about to blow it. He wouldn't.
The day before when his infuriating brother asked Caroline if she was in love with him, he knew her answer before the question was even asked. Therefore, when she answered 'no', it hurt sure –knowing it and hearing her say it out loud were two different things –but he wasn't surprised. But then when she corrected herself and said that she didn't know, and insinuated that maybe there was part of her, even the smallest part, that had genuine feelings for him… When she confided that she could actually see herself loving him at some point, as crazy as it sounds, Klaus' heart stopped beating, his breath caught in his throat and he really thought he was going to die from too much joy. He felt like a stubborn child did at Christmas Eve opening his gifts; and Caroline was the most marvelous of presents.
He never would have imagined someone was capable of loving him and even less Caroline. He never would have thought the blonde's feelings for him would even be close to love before at least a century or two. Klaus didn't know what he had ever done to deserve such an admission from her but he couldn't be more grateful for witnessing it, and he would do his best to be worthy of it. Caroline had filled him with hope and made him believe that maybe the way to her heart wasn't so impossible for him to travel after all. And he was adamant on winning over said heart.
He had no idea what had gotten into him earlier in the evening. As a matter of fact, he did: his attraction to Caroline was simply becoming more and more unbearable and he was having less and less control over his feelings for her. As he went towards her to greet her by kissing her on the temple, it didn't even occur to the blond his gesture might be awkward and make the blonde uncomfortable; he accomplished it naturally. And the way she didn't push him back but stared at him with not fear or disgust but with affection and tenderness… it was like a spell had fallen on them and he wished it was an irreversible one. But of course, his adorable sister had to break the moment.
A noise downstairs pulled Klaus back to earth and alarmed him. That's why he quickly removed the blanket from him, got out of the sheets, put on a blue ivy shirt and left his room to gain the staircase. He wasn't so much worried for him but for Caroline. As he entered the secondary living room, Klaus caught a glimpse of the most perfect and recognizable silhouette he knew. He advanced slowly to the sofa where the stunning blonde was curled up on her own.
"I thought I ordered you to sleep." He spoke and she jumped in response letting out a small shriek of fright.
"Ha-ha." He laughed showing off those unique sexy dimples of his but she had been way too frightened and was actually too pissed to give them the attention they deserved. "How long have you been a vampire again?" he asked her to remind him still laughed.
"Ha-ha." She faked laughter. "Very funny." She threw a wool cushion at his face.
He caught it before it could land on his face. "Now, this was expensive, love." He said summoning a false serious expression on his face.
"So much the better." She declared, sulking a little.
He chortled and she glared at him.
"Oh come on, don't be aggravated, love, I was just kidding." He told her and sat at the other end of the same sofa so as to give her some space; he set the cushion back at its place.
"Well, it's not funny." Caroline retorted.
"I beg to differ." He countered a hint of amusement still audible in his voice.
She turned towards him and eyed him angrily from head to foot causing him to turn his head and lower his gaze. He fought to wipe the smirk off his face fearing things might get out of control if he kept getting on her nerves. This is not how he longed to get under her skin. Besides, she looked tensed enough. He glanced at her and it came to his attention that she was dressed very simply with a white gown that let see a bit too much skin for his concentration. However, it did very good for his already vivid imagination.
He shook his head in an attempt to keep a straight mind and cleared his throat. Where had gone his civility?
"Okay, more seriously, what are you doing here, all alone?" he demanded.
"I'm not all alone… not anymore, anyways." She skirted around the issue and avoided answering the hybrid's question. "Unfortunately." She added.
His lips curved up into half a smirk and he looked at her slyly. "Your sense of repartee is seriously undervalued."
She smiled at him lightly.
"I'm serious, love. What is going on?" he questioned.
"Nothing of importance." She responded curling up even more. Klaus frown at the sight.
"It's important to me." He asserted solemnly. His words added to the sincerity that showed through his voice induced Caroline's breath to hitch and a lump to form in her throat. She slowly turned her head so she would look into his eyes. As she met them and saw the utter and genuine concern they held, she was so moved a faint but sincere smile crept its way on her face. Then, she tore her gaze away from him and ran a hand through her blond hair nervously.
"Promise me not to laugh." She demanded looking at him
"I promise." He said staring right back at her.
She heaved a sigh. "I miss Elena and Stefan." She confided in a breath.
Klaus knit his eyebrows in confusion and light mistrust. Now, why would that cause him laughter?
She sighed again. "I'm afraid of thunderstorms." She added.
It was true; it was just one of those human things she couldn't quite seem to get rid of.
Klaus burst out laughing. Despite his promise, he just couldn't help himself. She really was the most special, unique vampire he had ever known. 'Oh love, you're awesome', he thought interiorly.
"You promised not to laugh." She took offence crossing her arms on her chest.
He pinched his lips trying to contain his laugh and agitated his forefinger in the air. "True. True." he said with a not so serious face. He brought his hand to his mouth summoning a neutral expression but she clearly saw was trying very hard not to laugh. He cleared his throat. "So… you're afraid of thunderstorms." He picked up her words gesturing towards her, the want to laugh still evident on his expression.
She tilted her head to stare at him madly. She scoffed and shook her head. She raised a hand before her and stood up to head out for the stairs. "I don't even want to talk to you anymore." She declared.
Just then, a clap of thunder rumbled causing a power cut and the rain intensified and Caroline fell back on the sofa and instinctively jumped into Klaus' arms. She held him tight when they found themselves in the dark, a state of luminosity the blonde wasn't quite keen on. As the latter glanced around in fear, Klaus placed his arm protectively and reassuringly over her bare shoulders.
She turned back at him and forced a smile which only came out as shamefaced. He looked away not wanting to make her even more uncomfortable than she already was, finding the situation pretty awkward himself –agreeable, having Caroline in his arms and practically on his lap, but awkward. She cleared her throat and lowered her gaze in embarrassment. Oh, she hated storm nights!
"Who needs power anyway?" he asked turning back to her. She looked up at him in the dim light of the night before her eyes deviated towards his very appealing lips; but knowing better, she looked back up at him.
/
The storm was still raging, though with less virulence. A flash of lightning streaked the dark sky. The clouds formed a dense mass and covered the sky hiding the moon. Small rain droplets were falling to the already wet ground. The wind blew so ardently it pushed people forward and almost heaved them.
Caroline and Klaus were now in her room where he had more or less invited himself. Truth be told, Klaus just didn't want her to stay alone in anguish when he could be some comfort. For all his mocking of her fear of thunderstorms, he could see she really was afraid and he wanted to be there for her; he wanted her to know that she could count on him, rely on him to protect her. Thanks to God, she had put on a matching dressing-gown on top of that white thing she thought was a cloth. Then again, he guessed no one was supposed to see her in such a light outfit; he felt honored to have had that chance.
They were both resting on the French window staring into the dark rainy night quite in quietness, peacefully, though the blonde was still rather tensed.
It was the Mikaelson man who broke off the silence. "I'm really glad you decided to take me up on my offer and move in in case it isn't obvious." He confided.
She turned to look at him and studied his expression, his face unreadable: it was blank. She would probably never completely get him. He had such trouble displaying his emotions and letting them show through his features. Most of the time, he wore a mask to the world hiding from it. But there were this rare times and genuine moments when he would let it crumble for her and she would catch a glimpse of who he truly was, of what he truly felt. and she had to say her confession at the bar earlier was truthful: she really could love that man. Personally, Caroline thought Klaus was a stranger to himself: she thought he had spent so much time denying his humanity –burying it with overlays of anger and hatred –that he had ended up forgetting its existence and believing he truly was insensitive and inhuman; but she knew better. For she had seen his human side, oh too many times to keep denying it.
"Thank you." She said. "I am glad that I'm here too." She told him, a playful smile on her lips and he smiled back at her.
She turned again to stare at the rain through the French window. "You know what would make me even gladder?" she asked him.
"No, tell me."
"That the storm ceases." She told him.
He laughed. "Well, there's not much I can do about that, I'm afraid." He stated.
The blonde chortled. "I know." She declared. "And I know you would if you could, moreover." She added honestly.
He gave her a light tight-lipped smile. Perhaps, she's starting to see I really would go to the ends of the earth for her, Klaus thought inwardly.
A lightning suddenly struck startling Caroline who let out a shout of fright. It illuminated the blonde's face in a perfect whole other light: she looked stunning.
A moment passed.
"I always loved lightning." The Mikaelson man declared out of the blue staring outside too.
She widened her eyes in stupor and stared at him incredulously. "Okay…?"
"It's two opposite charges, two contraries attracting until the force gets so great that the air just kind of breaks down." He explained. "It's nature's version of performance art."
She looked at him intently and once he finished confiding, her stare turned quizzical. Was it her and the late effects of her high consummation of alcohol a few hours ago or could his words actually be interpreted as a metaphor applying to the both of them? She was fond of this whole artistic side of the man; he had his own special way to perceive the world and its elements, his own special way to look at things. "You do have a certain charm, Klaus." She admitted and he turned to see her face, Caroline moved her knees and her leg accidentally brushed against the hybrid's sending a swell of thrills to traverse her.
Taking her quivering from pleasure for quivering from cold, he got up and looked inside one of the cupboard's drawers for a thick blanket. He came back to her and wrapped the blanket around her. As she tried to hold it together, their hands touched and they both felt electricity run through them. Caroline looked up at Klaus and she saw by the look on his face and the lust in his blue icy eyes that he had felt it too. She never realized his eyes were a so deep shade of blue. How easy it was to get sucked into them. "Thank you." She muttered. He nodded indistinctly.
"It seems like the thunder has ceased." The blonde remarked staring at the street through the French window of her room.
"It seems." Klaus agreed.
She hummed. "Perhaps, you are God after all." She joked.
He chuckled and nodded. "Well, I guess that is my cue." He declared showing the street.
She hummed again, less distinctly this time. "See you tomorrow." She said in a questioning way.
He nodded. "Sleep well love."
As he walked away, Caroline turned to face the window when she heard his voice again. "I never meant to hurt you." He declared causing her gaze to slowly focus back on him. "…by killing Elena's aunt, by killing the doppelganger herself, by turning… the werewolf into a hybrid." He paused. "I never meant to hurt you." He repeated.
"So that makes it all okay?" she asked rhetorically.
"No." he responded. "But I wanted you to know that. I wanted you to know that… you were never aimed… ever and…" he snapped his mouth shut and struggled to find his words if the look on his face was any indication. He sighed. He never had an impediment in his speech. "I know you may think of me as a heartless monster which I am most of the time." He admitted.
"But I have reasons to act the way I do. And I need you to know that I would never hurt you in the sole purpose of hurting you." He declared. The blonde looked at him intently, his words sinking in. "And I'm sorry." He looked right at her and apologized, maybe for the first time since… forever as far as he could tell. Frankly, the lengths he'd go to win this woman's affection were really starting to astonish Klaus himself.
His words dumbfounded Caroline: her mouth drew open as her eyes widened. She surely didn't expect an apology from Klaus. She didn't even know he was capable of one. Perhaps, she WAS having an influence on him, and he did hear her. He had regrets and maybe he didn't realize it, but it was a great step in the right direction in Caroline's way of seeing things.
After his declaration, a great weight off his mind, he turned around and headed for the door. As he was about to open the door, Caroline's voice echoed inside the room. "I don't think of you as a heartless monster." She reassured him. "I know better." She paused. "But if you don't want other people to either, you need to do something about the man that you've become because nobody is going to do it for you… and certainly not me." She advised him. "It's not your words, as poetic as they can be, that define you; it's your actions." She declared.
"Have a good night." She concluded after an instant, after watching in Klaus' deep blue eyes as her words sank in.
He stared at her a few seconds more then, opened the door and left the room.
The blonde turned back to the French window. She slumped onto the wall and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
/
Katherine was sitting by her window in the dark winter night, a red coat on her back protecting her from the cold, her mind far far away in a very remote land, her thoughts filled with images of a particular man at the raven hair and at the force outstanding. She had spent the whole day, the whole week as a matter of fact, daydreaming about him, her night dreams haunted by his image, by the image of both of them together. Truth be told, he was constantly on her mind. Her, Katherine Pierce, or rather Katerina Petrova –she didn't even know anymore, she had trouble recognizing herself –obsessed with a man! Who would have known? She was anything but the type that got attached and this was a fact of common knowledge.
But it wasn't just any man: it was the most surprising, the most disconcerting and the most infuriating of men. Unfortunately for her, he also happened to be the only man who confused her in forever, the only one who had ever managed to really get under her skin.
Writing was indubitably his domain of predilection: she found that he had much more easiness voicing his genuine feelings in his letters than in live. Indeed, when they were face to face, Katherine had to deal with a whole other Elijah: a contained Elijah who displayed his emotions seldom; a closed book. Sometimes, he was unbelievably impervious, sometimes he would stare at her like he had never seen something so perfect and shower her with compliments making her love declarations through his eyes. Then again, she couldn't blame him; she wasn't particularly gifted herself when it came to expressing one's feelings. She had formed a shield over the centuries in order to survive into this dark world, and letting it crumble to let Elijah in hadn't been easy for her at all.
It was nine p.m. and as usual at this hour, Katherine had retired in her room to let the handsome original fill her mind. She ran a hand through her raven hair and brought the lock pending over her face behind. She curled up on her own, a morose expression on her usually radiant beautiful face. They hadn't seen each other in three years, what represented nothing in a vampire's perception of time, but still she missed him so badly. She felt like it had been ages since they were reunited, and she hoped he thought about her too and felt the same way.
More or less recently, about two months ago, she had asked Elijah to stop writing because all that simply, his letters only rubbed it in: they were a painful reminder of what they were robbed of, of the fact that they would never be able to be together out in the open. When she ran away from Klaus centuries ago, she didn't realize what she was leaving behind; she didn't realize she was escaping him too. Had she known, perhaps, everything would be different today.
She had all the letters he sent to her on her lap. Sometimes, on nights like this one, when she would feel utterly lonely, she would read his letters all over again. They got her wistful but, they were a source of comfort. With him, for the first time in her life, she didn't feel alone; she felt whole like he was the piece that had been missing all along. And his letters made her remember that there was a person on this earth who genuinely cared for her.
/
It was full day and the sun smouldered the azure sky. A shining light shone through Bonnie's window in spite of the closed curtains. And despite the bright and beautiful morning, the Bennett witch did not want to get up: she had so much going on in her life at the moment, as well as so much running through her mind, she felt like her head would explode and her brain wouldn't delay to stop working.
It had been a while since Bonnie felt so confused with her feelings. She was one to always know where she stood and it was annoying not to! She was just so afraid of making the wrong choice. This was more than just choosing the right boyfriend, this was her life! She couldn't mistake about this; she just couldn't.
Jeremy had asked her to get back with him: he wanted her back, so he had told her on their movie night Friday evening. Since, she had racked her brains out striving to make an impossible choice. Her first instinct had been to say yes. She had wanted to fall on his neck and kiss him hard and never let go of him again, or at least that's what a part of her wanted to do. The problem is there was this other part of her that, it, couldn't stop thinking about a certain Mikaelson and remembering a particular kiss. She had thought stopping seeing him would help her but in reality, the distance was having quite the opposite effect: she couldn't get herself to stop thinking about him.
She couldn't lose Jeremy. She couldn't; he was her everything: he was her confident, her best friend, the man she had always assumed she would end up with...
But her attraction to Kol... her attraction to Kol was growing each passing day and if it kept on like that, it would reach a point where she wouldn't be able to fight it anymore. She had to stay clear of him. She really did. She felt too attracted to him to keep close to him no matter the nature of their relationship, even as friends. That would just be tempting fate.
/
The next morning, when Caroline woke up, she got herself in a sitting position and ran a hand through her blonde hair. She stretched over her bed to grab her phone on the nightstand. She saw that she received a text message from her raven-haired best friend. Before going to sleep the night before or rather early in the morning, she had sent the couple a sweet message to let them know she missed them and this was probably their response. She rolled her finger on the screen and the conversation popped open.
Elena: We miss you too. We love you. -06:45. And there was a happy smiley at the end of the text.
She smiled at the message. She really missed them. Fortunately, she would see them again on Monday… or not… But at all events, she would meet up with them soon. She hoped they were okay. She didn't worry very much; they surely were. Why wouldn't they be?! They were together! Yeah, Caroline would forever root for her two best friends. And coming to think of it, that made them at least one common point with Klaus: they were both team STELENA!
She then went into the bathroom integrated in her bedroom.
After showering and washing her teeth, she returned into her room, a light blue tower surrounding her dry body. As she spotted a note on the floor near the door, she frowned and went towards it pinning her hair. She held the towel to her chest and bent to pick it up. She read it and began smiling.
Good morning, love,
I hope you slept well
Breakfast's ready
I'm waiting for you downstairs
Lovingly, Klaus
Her smile faded away at the signature and her face fell. 'Lovingly?' In what sense did he mean that?
/
Once dressed and her hair done, Caroline went down and joined Klaus for breakfast. She entered the kitchen and sat freely and casually on one of the stools.
"Morning." She greeted, clasping her hands together on the table, her gaze lowered.
She looked at him from the corner of the eye and frowned: his eyes were roaming her face absently. Once again, Klaus was taken aback by the blonde's beauty as he always seemed to be whenever he would gaze at her. He eventually came back to earth and met her eyes. She raised her brows in a smiling way imitating her mouth. He smiled back at her. "Sorry." He apologized. "Morning, love."
She kept smiling at him.
"Did you sleep well?" he enquired.
"Very well, yes. Thank you." She answered nodding. "Your mattress is very comfortable." She noted.
He laughed. "That's good to know."
She pressed her lips together, amused, biting a smile. "And you? Did you sleep well?" she asked him.
"I did." He answered. "Thank you." He said. Actually, that was a lie: he didn't. Klaus was never much of a sleeper but he found it was pretty challenging to sleep knowing that the stunning blonde at the perfect curves was lying on a bed in the room across from his, barely covered. She tested his self-control without even realizing it or wanting it.
"And thank you for joining me for breakfast." He added.
"You're welcome." She replied, a smile still adorning her radiant face. "Thanks to you for the breakfast. I'm sure it's delicious." She brought her head forward and inhaled the good smell that came from the warm plates. "It sure smells delicious." She complimented.
"Thank you, love. I made pancakes and waffles, and the whortleberry pie is still in the oven." He told her.
"Hum…" she thought. "I'll start with the pancakes." She declared.
He uncovered the plate of pancakes. She raised her eyebrows in surprise and burst out laughing: there was only a pancake, well one and a half.
"What the hell…?" he wondered before a thought ponded in his mind. "Elijah!" he yelled.
The blonde brought a finger to her ear at the sound.
The elder of the Mikaelsons was in the kitchen after about thirty seconds; he had clearly taken his time. "Yes?" he answered. "Morning, Caroline."
"I made pancakes." Klaus stated.
"So I can see." Elijah replied nodding and gesturing at the pastry, acting like nothing.
The hybrid cocked his head and narrowed his eyes in an angry stare directed at his older brother. "There was dozens of them." He declared.
"I took three." He admitted.
"There's one left!" he exclaimed showing the plate. "One and a half!"
"I took three." The dark-haired man repeated articulating every single word in an attempt to be heard.
"Then who ate them?"
He shrugged. "I don't know." He responded. "Ask your brother or your sister." He suggested.
Klaus straightened his head and gave him a look. "Kol." He concluded. "I am going to…" he began but Caroline stopped him bringing her hand on his chest. He relaxed at the touch and Elijah's eyes widened at the sight. The lady's stay with them would be interesting. The matter resolved, he left the kitchen silently to return to the living room.
Neither of them noticing Elijah's departure, Caroline grabbed a bite of pancake and forced it into Klaus' mouth, amused. "Here." He removed her hand from his mouth though taking in a bit of the pastry; the rest fell to the ground as he tossed her hand aside. They both laughed and she sucked her sweet fingertips inducing non Catholic thoughts to pass through his mind.
Then again, since when did he have Catholic thoughts whenever she was around?
Okay, so those of you who follow me on Tumblr, probably already know: I have written a Stelena-Delena fanfiction which basically is just a more or less digest summary of what happened in the three characters' lives from 2012-2018 so it covers up almost all the seven years of This Time's gap...
It will be called The Feelings' chain, it'll be a five-part story, and the first part will be up the 25th of December if you are interested.
So those of you who follow me will know and those of you don't, just check my account in four days. Also, I will mention it on Tumblr. Yep! I finally figured how that thing works! About time, huh?
So that's it for the Christmas presents. Now, why don't you bless me with your words? Good or bad.
Hey, we finally got some insight into Katerina's mind! Are you happy?
You know how much I value your opinion. A review counts as a Christmas gift! Starting to wonder if you guys are still with me on this.
Enjoy your Christmas holidays my lovelies. XOXO.