Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.

Nine

Klaus smiled mischievously as he held out his champagne glass again, allowing the slim blonde employee to refill it for the third time. From her place perched on the arm of a red modern chair, AJ glowered between him and Stefan, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. They'd started drinking the moment they'd arrived, and hadn't let up since. However, that wasn't the only thing she found aggravating.

"I really don't see why I need to be here," she muttered, her eyes skimming over the boutique distastefully. Although shopping was one of her many avocations, she found she had absolutely no interest in it without Elena, Bonnie, or Caroline. Had they been here, they would have adored this store. It was modern and chic, with baby-blue curtains separating the small shopping and seating area from the dressing rooms. The mere thought of being away from her friends evoked a grumpy mood in AJ.

Klaus brought the glass to his lips, shooting AJ a questioning look. "Would you like some champagne, love?" He held up the glass of honey-colored liquid. "Perhaps it'll take some of the edge off."

"I'm not edgy," she said with indignation. Upon hearing the tone in her own voice, she cringed, averting her eyes to the ground.

A small rueful smile appeared on Klaus's lips. "Sure you aren't. What's wrong? Did you not sleep well?"

"I slept fine," she said quietly, reflecting back to the previous night. Really, it'd been the best sleep she'd gotten in months, and she was certain the glow to her skin revealed it. A blush reddened her cheeks when she looked at the reason why, lounging back in his chair. "I'm just—"

"There must be more to this dress," Rebekah's voice carried out of the dressing room crossly.

Klaus heaved a sigh, his attention turning to his sister. "There's not."

Pushing aside a baby-blue curtain strung with misty colored beads, Rebekah strutted out of the dressing room wearing a short, deep necked black and beige checkered dress. As she came out, Stefan's bored gaze rose from the floor to her, unchanged.

"So women in the twenty-first century dress like prostitutes, then?" She said acridly, planting a hand on her hip.

AJ rolled her eyes. "Well, maybe if you looked at something on one of those racks," she pointed to a group of clothing racks with designer jeans and sweaters, "you wouldn't look like a prostitute. Just a thought."

Rebekah's eyes narrowed at her. "You know, I got dirty looks for wearing trousers."

"You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing," Klaus spoke up, miffed.

Shooting him a dirty look, AJ muttered, "You wish."

"And what is this music?" Rebekah squinted around them, apparently ignoring her brother and AJ. "It sounds like a cable car accident."

"It's dance music." Stefan explained slowly, looking dubious of Rebekah.

Rebekah raised a disdained eyebrow. "People dance to this?"

"Are we done?" Klaus's patience was wearing thin, no matter how much champagne he drank.

"And why are you so grumpy?" She gave him an incredulous look.

Klaus ground his teeth together, but remained placid. "I needed one thing from you to find out why my hybrids were damaged. One thing—your necklace. And you lost it."

Rebekah put both hands on her hips. "I didn't lose it. It's just been missing for over ninety years."

Klaus gave her a thin smile, rolling his eyes. They landed on AJ, who was staring out the window absentmindedly. It was sunny outside, and the light cast out from the window created a luminous red halo around her dark hair. Her lips were pressed together and her eyes were searching, as if she knew there was something out there. The small crinkle between her eyebrows was symptomatic of her worry; her hand was held to his necklace, encompassing the small sun pendant like it held reassurance. He frowned.

Rebekah had turned to Stefan, a small smile playing at her lips. "So what do you think?" She turned around, modeling the dress for him. He draped one arm over the back of the chair, trying to look interested. "I like it."

Stopping, Rebekah gave him an irritated look.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I said I liked it."

She shook her head, storming back into the dressing room. "I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan."

Stefan looked at her incredulously, turning to Klaus, who shrugged. "Nice one. Good work."

"You're the one who pulled the dagger out of her," Stefan murmured with a renegade tone.

"I heard that." Rebekah's sharp voice drifted from the dressing room.

Stefan placed his drink conclusively on the table, standing up. "All right, I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

Klaus nodded and refilled his drink again. His eyes roamed over to AJ once more, and he set the drink down altogether, turning to face her. She didn't seem to take notice. Her demeanor was the same—worried and waiting—but her eyes were focused on something, widening in just the slightest way. He turned to see what she was looking at. The sidewalks outside were busy with people moving every which direction, a tightly packed immense crowd with arbitrary movements so that the eye lingered on each passerby; cabs and buses filled the streets, a never ending confluence of traffic at this time of day. He perused every single face, every car, every bus, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Turning back to her, he was surprised to find her gold-flecked eyes on him.

"What is it?" Although he'd seen nothing, that didn't mean the possibility of him overlooking something wasn't at least present, though he would have never thought it possible before.

AJ shrugged, her shoulders raising and lowering listlessly. "Nothing." Her eyes scanned the store again, landing back on Klaus with confusion. "Where's Stefan?"

"I think Rebekah's a little overwhelming for him." Klaus cast a wary glance at the dressing room. "He went out for a while."

AJ, too, turned to the dressing room, curious. She wondered what it was like for Rebekah, what the Original was thinking. For ninety years, she remained in a corpse-like state, dead to the world, to everyone except Klaus and Elijah. She'd known people before—she'd known Stefan. Now that she's woken up, everything's different, twisted, the generations are new and the vampires have changed, however minimally or profoundly.

"I can't imagine it's easy on her," AJ said quietly, staring over at the baby-blue curtains. "Having been dead, I mean. I think it'd be lonely to be nearly nonexistent ninety years, only to wake up to a completely new place."

Klaus gave her an obscure look. "In our existence, ninety years is hardly any time at all."

AJ paused. "So what's a moment like? A minute? Or a day?"

Staring at her, he searched her face. Her eyes had cast down to the floor and her cheeks suffused with a light red color, as if she was embarrassed about her questions. When she peeked up at him meekly, he held her gaze. "Moments can be fleeting, as can days," he murmured. "When everything is so similar, day to day, it can blur together, I suppose. But… they last when things are different. New. When they're worth lasting."

AJ smiled, and from her height perched upon the arm of the chair, he could see the smallest dimpling at the sides of her lips. He became transfixed to this new observation, until her voice caught his attention.

"That's maybe the most… charming thing you've ever said to me," she admitted in a quiet voice.

Klaus opened his mouth to reply, but their conversation ended abruptly when a high pitched English accent piped up beside them.

"What's going on with the two of you?" Rebekah asked, now wearing a new, light pink dress, her arms crossed over it firmly. Narrowed, her eyes flicked between AJ and Klaus with suspicion.

AJ flinched away from Klaus like a jolt of lightning had sprung through her, though she'd hardly been very close to him at all. A blush appeared on her face; only the guilty reacted like they'd been caught doing something they weren't supposed to like that. "What do you mean?" she asked Rebekah, and inwardly cringed when her voice came out a pitch wrong.

Rebekah raised an eyebrow, her expression unchanged. "I mean that you were looking at my brother like some schoolgirl with a crush. Who are you again? Nik," Rebekah shifted towards him, "who did you say she was?"

A deeper crimson color stained AJ's cheeks, and she bit her lip, looking down at her hands. An odd feeling squirmed in her stomach, making her feel nearly light-headed. Klaus caught this and sent Rebekah a hard glare. "Ninety years of being a corpse has obviously had no effect on your manners, dear sister. I highly suggest not speaking to AJ that way again."

Rebekah's eyes slitted even more. "Don't tell me," she said in a flat tone. "You have a little schoolboy crush on her, don't you?" She regarded AJ once more, her eyes skimming from her toes up, focusing on her face and neck. "Well, that does explain why she's wearing that necklace, of all. I do remember why you were given it when—"

Klaus's threatening glare cut her off abruptly. Circumventing the question, Klaus continued on pointedly. "Rebekah, I warn you only for your own good. AJ is the Warrior."

Rebekah suddenly sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. She looked from Klaus to AJ, disbelieving. "But—she's alive. That's not possible—I mean, even if she did assent to help you—she's still human—and the necklace—"

"Rebekah," Klaus growled. "Enough."

Glancing between the two siblings, AJ grew confused. What did Rebekah mean she was still human? What else was she supposed to be? And what about the necklace?

An abstruse look took over Rebekah's features, and she and Klaus had a silent contest of narrowing their eyes at each other petulantly. Finally, she huffed and turned on her heel, muttering something about truths being found out anyway.

AJ tore her gaze away from the receding Original, returning to Klaus. "What the heck was that about?"

Klaus was still glaring at the back of Rebekah's head. "Nothing," he said shortly, his anger dissipating slowly. He looked away. "It was nothing. She's just never met a Warrior before. That's all."

"I seem to remember a certain someone telling me that when someone says, 'That's all,' it really isn't all. Or am I mistaken?"

Pressing his lips together, Klaus glanced back out the window. "She should hurry herself up. I'd like to get over to Gloria's within the hour."

"Ooh," AJ commented. "Change of subject, too? I'm thinking we're going to have to have a talk about avoiding straight answers later on. What do you think?"

"I think," Klaus said quietly, "that you should let this go. Just this once?"

AJ considered this. "Don't you know me at all, Klaus? I'm too stubborn and too curious to let it go, now."

He sighed lightly. "I figured as much. And I do know you." His eyes returned to her with concern. "I know something's not right. You still look worried about something. What did you see outside?"

She groaned. "I was just imagining things. It happens, from time to time. Seriously, with all that's happened to me already, it's a wonder I haven't lost my mind yet. What's a hallucination or two?"

"Why are you so bent on it being a hallucination? Won't you just tell me what you saw, then?"

AJ sent him an icy look. "You wanted to drop the subject about whatever Rebekah mentioned. It's not fair that we can't drop this, too."

"This pertains to your safety," Klaus reasoned. "I will not dismiss anything, however small or big, that could affect your well-being."

Pausing a moment, AJ dropped her gaze to her hands, reluctant. It was a dangerous thought—a dangerous thing to voice, she knew—but she never let anything dangerous deter her actions. "Is this because of last night?"

Klaus looked at her downcast eyes steadily, but the previous night's occurrences had been on his mind all morning. No one in his entire existence had ever interacted with him in that way, had seemingly felt content to be so near him. He'd watched her sleep for hours, even as his own drowsiness settled in. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't. However, I'd like to believe that I'd still be very concerned, right now. Though, I think I'd be much more inclined to forcing you to tell me. I'm not going to."

"Good. Because, should you try to force me to tell you, I'd only have more incentive to do otherwise. I'm very pro-shelving this topic for another time. Say… never. It's really not a big deal."

"So you say," he muttered. "Might I remind you that your presence of mind pertaining to danger is most definitely beyond being questionable?"

AJ rolled her eyes. "I don't need to be reminded." She focused on his deep blue eyes, but tried not focusing too much. Things were different now—she was seeing him in new ways, seeing things she hadn't before; that enticing shine in his eyes when he smiled that'd send shivers through her body, and the way the warmth of his body had a new sort of pull on her, like she couldn't help but edge closer to him. Those thoughts were dangerous, she knew. They were damning and tempting. They were making her blush for the nth time that morning because she was just now realizing that she'd lost herself in his eyes, as well as the words she'd meant to say.

"And there you two are again," Rebekah commented as she departed the dressing room, her arms crossed once more. "Staring into each other's eyes like forbidden soul mates. Are you lovers? Nik, since when did you keep a—"

"Rebekah!" Klaus scolded, shooting her a dirty look. He noted her new apparel with disinterest. "Are you quite done yet? We must be going to Gloria's soon. I'm not going to wait any longer."

AJ wondered if her nerves would ever let up, but found solace in the fact that Klaus looked the slightest bit diffident as well. Rebekah looked between the two of them oddly. "Well," she said finally, her voice presiding. "I must get AJ's opinion on this dress, and that will decide whether we're done or not. AJ? What do you think? Any classier?" Rebekah was twirling and posing, looking every bit like a model.

Stifling a laugh, AJ tried to look as serious as she could. Rebekah's new dress was a pale beige; a beautiful color with the Original's pallor and hair. "Yes, actually. You look wonderful."

Rebekah beamed. "There's someone who finally tells the truth." She fished for the tag dangling on a hook pinned to the side of the dress, examining it with blasé. "Well," she said shortly. "Nik, I'm sure you don't mind paying for this. You did, after all, leave me in a filthy casket for ninety years."

"Not a problem," Klaus stood, immediately grateful that the shopping was concluded. Rebekah handed him the price tag to take to the register and lingered behind with AJ, who was still perched upon the arm of the chair. She gave the Warrior an indifferent look. "My brother seems quite fond of you."

Wanting to groan in exasperation, AJ chose to remain placid instead. "I don't know," she shrugged. "If you think so."

"That's the thing." Rebekah planted a hand on her hip, her eyes perusing over AJ once more. "I do think so. I can tell when Stefan's lying—I can tell when people are genuine. He's genuinely very… affectionate towards you. Oh," she said as if she'd just remembered something, "and do you know where he went last night? I'd lost track of him, and I'd been afraid he'd been angry enough to leave."

AJ's chest tightened with a strange emotion, and she remained impassive. "He, uh, took me over to Gloria's so I could get some sleep. She has apartments up over the bar."

A small, knowing smile turned up Rebekah's lips. "So you two are lovers. I knew it!"

"No," AJ said so quickly that it sounded like a lie even to her own ears. "We're not, Rebekah. Really."

"Who's not what?" Klaus asked, returning to the ladies with a calmer demeanor.

"Nothing," AJ stressed, rolling her eyes. Rebekah still looked like she thought otherwise, and Klaus caught on to this strange expression. Instead of commenting, he nodded towards the door. "Can we leave now?"

They'd arrived at Gloria's minutes later. The bar had been completely empty aside from the witch seated at a new table ornamented with gremoirs, bottles of herbs, and along with other questionable items AJ couldn't help but eye warily from her seat across the room. Bonnie being a witch was one thing—she knew and trusted Bonnie. However, she'd only just met this Gloria, and who knew what she did with her magic? Besides manipulating her lifespan, of course.

Stefan had returned, and was now standing at the bar, avoiding meeting AJ's long stare. Beside him was Klaus, though he seemed more fervent and impatient to her. No one else seemed to notice, but then again, she supposed no one else regarded him akin to the way she did. The thought was perplexing and blush-inducing, but she was beginning to realize it was not one that'd soon leave her.

Rebekah had perched herself on the edge of Gloria's table, her legs crossed and her hands clasped over her knees regally. "So where is it?" she demanded, leaning down towards Gloria's face.

Gloria waved a dismissing hand in the air. "It doesn't work like that, doll. I get images." She looked off to the side, but her eyes were focused on something else, something not present in the room. There's a girl with her friends—"

"Yes, a dead girl with dead friends if I don't get my necklace back," Rebekah interjected peevishly.

AJ saw Stefan narrow his eyes, his mouth hardened into a thin, grim line. A lightbulb went off over her head in that instant, and she wanted to gape at him. A girl with her friends—Elena. That conclusion would never have entered her mind if it wasn't for his unusual expression. Her eyes clouded over with a memory from awhile back—Elena showing her a beautiful antique necklace that Stefan had given her, basically a token of his love. The necklace had looked so old, but she'd never thought it was that old. She controlled herself and her now manically beating heart by digging her fingernails into her palms, leaving deep indentations behind. This was why Stefan had always been so edgy, so impassive and yet imbued with unreadable emotions. He'd realized that Elena had something of value to the Originals.

Tuning back into the conversation, she heard Gloria speaking. "Yes, well, I'll have to dive back in to get the details," Gloria explained, growing annoyed.

"So dive," Klaus demanded, approaching Gloria from the bar area.

Gloria crossed her arms, however placidly. "I'll need more time." As Klaus braced his hands on her desk, she sighed lightly. "And space. Look—"she waved a hand, as if swatting him, "you're harshing my juju."

"We can wait," Klaus said, sounding like he'd rather do anything but.

Looking put out, Gloria shook her head. "I'm sure you can, but that's not what I asked." She met his icy stare levelly.

Pushing herself to her feet, AJ crossed the room to Klaus. Almost meekly, she put a hand on his arm. He tensed, an acknowledgement to her presence, but didn't move. "Klaus," she said quietly. "We should give her some space. It's what's best."

"Yeah," Stefan agreed, stepping up to where Rebekah was seated on the table. "Why don't we just come back later? I'm hungry, anyway." He looked at Klaus almost impishly. "I'll let you pick who we eat."

AJ wanted to hit Stefan. This was about not getting anyone hurt. She watched as a wicked look took over Klaus's features, and he shot a grin at Rebekah, who looked more than intrigued. Stefan began heading out to the street once more, and Rebekah slid off the desk to follow him. Klaus backed away from the table, letting AJ's arm fall back to her side. When he caught her disappointed expression, he put his thumb under her chin. "Love," he murmured. "Admittedly, I've grown quite hungry—"

AJ stepped away from him, her arms crossed over her chest."As in, one-human hungry? Or maybe two?" She inwardly cringed at the cruelness of her tone.

As she tried walking away, he caught her hand, pulling her close once more. There was something new in his eyes, something deeper than hunger and bloodlust. "This is who I am," he said, brushing some of the hair out of her eyes. She was surprised by the sudden tenderness. "This is what I am, and you know it. Maybe you should stay here with Gloria, or—"

"No," she said firmly. "I'm not going to stay behind while you all gorge yourself on innocent people. I refuse to."

He sighed deeply, looking down at their hands. It was a captivating sight, a new one; her lightly tanned skin against his fair pallor, intertwined delicately. He wasn't just holding on to her, but she was reciprocating, as well. Suddenly, her hand went icy cold. He looked up to her eyes, only to find them staring out one of the windows again, wide and disbelieving.

"AJ?" he said with concern, glancing between the window and her. Her hand started trembling. "What is it? What's wrong?"

She'd blanched, her face going a startling white, and blinked several times before focusing on Klaus again. "It was nothing," she said quickly, sounding breathless. "I'm going with you. I'm not staying behind. I don't care if you feed on someone or not—I'm not staying behind."

Klaus cast a wary glance outside again. "No," he said. "You aren't staying behind. Come on." He gently tugged her to the front door, on look out for anything that'd frightened her. Of course she wouldn't tell him, but he needed to figure it out. On the walk back to the warehouse, he'd kept her close to him as Stefan and Rebekah began compelling people, a crowd, really, to follow them back. He could feel her grow even more anxious beside him, shivering even as the day was warm. Putting an arm around her, he pulled her close to his body. She accepted, resting her head on his shoulder as they walked, trying to calm her shallow breathing.

It was a hallucination, she told herself firmly, clenching her teeth. Nothing more than a hallucination. It wasn't real. It couldn't be; it was physically impossible. She released a shaky breath as they returned to the warehouse, actually grateful for being surrounded by vampires for once. That thought changed the instant those vampires began sinking their fangs into helpless humans.

She'd stepped away from Klaus the moment they'd returned, going to the truck to grab her sketchbook as a distraction. When she'd returned to them, she'd found nearly all of the humans drained dry, with each vampire finishing off those who remained. Even Klaus, with the veins bulging under his eyes, the sign of deep blood lust. Her vision faded in and out, her head growing dizzy as she stood. Resting a hand on the back of a vacant chair, she tried to gather her bearings. There was only one word that came to her mind—monsters. As much as she was appalled of thinking of them like that, she could find no other words to describe the extent of careless cruelty she witnessed.

Rebekah had perched herself upon a dark coffin, one hand braced behind her for support as she was posed regally, with her shoulders back and her head up, her legs resting in front of her. A slash of a scowl was her lips. "My girl's dead. I'm bored." The dull tone of her voice made AJ feel even woozier, and she wondered if she might faint. Though she'd become familiar with death over the summer, it wasn't a sight she welcomed in the least. From where she stood, off to the side, no one seemed to take any notice of her.

Klaus ignored Rebekah. Retracting his fangs, he pulled away from the nearly dead girl in his arms, pushing her to the floor. Blood dripped down his lips. "You weren't kidding about being hungry," he said to Stefan, watching as the other vampire drained the rest of his human.

Stefan, too, pulled away from the girl, breathing in and out shallowly with dark pleasure. With tracery veins in his eyes the color of bloody jewels, his green irises became luminous and almost animal-like. He regarded Klaus with a shrug. "It's been a long day."

Klaus smirked. "Try being related to her." He nodded in Rebekah's direction.

"You're being mean." Her glower was petulant, as was her voice. There was a pout on her lips now, superimposing the scowl. Stefan rolled his eyes and laughed, causing her to sit up in alarm. "And why are you being mean? You used to love me."

"It's been ninety years Rebekah," Klaus said peevishly. "Give him a minute."

Rebekah looked upset. "Why are you taking his side?"

"Because, my dear sister, I feel pity for any man who doesn't give you what you want."

"Will you stop making me out to be a brat," she said as she grew more upset, her voice rising in pitch. "I am not a brat."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "A thousand years of life experience says otherwise," he said sardonically.

Stefan chuckled darkly, then looked pointedly at Klaus. "Oh you're no picnic, either. Yeah, I've only spent one summer with you and I feel like I want to blow my head off." Laughing quietly, Rebekah's spirits seemed to lift instantaneously. Stefan slowly moved to get up, grunting as he tossed the girl's dead body to the floor. It made a sickening thunk, making AJ flinch. She pinched her eyes shut, digging her nails into the chair's back. "I need to go," Stefan said as he stood, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

Rebekah watched him leave the room silently, perplexed. "Where's he going?"

"To write a name on a wall," Klaus answered, smirking. "It's a long story." His eyes drifted across the room in boredom until they rested on a white-faced AJ. He straightened immediately, wiping the blood from his lips. It only served to smear across his chin, giving him a more roguish look. In a second, he'd left the chair and went to her side. "AJ," he said quietly, placing a hand on her arm. She recoiled from his touch, her eyes snapping open with surprise.

"No—don't. Don't touch me." Taking in the hurt on his face, she immediately felt guilty. "You have blood on your hands, Klaus."

"I know I've killed, love, but it's my nature—the way I survive, and you know—"

"No," she stressed in clarification. "You literally have blood on your hands."

Bringing his palms up to examine, Klaus saw she was right. He rubbed them off on his jeans, clearing them of even the smallest speck of blood.

Still sitting upon the coffin, Rebekah snorted at them. "What are you doing, Nik?"

Klaus gave her a sharp look. "Mind your own business, Rebekah. Go shopping. Go to a park. Do something."

"No," she declared. "Not until you tell me what's going on with the two of you. I mean, she's the Warrior. Why is she even here? If you're not going to—"she stopped, giving him a pointed look. "Then why bother keeping her around? And if you're lovers, why don't you just admit it?"

"Why don't you speak to me like I am here?" AJ interjected caustically. "And we aren't lovers!"

Rebekah smiled cattily. "Not yet," she said in a sing-song tone. "But you will be."

"Rebekah, that's enough," Klaus said gruffly. "I told you not to speak to her like that."

"I speak to humans—whether they are the Warrior or not—how I like," Rebekah said snootily. "She is no different."

Klaus went rigid, his fiery gaze fixed on Rebekah with such intensity that AJ had to look away. There was a silence, and she suspected Rebekah couldn't hold his gaze either. When she looked back, she found that Rebekah was no longer there. She was alone with Klaus in what felt like the largest, loneliest place she'd ever been in. The warehouse was an assortment of grey; the towering ceilings were like voids—open, empty voids that made her feel small and trivial. Yet with Klaus beside her, and the heat of his body transferring into her skin, the smallest flame wavered in her chest. It was the oddest feeling—something new and arcane—and it sent a surge of butterflies through her stomach. Though the feelings from before were not easily forgotten.

There was another pause between them, then, "I'm sorry you had to see that." Klaus's tone was genuine, and he shifted beside her.

AJ bit her lip, looking down at the grey pavement. The dead girls' bodies were feet away from her, hidden behind furniture or splayed out carelessly on the cold floor. It made her feel sick all over again. How could they be so heartless? She shook her head in consternation, not meeting his eyes. "You don't have to kill them." Her tone was meek, but she straightened up with assertiveness, reluctantly meeting his deep blue eyes. "You know that you don't."

He stared at her in silence, his mouth grim. "I do know that I don't. However… it prevents me from giving in to other temptations."

Cocking an eyebrow, AJ studied him curiously. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head, his lips now white. "Nothing. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," she said lightly. "You'd be surprised by the things I can understand."

Rigid once more, he shifted again. It was obvious he was bothered by something—she'd never seen him so unmistakably uncomfortable before. His silence bore on.

"Klaus," she said, reaching out to grasp his hand. It was warm and rough; the contact sent exhilarated shivers down her spine. "What is it? What's wrong? I can understand. Or even if I can't, I can accept it. So what is it?"

Shaking his head again, his features were abashed. "I don't think that you'd like to know, and I don't think that I'd like to tell you. I don't want to be like them—I refuse to be like them."

Her eyebrows knitted together, and a cold feeling settled over her. "Them? Who's 'them'?" A flash of pained anger shone in his eyes, and she sucked in a silent gasp. "You mean Lucas—Lucas and Elijah. Don't you?"

A muscle flexed in his jaw as he ground his teeth together. He dropped her hand and backed away from her, letting his eyes drift over their dull surroundings.

"Klaus, please," she urged. "Please look at me. Talk to me. Why do you think you'd be like them? They hurt me, yes, but you haven't done that. I mean… you haven't. You won't."

"No, I won't," he said finally. "I swore to you I wouldn't."

"I know." The look in her eyes was soft, and she stepped towards him again. She reached out to grab his hand once more, slowly, holding it in both of hers as she brought it up to her lips, resting it against her chin to catch his eyes. Her heart began pounding wildly in her chest as she entered this new territory, bringing a flutter of emotions along with it. "Klaus, whatever it is you think you can't tell me, you can. And believe me when I say it's better if you do." She offered him a small smile.

He looked torn, and just a flicker of emotion passed over his features before he hid them. For a moment, she thought he'd retain his silence. When he chose to speak, his voice was soft. "This is different," he said, nodding at their hands. "It's very different than all the things I've grown accustomed to."

"You aren't used to being… touched," she inferred sadly.

His gaze fell to the floor. "No. But that's not all. There's this… this hunger. I don't know how Elijah managed it—"he broke off, making a pained noise. AJ rubbed his hands soothingly, stepping even closer to him. "I didn't mean to bring him up," he mended. "I just mean to say that I'm used to bloodlust, but…" he stopped again; an etched feeling of embarrassment and self-deprecation crossed his features. AJ's sympathy grew.

"But what?" she urged gently. "What is it? Why do you think you'll hurt me?"

He turned from her roughly, guarding himself. A wall rose between them; one she could detect immediately by the impassiveness overcoming his face. Her heart ached strangely, and she reached out to touch him only to reel her arm back. She'd felt like, ever since the night before, things between them had changed in some way. Certainly they did in some aspects, she thought, but it seemed unaffected in others. There was still something separating them, precluding them from connecting. The connection was there—she wouldn't deny it. Her thoughts had consisted only of him since she'd woken that morning, and remained on him no matter how she tried to distract herself. Yet, there was something present at the moment, something that prohibited her from getting through to him the way she had before. She crossed the line last night, she knew. There was no going back from what she did, from what implications there might have been. Dare she delve deeper into this new territory so early into her exploration of it? Dare she try and push him into trusting her, fully and completely, without hesitation? It wasn't his nature. His nature was blood and death; things he thought that became him. They were part of his nature, yes, but it wasn't who he was. As much as those things bothered her, she wouldn't try and change that part of him. Truly, she wouldn't try to change him at all. It had to be his choice. But now, in this moment, she felt like she'd never been farther apart from him. Why did he fear he would harm her? Why was that causing this distance between them?

Staring at him in silent distress, she read the way he had frozen himself completely. It was the way he became when he was under the new duress of her companionship, she figured, because it happened often. Underneath the hard impassiveness in the angles of his face was a shimmer of what he was really feeling. There was a sort of pain there, and reluctance. Confounded, she pressed her lips together. Now was not the time to push him. But why did her heart throb when she considered leaving him to solitude? Could she comfort him without giving any impression of urging him into speaking his mind?

The heavy silence coerced her decision. Turning on her heel, she faced the square doorway leading to the SUV. At the last second, she was stopped and lingered to listen.

"Don't go," he said softly, but with strength. "AJ, I cannot discuss this now. But don't go."

She turned back to him, trying to hold back her curiosity. "Will you want to discuss it at some point?"

"Yes," he said after a moment's hesitation. His expression contradicted his words, though, as they were imbued with inner battle. "We'll need to talk about it. I… I want to."

AJ nodded, and looked down at the floor pensively. Glancing back up with newfound fervor, she said, "Wait here. There's something I want to show you." She turned back again to head towards the truck, where Klaus had returned her things from the room they'd stayed in. Walking quickly, she grew excited about her idea. Maybe it would mend things between them, or show him a different side of himself. Besides Death, how did he see himself? He was pompous, of course; always cocky and confident. As things in the past proved, though, he had every right to be confident. A frown weighted her lips and her eyebrows furrowed together. But when one was so confident, didn't things tend to go wrong?

Shrugging off that thought the moment she reached the truck, she opened the door and reached over the leather seats for her backpack. Digging in it until she came to her sketchbook, she tucked it under her arm. She turned to head back to Klaus, both anxious and enthused.

She never took a step forward. Instead, she froze in place, an icy feeling pricking at her heart like a thousand icicles were prepared to plunge into it. Her eyes were wide and her breath had escaped her as her mouth gaped open. No, she thought numbly, no—it wasn't real. It couldn't be real. It was impossible. The moment her eyes fixed on his green ones, she screamed.

Tell me what you think! Good, bad, or ugly, anything is appreciated. (-: