Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.

A/N: Warning: Mature Content.

Fifteen

The scene of the beach from the window hadn't been deceiving. It was utterly cold outside. The sunlight wavered through the mass of clouds gathered in the paper white sky. It looked like a painter had taken a brush and stroked grey through it, making the day dreary with gloom. The water stretched on and on, as far as she could see before disappearing into a grey-white mist. She was perched on a rock, not as jagged as others; the stone was even colder than the air, sending irrepressible shivers through her body. A slight wind pressed at the side of her face, pushing her hair in her eyes.

AJ watched, arms crossed to hold in body heat, as the waves rolled over the sand; back and forth, back and forth. The sound was peaceful, like an audio version of the sun pendant resting at her throat. She simply wished they could bring her a sense of peace, right now. Instead, she felt nothing. Numbed. Like doctors had replaced her blood with numbing serums and it weighed down her limbs, her eyes, her heart. Her thoughts were a tangled mess.

Once her memory had returned in the kitchen, she'd turned swiftly on her heel, quickly tossing Klaus's shirt on the bed as she yanked on jeans and her long sleeved shirt, strapping on her usual boots before heading wordlessly outside. Her body seemed to be on autopilot.

Klaus had been on her heels and nearly left the house bare-chested, except that he yanked his shirt back on as he crossed the threshold of the door. She'd heard him call her name several times. Now he stood beside her, eyes scrutinizing her every move as if he could see into her mind.

Alexandra. She remembered the words being uttered perfectly. Though she'd known that was her true name, it still surprised her to hear it. It surprised her even more to hear it from her mother's lips. Her true, biological, dead mother.

But that hadn't been her mother, exactly.

The memory of her mother on a swing-set with her materialized in her head. Her mother, with wide grey eyes, a beautiful smile, a tender look. She'd seen that tender look in that stranger's eyes at the bar; in whomever her mother had possessed to reach her.

Possessed. Was that just as bad as a vampire compelling someone, taking advantage of their mind? Or was it worse because not only were they taking advantage of their mind, but their body? They take away any control a person might have had. Why, if her mother had been good, would she do such a thing? What warning never crossed her lips? Klaus had silenced her without even questioning her identity. Why? She almost wanted to laugh at the question, but she knew she was on the verge of hysterics. Nothing was ever easy. Problem after problem surfaced, one after the other. At least she wasn't alone.

Klaus stood beside her, conflicted on how to understand, to reassure. But her shivering body was enough reason for him to move closer, to wrap his arms around her shoulders and pull her close to his chest. She allowed it, nestling into him to fend away the cold. For other reasons, too.

"You haven't said a word to me," he said in a murmur. "AJ... I did not mean to upset you—"

"It's not that," she assured quickly. "Although I wouldn't mind an explanation about that, I don't need it right now."

He stayed silent for several minutes, feeling her heartbeat on his skin. "Then what do you need?"

"I need to understand," she spoke slowly, her eyes glued to a white-capped waved rolling in, "why it is you killed my mother."

"Your mother?" It was the first time she'd ever heard him sound utterly shocked. Looking up at him, she found that his expression mimicked his tone.

"So you didn't know, then?" she asked, inflectionless. "That it was my mother you killed?"

Klaus blinked at her. Instead of slacking or pulling away, his arms were only tighter around her. "AJ—perhaps my blood didn't heal you entirely. How much did you drink? Your biological parents were killed by the Lemurė some years ago, and your other ones—they still live. I haven't harmed them."

"I remember, Klaus," she said in a whisper, leaning in closer to him. She felt terribly numb. Terrifyingly numb. His warmth alleviated some of that. "About Chicago, before I hit my head, I mean. You were wrong. That wasn't some occultist or whatever. That was my mother."

He went rigid as ice. "Your mother—I've met her, AJ, that wasn't—"

"No," she said wearily. "Not my living mother. My biological one."

A small crease formed between his eyebrows. "You aren't making any sense. She's dead, AJ. For years, she has been."

"Don't you think I know that?" It wasn't meant to sound harsh, but it came out that way. She cringed, pulling away to look at him. "Sorry. It's just—I know, Klaus. I know how strange—impossible—it is. But it was her. She was trying to warn me, like she tried to in the gym."

"I still can't make sense of this..."

She could tell by the softness of his voice and the way he began stroking her hair that he thought she was still delusional. She huffed.

"She was there. In the gym. When I didn't have the necklace on. Something strange had happened—like I was being forced out of my body. I could see you and Elena bent over me. But I could hear things, too. People were screaming, but it wasn't anyone in the gym, of course. It was like… I'm not sure, exactly. It kind of reminded me of Lucas—like they weren't really there, but were. Ghosts, maybe. I don't know. Through all that noise, I could hear someone warning me. But it got cut off, and I never really made sense of it. I never really thought about it until now."

"Your mother," he said slowly, after a pause. "She tried to warn you in the gym, and again in Chicago."

"Yes."

"But how? I've heard of spirits returning to this plane, but it's not very common. Lucas, I think, was an anomaly."

"But don't you remember he mentioned something about a door being opened? Being able to pass over a threshold?"

Klaus was silent. Turning to look at him, she saw his eyes were on the pale sand, thoughtful. She felt her composure breaking, and quickly mended it back together. She couldn't lose her head now. Not now. Closing her eyes, she focused on the pendant, on Klaus's arms around her. It was strange, she thought, to have fought for so long to remain detached from him, but now it was all she could do to stay in control of her desires. Yet as much as she ached to return to the house, the bed, she couldn't tear her thoughts away from the problem at hand.

He raised his eyes, studying her face. His mouth was grim. "What do you think the warning was?"

The question made AJ feel cold as ice. It brought forth another that made her feel worse.

"How did my necklace come off?" she asked in a whisper.

They were both silent, then, staring off at the water rolling in on the shore. They remained that way until Klaus scooped her up in his arms and carried her back inside, back into warmth.

The kitchen was quaint; it was painted in lighter tones, like the bedroom, and kept a seaside look about it. AJ never really understood why people chose to theme their homes on what they could see when simply looking outside. But everyone had their preference.

Klaus was almost comically sifting through cupboards and drawers after finding the refrigerator empty of food. It was odd to see him in such a normal setting. Though no matter how many times she said she simply wasn't hungry, he insisted she eat something. Now he leaned against the countertop with a frown.

"Klaus, I told you it isn't a big deal," she said lightly. "I'm not hungry. I really don't think I could eat anything anyway. There's just too much on my mind."

"And the last time you did eat was when, hmm? A day ago? More?"

She looked down at her hands, folded atop the square table she sat at.

"That's what I thought," he said. "Our traveling hasn't really left room for much else, has it?"

"Like I said, it doesn't matter. We'll just… go into town tomorrow or something." She looked out the double doors, at the sun setting over the waves, casting a shimmer of orange and pink splashes on the water. "It'll be dark soon. Wait—there is a town around here, right? I thought I saw a marina a ways down the water."

"It's five minutes away," he said, then paused. "When you travel the way I do. I can go get you something right now, actually. Do you have a preference?"

"Klaus," she groaned. "You don't have to look after me. I said I'm fine." When she looked up from rubbing at her weary eyes, she noticed the strange look on his face and realized she said something wrong. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," he said shortly, turning away. "You're certain I can't talk you into getting anything?"

"I'm positive. As much as I appreciate it, I just don't want anything. Not now." AJ sighed and stood to return to the room to sleep, but instead found herself looking out at the water again. Of all the places Klaus could have chosen to go, he chose quite well. It was beautiful, to put in the simplest terms. There wasn't another house around for large stretches of the beach and the marina was just a grey silhouette on the water. There was a small, bright green forest behind the house, leading up towards the bit of town she could see. It was vibrant with color, even in the dimming twilight.

AJ couldn't help that her thoughts immediately returned to earlier that day. When she and Klaus had been so close; when she'd wanted him so badly that she ached. How she'd felt strangely rejected, yet still yearned for him. It returned in a fierce longing, making her feel things she hadn't felt before. That made her nervous. She closed her eyes and let the cool wind clear her head.

When she felt him come up behind her, her heart fluttered. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder as he stared outside, too. A month ago, she would have laughed at the idea of Klaus being so… gentle. This was a new side of him.

"Are you still angry with me about earlier?" he asked in a hush.

"Which part of earlier? The part when you made it very clear you really don't want to touch me like… that, or the part about my mother?"

"Both. But it wasn't that I didn't want to continue, AJ, it's just…"

She turned in his arms, facing him. Their mouths were only inches away. She stared into his azure eyes, biting her lip to resist the urge to kiss him. "It's just what?"

His gaze lowered. The uncertainty on his face seemed wrong; Klaus was never apprehensive. "You said Elijah left you yesterday. And you did take a nasty bump to the head. I just think you might be confused."

She pressed her lips together until they were bloodless. "Confused about what? This?" Gesturing towards how close they were, she shook her head. "Trust me, I'm definitely not confused. I don't think you really get the situation with Elijah."

"Then why don't you tell me?"

A spasm of pain tore through her heart. She could see the hurt look in Elijah's eyes, the terrible way he'd looked at her before he'd left. He had said he still loved her. But she knew it wasn't enough—maybe not for either of them.

"Elijah… he left me. He left me Klaus. I could see it by the look on his face, and I don't even blame him. I was honest with him even though I knew what I was losing in the process."

Klaus paused. "If you knew you would lose him, then why be honest? Why not lie?"

"Because I don't want to lie about this," she whispered, resting her forehead against his. She could feel his breath brush her lips. "Not to him, not to myself… not to you. I just… I don't want to. It's been so long since I've been honest with myself."

"Honest about…?"

She smiled because she knew he was fishing for her words. He wanted her to say them, to speak what made her hesitate. Klaus wasn't a fool.

"Honest about us. How I feel… when I'm with you." Her forehead still rested against his, but her eyes dropped to the sun pendant. It was a token of love, she knew. Rebekah had said so and Klaus hadn't denied it. But did he love her? Or did he give it to her because at that time when she was being attacked, the situation called for it? Did it matter, right now?

"What are you thinking about?" His voice was gruff, quiet.

She looked up to meet his eyes, a wild blue like the ocean in a torrential storm. "You."

Something crossed his features, something untamed and fervent. It made her shiver down to her toes. He raised his hands from where they'd rested at his sides and placed them on her hips, pressing his fingers into her skin through the fabric that divided them but kept her at a distance. "Maybe you shouldn't think of me," he murmured. "I am nothing like Elijah."

She closed her eyes at his touch. "I never thought you were. I don't want you to be."

Sighing lightly, he brushed his lips over hers. "You should reconsider then."

"Why?"

"Because I am not Elijah. Once I have you, I will not let you go."

A ghost of a smile passed over her lips. "Good."

He pulled her close, then, pressing a firm kiss to her lips, sliding his hands to the small of her back to push her body into his. Letting him take control, she allowed herself to be entrapped in his arms, returning his hard, burning kiss.

With a swift movement, he had her shoved up against a wall; a place she thought would become common for them. She didn't mind.

He slowly ran his hands down her legs, to the backs of her thighs until he hitched her up in his arms, pressing into her as a moan escaped her lips. She latched onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, threading her fingers into his hair. He tilted his head to the side, sucking on her neck, moving down to her collarbone.

AJ gasped as his tongue glided over her skin and his fingers breached the hem of her shirt, ghosting over the form of her body. They moved up and up, first removing her flimsy shirt and then skimming back to unlatch the hook on her bra before pulling it off her.

He couldn't help but moan at the sight of bare olive skin and rosy pink nipples that hardened at his touch. Never before did he think he could have someone so delicate in his hands. But now she was fire.

AJ was gasping as his hands explored her, warm on her body, feverish. A honey-warm swell gathered at the apex of her thighs, where she could feel him pressing in close to her even through his jeans. This was completely new to her, but she didn't have time to be nervous. Klaus's touch made everything feel right; natural.

He had leaned down and now had his lips around her nipple, swirling his tongue around it, nipping at it until she dug her fingernails into his arms. Smoothing his hands up her silky skin, he found his way back to her lips.

Seizing the moment to pull away, AJ kissed his jaw, the base of his throat, his collarbone. She tugged at his shirt and in a moment he had it off. His body was too tempting to resist; her hands ran over hard, chorded muscle, making her burn with need.

In the next instant, he had her on the bed. His arms were on either side of her, holding him above her as he stared into her bright eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"Klaus," she breathed sultrily. "Are you asking if you can have me?"

His eyes, dark with craving, roamed over her bare chest, down to her covered legs.

She smiled. He didn't need to say anything. "Then take me already."

He had her jeans off in a flash and put his weight carefully on her as he reclaimed her lips. The feel of his hot bare skin on her own made her eyelids flutter shut and her body tremble. His fingers moved down her slowly, down her chest, her stomach, further and further until she had to clench the sheets in balled fists to keep from crying out.

There was no sense to this, no rationality, no certainty. There were only his fingers slipping down into her panties, to tease her wet lips before pushing two fingers inside her. She finally cried out, her body arching up, her hips bucking into him. He continued, pushing them in deeper each time, making her breathe hard and fast.

She tugged on the belt at his jeans and gasped again when her hands met his skin instead. Everywhere, she covered him with kisses. Back at his neck, she grazed her teeth against the sensitive skin and felt him harden further.

He removed his fingers and slid her panties down her legs, tossing them away. Then he finally entered her, thrusting into her. She gasped his name, completely taken over by the sensations overrunning her. She didn't have a single coherent thought other than how much more she wanted.

He continued to thrust into her, giving small groans of pleasure, sucking on her nipple before kissing her again. AJ met every thrust; their bodies were like puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly, making them one.

The swell between her thighs grew and grew. Klaus became faster and stronger, and before she knew it, she felt euphoric. She cried his name, her eyes pinched shut, her fingernails leaving red crescents in his shoulders.

Klaus breathed out shakily, dropping beside her on the bed, pulling her close. His breath was warm on her neck, making her quiver. As he pressed a kiss at the middle of her shoulder blades, he pulled the blankets up around them. Stroking a hand through her hair, he kept an arm around her waist. It was okay to finally touch her like this.

"Klaus," she said as steadily as she could, her eyes closed, feeling exhaustively at peace next to him. She was still processing the euphoric shockwaves he'd sent through her.

"Love?"

She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his lips. Not a heated, chaste kiss. But a loving, tender kiss.

Okay, so you guys really have to let me know what you think of this. I'm dying to know. It's a tad experimental I guess you could say... I don't know. (-: Review please!