Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.
A/N: My apologies for how ridiculously long it took to update! I've been working out some kinks in the plot, and playing with some tweaks in writing styles between this story and my new Means of Persuasion fic. Not to worry, though! I will not abandon this story. I'm so thankful that you guys are sticking with this. You're all amazing! (-:
Also, you guys can follow me on tumblr and shout at me what's up. camrynrose13 dot tumblr dot com
Twenty One
"Don't tell me," AJ said facetiously, her arms folded over her chest. She looked sidelong at the hybrids walking through the clearing around them, her eyebrows knitted together as she scowled. It was as if they hadn't all just been killed. As if life was its usualness, and death was nowhere in sight. "We're all taking a bus back to Mystic Falls for some hybrid bonding time."
Klaus gave her a considering look, and then smirked. "I think I rather like it when you're jealous."
AJ's expression soured. "Don't be ridiculous."
"If I might remind you, you're the one throwing a fit," he said pointedly, clenching his teeth at the thought of all her nasty comments he'd endured thus far into the day, without so much as lashing out at her in return. "You haven't said a kind word all morning."
"All things considered, I think I've been as nice as you deserve," she growled out, her scowl returning. She turned her head away from him, scrutinizing a hybrid approaching the two. She thought his name was Daniel—one of Klaus's more favored.
The idea probed a scoff from her. Hardly half a day had passed since the hybrids were turned, and already Klaus preferred one over another. How ludicrous was that?
She wasn't jealous.
Daniel stepped up to Klaus, paying AJ no mind whatsoever, and asked for instructions. Klaus's eyes narrowed at AJ, but he said nothing and instead turned and directed the hybrids to pack up to leave. He was well aware of the position he'd put her into the previous night, yet still hadn't been allowed to apologize properly for his actions. Even after finally achieving what he had for so long wanted, he felt more alone than ever, seeing her eyes a thousand miles away. He reached out to touch her arm, but she pulled back. Irritation mixed with his regret.
AJ remained silent as her eyes perused the clearing the hybrid, Elizabeth, had led them to once they'd all been rounded up, excluding Blake. She didn't have to ask what happened to the pack leader. Immense loathing had imbued Klaus's eyes when a newly transitioned hybrid had brought it up. Now as she looked around them, she noticed that camping gear was strewn about in a haphazard attempt at some organization, all mostly unused and unopened. Beyond the clearing was an arc of cars, starting up one by one as hybrids loaded into them.
"What if we come across roadkill on the way?" She continued to muse. "Will their newly heightened senses for bloodlust hijack their brains and they'll all scramble to get it first? I'd like to see you try to sort that out."
"AJ," he said tersely. "Is there something you'd like to say? I always thought you preferred bluntness." And he more preferred her to speak than be silent; however, as she continued to abuse him with her tongue, he felt his patience begin to slip.
"Right now, I'd prefer to make particularly jarring remarks until I get bored. I'm not bored yet."
"And if I am?"
"Then I'll kindly advise you to get over it."
Klaus stepped up to her until their faces were just inches away, drawing the attention of the handful of hybrids still milling about as they collected the rest of their belongings. They still seemed utterly void of emotion and devoted to Klaus in a disturbing homicidal-suicidal way. One had almost broken AJ's arm when she'd smacked him earlier that morning. The redhead. She decidedly didn't like that woman.
Now, Klaus bent his head until his mouth was beside the shell of her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin. Her heartbeat spiked in her chest at this proximity, the sound enticing his fangs to slide down and press against his bottom lip. It'd been days since he'd fed last, and she was entirely too tempting. In more ways than one. "I get that you're frustrated, love, but there are more convenient ways to deal with that."
A shiver traveled up her spine while thoughts of only the other day made her throb. Still, she wasn't easily deterred. Running her fingers softly down his chest, she caught him off guard before she shoved him away and glared. "I get that you're sick, Klaus, but I really don't think I can help you with that."
"You seemed to think otherwise in Astoria."
Rolling her eyes, she countered, "It's not something we have to revisit."
He smiled impishly, ghosting the tips of his fingers over the curve of her jaw. "I'm not so sure, darling. When we get back to Mystic Falls, I think we could pick up where we left off."
AJ suppressed a huff at his endless innuendo. "Just get in the truck."
"As you wish. You're such a feisty little thing, you know that, darling? All the more endearing." He smiled wickedly down at her before stepping away.
Watching him go, she glowered at his back. If only looks could kill. After an entire night of bitter retorts to everything he had said, she still didn't feel as if she'd made much of a point. Now that they were on their way back to Mystic Falls, which Stefan and Rebekah had apparently dubbed "safe" from Mikael, she felt less than certain about everything that was happening. Surely it wasn't it great idea to have hybrids anywhere near Elena. That counted Klaus, as well.
No, after what had happened, she wouldn't espouse their cause. What good could they possibly do? Why did he think he needed them—to fill the void of loneliness hollowed inside of him centuries ago? Maybe showing him more compassion would get him to understand he only needed her.
But she wasn't feeling all that compassionate after getting her throat gnawed on like a chew toy. If anything, she was a little bit grumpy.
"Any day now, love," Klaus said through the rolled down window behind her as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.
"I'm sure that's what your mother said to your father when they were discussing your lack of maturity," she spat with a juvenile tone.
Finally, he looked pissed off. "Now you're just being childish."
She didn't care. The look on his face gave her a sense of triumph.
Score one, AJ.
Glaring nonstop at the road before them had become a futile attempt to ignore Klaus for the first several hours into the long drive. Now, as she listened to him talk to Tyler about some party to, in his words, "celebrate" his father's death, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to breathe. As much as she hated to admit it, it was harder being angry at Klaus than she realized; even if his view of certain things was rather… perverse.
Her scowl returned as they turned onto an off ramp. In the side mirror, she could see the queue of cars following them. Once or twice she had wished a meteor would come crashing down upon them, obliterating their very existence. No such luck.
Now Mystic Falls was hardly a mile away.
A strange anxiety made her fingers move restlessly. She drummed them against her knee and chewed the inside of her lip. It was the fact that she was bringing danger too close to Elena, but it was also something else as well. Maybe it was Klaus's morbid way of showing no emotion other than joy at his father's passing. How could a thousand year old being still have such a dysfunctional relationship like that without ever having patched things up? Anger was something she was certain she could retain for quite some time, but a millennium?
Of course, no one had ever stabbed her through the heart to complete the transformation from human to the first vampires ever created. It was just one of those things, she supposed.
After passing the Grille, AJ felt her chest tighten. The town passed by them in what felt like a blur, and it wasn't long before they turned onto a road she wasn't very familiar with.
Klaus looked at her sidelong, his cheery mood replaced by one more brooding. She had remained upset and taciturn the entire drive. Not a single abrasive comment had been uttered, which served to trouble him a great deal more. The thought of death always made her disconsolate, that much he had learned about her very quickly. However, when Klaus slipped his fingers over hers, she didn't look so unreachable.
AJ tore her eyes from the scenery and gazed at him with uncertainty. This was a side of Klaus she was still adjusting to; the kinder, more caring side. Albeit it was the part of him that comforted her most, she couldn't help but question everything about him now. Perhaps it was Elena's proximity that made her second guess his intentions, but she'd be stupid not to anyway. After the previous night, it felt like all bets were off. She was just tired of being angry.
And yet, solely the feel of his skin made her want to quell such thoughts and focus on other things. How could she ever know if it was her better side that yearned for him or her darker side? This alone prompted a much needed voice of topic.
"How can you be so happy about your father being dead?" The question left her lips before she even considered it, and she made haste to cover her tactlessness. "I mean, he's your father. Well, maybe not your real father, but he raised you."
Klaus's expression was carefully blank. "He's been hunting me for a thousand years. It was either him or me. Which would you prefer?"
She rolled her eyes. "You know that's not what I mean."
When he looked at her, she was struck by how intense his gaze was, how suddenly vulnerable he looked. "Mikael was a monster I ran from out of fear," he said simply, raising her hand to his lips to place a soft kiss on. "But now I don't have to run anymore. I'm free."
AJ blinked, suddenly feeling pity for the boy Klaus had been—hated by the only father he'd ever known, denied by a mother who had still loved him in her own way. Every moment she spent with him felt like a new breakthrough, even if they had to take several steps back for her to see it. She squeezed his hand in return.
It was hard to ignore the hybrids' presence. AJ felt hyperaware of everything; but mostly, she could feel the heat of Klaus's hand on the small of her back as they studied the scene before them while the hybrids milled about, busy at work.
Words had escaped her the moment they "arrived." Personally, she didn't feel as if they arrived to much of anything. Before them was a vast work site; by the way the walls had spots of plaster here and there, and some more barren walls were only ribs of wood showing through to other rooms, it was evident that the building was still underway. It was a monstrosity of a structure.
"Klaus," AJ said almost absently, her eyes roaming uncomprehendingly over the unfinished building. "What exactly are we looking at?"
He smiled, his expression taking on something oddly reminiscent, as if he weren't entirely seeing what was before them, but something else in its place. "Home."
Home. What a strange thing to hear him say, she thought. Her chest warmed at the idea.
His hand pulled away from her; she felt his absence in the chilliness that followed. Still, she watched as he headed towards what she supposed was the entrance: two grand doors stood erect, showing promise of what would soon be. Klaus stopped halfway there and beckoned to a hybrid, saying something about a dress. A moment later, the redheaded hybrid appeared—her lips in a snarl as she glanced at AJ—and handed Klaus a garment bag. AJ looked at it warily, as if it held poisonous snakes.
He handed the bag to her, careful to study her expression. AJ squinted back up at him.
"If this is lingerie, it's not my thing. Actually, I'm mildly offended you'd try to dress me in stupid frilly little—oh."
After giving her a smirk, Klaus had unzipped the bag, revealing an eggplant colored dress. It was short—thigh length, she assumed—with a strapless sweetheart neckline. The bodice was satin; beginning at the waist flounced a gossamer material. It was extravagant. Elegant. And completely unnecessary.
"What's the occasion?"
"Considering you don't approve of my methods of dealing with my father's death, I'll tell you it's for Homecoming."
Klaus always made reading between the lines easy. AJ frowned at the dress. "Purple isn't an appropriate color for a funeral."
"Not a funeral," he said, running his fingers through her hair fondly, handing the garment off to a hybrid to take into the house. "A celebration. Come with me, hmm?"
AJ stared at the now receding dress a moment longer, considering. Was Klaus up to something? Or was it as innocent—okay, maybe innocent was the wrong word—as he made it seem? He'd said he was finally free—was this celebrating the liberation of his father's fearsome memory? How could she say no to that, when she understood perfectly just how terrible it was to be chained to something so intangible? Lucas's memory had haunted her for years, endlessly.
He lifted his fingers to her face once more, stroking her cheek and watching her eyes. As angry as she had been at him, with good reason, she was glad to be so close to him. She leaned into his touch.
"It's just so morbid," she finally divulged, taking his hand in hers once more and gazing down at them. An idea came to her. "Promise me this won't be about his death," she said suddenly. "Make it about the new life you can have."
Klaus pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead, elated at the simple state of her agreement. "I promise." His smiled turned mischievous as he turned her in his arms and pulled her against his chest, tucking her dark hair away to expose her neck. AJ conceded to his touch, leaning into his sturdy frame. He nipped at the sensitive skin below her ear, down her jaw. "I suppose I should start this night properly, then," he murmured, his breath hot, his hands even hotter as they slipped under her shirt.
Her eyes fluttered closed, but she tried to straighten. Being back in Mystic Falls brought things to a new light, and there were people she had yet to see. "It's going to get dark soon," she said in an uneven tone, feeling her head spin with desire that she tried to tug away from. "Are there any rooms finished that I can get dressed in?"
Smiling against her hair, he snaked his arm around her waist and led her to the front doors. It was a long drive, very stately, as it was beginning to shape into on the inside. AJ glanced around curiously as he led her through boney innards of the mansion, catching glimpses of elegance here and there. Some rooms, she found, were actually finished off, whereas others weren't even started yet. She wondered when he'd had the time to even purchase the property. Before they'd left?
Klaus had led her up a dubious looking staircase, which had been thankfully much more secure than it looked, and into a room awash with sunlight. She blinked around in surprise.
It was a bedroom, made obvious by the mammoth four poster bed sitting up against the hallway wall, taking up half the room. The black garment bag lay opened upon it, displaying the dress Klaus had picked for her. Large windows looked out at a field that was barren due to the wintry chill of the air outside, and the sun could be seen on its path to the horizon off in the distance. A floor length mirror sat in the corner, alongside a wide wardrobe and a door leading into a lavish bathroom.
"Oh," was all she said, having been far from expecting this.
Klaus was leaning against the doorframe, gazing at her in a way that made her veins electric with need. She swallowed and averted her eyes to the dress. "I'm going to take a shower, then," she said, making a beeline for the bathroom as if she could block out all the cravings stirring within her.
After firmly shutting the door from his knowingly smug look, AJ busied herself with cleaning up. She had smelled like pine from hiking all through the forest, and was happy to wash the smell away and replace it with vanilla. She had overlooked allowing the water to run cold in her haste to busy her thoughts. When she emerged from her purging, there was a lacy deep purple bra and pantie set waiting on the counter for her.
"Obvious much?" she muttered. She glared at the door, knowing full well he was outside. There was a faint sound, like a purr of satisfaction. As if he could sense her increasing arousal.
AJ acquiescently pulled the underwear on, knowing her only other option was less than desirable and would probably only serve to encourage him. Only a moment passed before she realized she'd left the dress on the bed in her rush to depart from his presence. She'd still have to face him half naked.
She edged the door open to glimpse into the room, hoping that maybe one of the hybrids had captured his attention.
They hadn't.
He lay reclined on the bed, his hands behind his head, his eyes on her. A half-second decision stemmed from pride caused her to open the door fully, and brazenly stride into the room. It was then that she became very, very aware of how scantily clad she truly was.
Her hand stopped reaching for the dress when she noticed the bed was newly devoid of her hybrid. She knew better than to think he'd given her space.
His warm body pressed up behind her, his hands gripping her hips and pulling her back into him. His arousal pressed into her back through the layer of his jeans. She had to bite her lip so a gasp couldn't escape her at the thoughts that followed, at how much she wanted him now.
"I'd like to make up for last night," he purred into her ear. One hand remained grasping her hip; the other trailed its way up her body, to the flesh barely covered by her bra. "You never did let me apologize."
He kissed the nape of her neck before slowly turning her to face him. Trailing his mouth from her throat to her collarbone, he sucked hard enough to elicit a soft moan from her and gave a wicked grin when her body arced into him.
"Will you accept my
apology?" he drawled, dipping his fingers below the thin fabric of her panties, sliding them just over the moisture. She whimpered, fighting both of her warring urges to give in or hold out. Klaus seemed to perceive this fragile reluctance, because he was then pushing his fingers into her and clutching her firmly against him, allowing no escape.
At long last, she caved. The moment she relaxed her muscles, he captured her mouth in a fiery kiss, unlatching her bra in one swift movement before it slid to the floor. His tongue darted into her mouth, his fingers working her with increasing intensity until she was gasping. She was pushed back onto the bed, where he parted her legs and continued until she peaked, digging her fingernails into the hard muscles of his back.
A split second later and his clothes lay in a heap on the floor. His bare skin pressed against hers, his sensuous mouth moved from her collarbone to her breast. There was a hovering moment when his arousal lingered just before her entrance, and she moaned his name, encouraging him to continue.
Obliging to her pleading, he slid inside of her, fitting perfectly inside her warmth. She sunk her fingers into his hair, pulling him as close as she could as he moved inside her, covering his jaw with kisses. He made sounds of approval, his hands grasping her hips as he rocked into her, soon finishing together.
AJ was left breathless in his arms, a heavy sense of listlessness settling over her. Beside her, he lay on his side, his arm resting over her. His eyes were closed in a countenance of peace. Rolling onto her stomach, she watched him for a while, capturing this perfect moment in her mind. She knew, then, that he was hers; that she wanted nothing more than to see him content at last, free as he had said.
Just not at the price of someone else's life.
The reminder broke through her reverie, leaving her with a gaunt reality. She pecked a kiss to his cheek before sliding from the bed and getting dressed. She had somewhere to be.
I'm probably going to be playing with the shows plot a little bit as we progress. I'm not absolutely certain about it right now, but there may be some things I'd like to change for the sake of this story. Anyway, there was a little bit of Klaus/AJ. I thought you guys deserved a little bit before things got more dramatic. Also, if you see any strange inconsistencies in this chapter, please don't hesitate to let me know.