Chapter 13: Cardio and Other Catastrophes

a/n: Sorry for the long wait. Without tossing any spoilers out there, I will just say that it took me some time to get my mojo back after that mother of an ending we were left with. I'm here now though...and I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Klaus followed the deep sound of pumping bass to the upstairs parlor. He'd seen neither hide nor hair of the ladies of the house all morning, and the children had been mysteriously absent as well. Pushing open the glass-paned French doors at the top of the staircase, he was greeted with a blast of driving treble and pulsing drum beats. Surprised, he turned his head to the left, searching for the source of the sound, and came to an abrupt halt. The women had obviously set up some sort of impromptu work-out studio in the space that Rebekah had used to practice ballet years before. The mirrored wall and ballet bar remained in place, even after all the time that had passed since its last use. A woman he didn't recognize stood facing Rebekah, Freya, and Cami, calling directions out over the loud music. Peripherally, he sensed that the children were dancing to their own wild rhythm in a far corner of the room, but he was utterly unable to remove his eyes from Camille.

She wore a pale pink tank top over a black sports bra and matching black leggings. The tank top was loose, but ended at her hips, leaving her perfectly-rounded backside covered in nothing but a thin layer of form-fitting cotton.

"Two more sets ladies," the instructor called. "And…one, two, three, and four," she counted off.

The three of them moved in tandem, but Camille may as well have been alone in the room. She swiveled her hips from right to left, her calves flexing as she rose up on her toes and bent forward, arching her back provocatively as she allowed her upper body to fall slowly toward the floor. He watched as, palms to the solid hardwood, she paused, elongating her back and stretching the muscles along the backs of her thighs until they were rigid and tight, like bowstrings waiting to be plucked.

At the precise moment his eyes were feasting on the glorious sight before him, his consciousness finally took in the lyrics of the song, and his entire body tightened in response.

I know you want it in the worst way, I wanna hear you calling my name…

"And grill," called the petite trainer over the provocative lyrics.

Rising to a fully-upright position, Cami pressed her hands lightly to the outside of her ribs, just below the swell of her breasts. He watched her head dip down, her chest push forward and then back. Guided by the downward slide of her hands, her abdomen and hips followed suit in a gentle wave that seemed to roll down her body from her shoulders to her feet.

Klaus widened his stance, shifting himself in jeans that had become suddenly, uncomfortably snug.

Just as he was beginning to feel like a voyeur, the women turned, all three spotting him at the same time. Freya grinned sheepishly and shrugged, turning back to the instructor and finishing her eight-count. The other two stopped and stood staring at him, Cami looking mortified and Rebekah wearing a knowing smirk.

"See something you like, Brother?" she teased, flicking her eyes to Cami, whose rosy cheeks had grown decidedly darker in the last few seconds.

Annoyed at being caught lurking, Klaus narrowed his eyes. "You know you are an original vampire…cardio is really not necessary."

"Ah, yes, but this was a special request, Niklaus," she said, batting her lashes, sweetly. "My dear sweet Cami seems to have some excess energy that she just can't figure out how to get rid of," she shrugged, smiling innocently, as she glanced back and forth between the two of them.

He watched Cami swing wide eyes to Rebekah, eyes that seemed to beg for her silence.

His momentary embarrassment at being caught staring melted away in light of Cami's obvious discomfort.

"Camille doesn't need cardio either. She's lovely, just as she is." He caught her eye, making sure she knew he sincerely meant what he said, before looking away. "Right, Hope?" he asked, purposefully diffusing the situation by drawing the child into the conversation.

"What Daddy?" the pixie-like child asked as she skipped over to his side, followed, moments later, by her younger brother.

"I said, your mother is quite beautiful, don't you agree?"

"Yeah!" Hope squealed her agreement, flinging herself forward against Cami's legs.

Cami laughed, lifting the girl into her arms and looking up at him. "Thank you, both," she said, hugging Hope to her, though her eyes never left Klaus's. "However, I am not a v-," she stopped, glancing down at Hope. "I am not a very athletic person," she finished, not ready to explain the whole "vampire" thing to her four-year-old quite yet. "So," she continued, "I need to make it a point to get in some exercise from time to time, so that I can stay healthy." And sane, her mind supplied, helpfully.

"Well, if that's the case, I could help you out with some pretty intense cardio anytime you're in need of a little…exercise," Klaus offered, cheekily.

A snort came from the front of the room where Freya was helping Rebekah roll up and stow what looked to be multi-colored yoga mats. He couldn't be sure which of them had made the noise, but he had his suspicions. Regardless, he glared at them both, menacingly. Rebekah ignored him, instead focusing on compelling their dance instructor to leave immediately and return promptly at the same time the following Wednesday.

Freya giggled.

Cami's eyes widened and she pressed her lips against Hope's sweet smelling honey-blonde hair to hide her smile. She knew she was blushing. Seeing Klaus this playful made her happy, and his words sent a warm little jolt of longing deep into her belly.

She struggled to find an appropriate response, but was saved by the sound of a cell phone ringing.

Klaus dug in his pocket, pulling out the wretched device and swiping his thumb over the screen in annoyance. "Yes?" he said, expectantly, already knowing from the caller id whose voice to expect on the other end of the line.

Hey, Klaus, it's Marcel.

"Yes, I'm aware, what can I do for you?" Klaus prodded, trying to hurry the call along.

Look, I know Cami's back in town. I would've called her directly but I don't have her number anymore.

Klaus's eyes narrowed. "What business do you have with Camille?" Klaus watched as Cami's eyebrows rose with the realization that the call concerned her. She looked at him questioningly, at the same time lowering Hope back down to the floor so that she could continue playing with her brother.

I know you don't like the fact that Cami and I have a history, but this-

"If you have a point, Marcellus, please feel free to come to it," Klaus growled, growing impatient.

Hayley knows that Cami's back, Klaus. Two of my guys were out patrolling early this morning and they came across a couple of men out near the bayou. They were Crescents. They said they'd heard talk that Hayley and Jackson were getting Hayley's daughter back...tonight.

"Don't be ridiculous, Marcel. That can't possibly be accurate. The moon won't even be full for another couple of days, yet," Klaus spat, angrily.

You're not hearing me, Klaus. My guys ran into men out there last night. Men, not wolves.

"They've found a way to reverse the curse," Klaus mumbled, stunned.

Cami gasped, and Klaus's eyes flew to her face, taking in the sudden pale cast to her cheeks, which had been flushed with exertion and happiness mere moments before.

Yeah. I don't know how though. I talked to Davina, and she says it wasn't her that broke the curse. I believe her…she doesn't have any reason to lie.

Klaus sighed. This had started out as such a pleasant day. "Thanks, Marcel," he paused and then added, "I owe you." He hung up the phone and replaced it in his pocket.

He looked at Cami, noticing how large and wet her blue eyes now appeared against the backdrop of her pale face. He took a step toward her.

"I need to take a shower," she mumbled, barely above a whisper, as she, eyes down, skirted around him and headed toward the door.

"Cami," he called, but she didn't pause. Instead, she rushed quickly from the room, leaving all of them standing there looking at each other.

Freya jumped into action. "Hope, Dominik…you guys want to come with me to the kitchen and get a snack while your mommy takes a shower?" she offered, with faux-enthusiasm.

The children, unaware of the sudden tension in the room, went happily with their aunt, leaving Klaus alone in the empty studio with Rebekah. She, too, headed for the door, but paused as she passed, placing a hand on his shoulder, comfortingly. "Give her some time," she suggested, gently. "Then go after her." She continued on her way and then paused one more time in the open doorway. Over her shoulder, she said, softly, "She's going to need you, Nik. This will be the hardest thing she'll ever have to do."

Something in her voice made him look at her a little more closely. Her eyes seemed suspiciously shiny. Her face was in profile, so it was hard to tell for sure, but what he saw there looked like more than run-of-the-mill empathy. It looked like understanding…the kind you only achieve when you yourself have been in the same situation.

And then it hit him.

She understood Cami's dread because she'd been through it. She'd given up the privilege of mothering Hope once, herself.

"Beks…" he spoke the pet name softly, tilting his head in silent apology.

She gave him a sad smile and said, "I had Hope for a couple months…Cami's been her mother for three years." She shook her head. "Nothing about this is going to be easy, Nik." She turned and left the room, and he was left standing in the parlor alone.

Klaus pushed open the heavy, wooden door that lead into Camille's bedroom and found her standing in the doorway between her room and the empty nursery. The children were outside with Freya and Rebekah, leaving the two of them alone in the quiet house.

"Cami?" Klaus called softly. When she didn't answer, he crossed the room, coming to a stop directly behind her. She was bundled in a thick terri-cloth robe, having just come from the shower. He'd heard the water stop and come looking for her.

Her back was to him, her shoulders hunched and rigid. He reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, applying gentle pressure until she turned to face him. Her cheeks and nose were pink, eyes swollen and swimming with tears. "Are you alright?" he asked, softly, cupping her cheeks in his strong hands, using his thumbs to wipe away the moisture under her eyes.

Her face crumpled. "I didn't know it was gonna hurt like this," she sobbed.

His heart broke. "Cami…" he breathed, in a pained whisper.

"When I said I'd let you make me believe Hope was mine I didn't know what that meant." A hard, shuddering breath wracked her body, and she wrapped her arms around her middle as though trying to literally hold herself together. "I didn't know I'd love her this much. I didn't know it would stay with me after the compulsion was gone…that she'd still feel like my baby." She was speaking rapidly now, her words tumbling over themselves one after the other, unchecked. "I thought when it was over, that I'd be able to just…just give her back, and it'd be okay because she wasn't really mine, but being someone's mother doesn't work like that." She stared into his eyes, willing him to understand, knowing that he couldn't possibly, because he'd never had a mother who loved him the way a mother was meant to love her child. She bowed her head to hide a fresh wave of tears. "Oh, God, I can't do this, Klaus." She felt a sense of sadness so profound that she was actually nauseous in response to it. "I can't give her up. I know it's the right thing, but…it hurts too much," she choked out, pitifully.

She looked directly at him, then…not at his face or his eyes, but at the very thing that made up him. "I can't do it. I can't give her up…you can't ask me to."

She gazed at him through glassy, tear-filled eyes, their blue depths rimmed in red and surrounded by spiked, wet lashes, and she whispered, "But you can compel me to."

"Cami…" he chided. "You don't really want that."

"It's the only way I'll be able to do it, Klaus." She shook her head, slowly, from side to side. "It'll kill me, otherwise." Taking his hands in her smaller ones, she looked directly into his eyes, imploring him, "Tell me I have to give her back to Haley…" Her voice broke a little at the end. She took a deep, trembling breath and continued. "And then tell me that I'll be sad, but that it'll be bearable, and that one day, I'll be okay again." The last was little more than a pleading whisper, barely audible over the frantic beat of her broken heart. "You have to lie to me, Klaus…please?"

"And what about Hope, love? Shall I compel her as well?" he asked, gently, knowing this was her pain talking…that she wasn't thinking clearly.

A stricken look came over her face. "No," she whispered, horrified. "I don't want anyone to lie to her. She deserves the truth." Realization settled into her stormy eyes. There was no easy way to do this. She had to tell Hope the truth, and then she had to introduce her to her real mother.

Her face fell. A fresh wave of hot tears slid down her cheeks, unchecked, as she stood, frozen with anguish.

Klaus moved quickly, gathering her into his arms.

She stood still, arms hanging limply at her sides as he held her.

He felt her body trembling against his as she struggled to reign in her emotions. She was fighting valiantly, he could tell, but with great emotional exertion. And he knew, without a doubt, he was solely to blame for her struggle.

"I'm sorry, Cami…I'm so sorry," he whispered.