Hello lovelies! Author's Note will be posted at the end.
*5 days later*
Cami laid splayed out on her bed. Well, the guest bed of the Mikaelson compound. As catatonic as she was when she was first brought here.
*Flashback to Cami's arrival at the Compound*
Cami was put into one of the vacant bedrooms of the compound. Klaus had laid her on the bed and didn't even bother to lift the comforter before placing her down. Instead, he picked up the blanket that was folded neatly at the foot of the bed and placed it onto her carefully. He turned off the lamp on the night stand beside the bed. Although Cami's body was begging for rest, she couldn't find it in herself to put her mind to rest. Still, her eyes stayed shut. She could feel Klaus lingering in the doorway. His breathing was uneven, as if he was anticipating some sort of reaction from her. A beat later, Cami heard him walk out of the bedroom.
Cami could hear muffled conversations from outside of the door, but she couldn't bring herself to focus. In all honesty, she didn't want to know what they were saying.
She removed the blanket and lifted herself slowly off of the bed. Carefully, she made her way to the bathroom attached to the bedroom.
She turned on the lights, absolutely motionless as a reaction to the bright light. She looked straight at the mirror. God, she looked awful. Circles so dark underneath her eyes, she'd think there were two black holes taking residence on her face. Her eye makeup was horribly smudged. Her cheeks look sunken. Her lips were turned in a frown, but she assumed they've looked that way since she met the witch who ruined her life.
Her clothes looked relatively decent. She had some bloodstains here and there, which she was aware came from the hybrid who carried her here. She leaned on the counter, desperately in need of support. Her body was sluggish, but her mind was as awake as ever. She turned on the sink and splashed some cold water on her face. No reaction.
She had hoped when she first walked in that the water would snap her body out of its tired state. Her breaths were ragged. She couldn't fall sleep. She wouldn't. Not after all that she barely endured.
Cami didn't need to speak out loud to acknowledge the fact that she was absolutely terrified of closing her eyes and reliving that nightmare.
She moved to sit on the edge of the very clearly unused bathtub, if its blinding white shine was any indication.
Theresa forced her way into Cami's life. She mind controlled her, and turned her into a weapon to use against the family Cami holds dear to her heart. Her free-will was thrown to the side as if it meant nothing.
Cami grit her teeth at the familiarity that creeped into her concious. Not the first time someone used her with no regards to her rights to freedom as a person.
The same unforgivable power that Lucien sought after like a drug is the one thing keeping her alive right now. The same power that was used to kill a member of the Mikaelson family. The same power Cami nearly eradicated two members of the same family with.
No amount of physical cleansing could ever wash away the horrible reality that solely Cami is living proof of. There's one last weapon on earth that could kill an Original. That people all over the world would kill to use against them. And it's her.
How did she go from living a rather peaceful life to becoming a puppet for some homicidal witch?
Cami got back up and turned on the sink's faucet. She also took to twisting the tub's faucet and let the water pour down into the giant, glorious bowl.
It was like her body was moving on autopilot because her mind had yet to be aware of why she started up the tub and sink.
It was only when she felt the prickling in her eyes and a choked sound escape her throat that could only be identified as a held back sob, that she knew.
Even though the water was doing a great job of drowning out any possible noise that Cami could elicit, she still slapped one hand over her mouth to muffle her cries. Her eyes burned and soon the hot tears made their way down her face.
She let out all that she couldn't during her time with Theresa.
The only pieces of evidence of her breakdown was her pounding head and her tattered heart.
*Flashback end*
*Back to the Present*
She faintly registered the knock on the door of the guest bedroom. She didn't strain any muscle to see who was awaiting her.
She heard the door creak and a soft, "Hey, Cami."
Cami felt incapable of responding despite the greeting having already been formed on her tongue.
When she didn't reply, Hayley tentatively padded over to the side of the bed where the curtains aren't drawn.
"Do you mind?" Hayley asked softly.
Cami still had trouble speaking. The most that came out of her was a noncommittal noise.
Hayley took that as a 'yes', as she slid the curtains to each respective end of the bar.
Cami still made no movement.
Hayley sat close to Cami's left arm. "So... I was wondering if you wanted something to eat or wanted to go for a walk or really just do anything besides laying on the bed?" Cami didn't need to look to know that Hayley was wringing her hands together the way she does when she's nervous.
Cami didn't know what to say. She felt safe while she was in this room. She still didn't really want to interact with anyone. Still, all she ever felt nowadays was the crushing guilt of hurting this family she loves, whether she meant it or not. And here she was, living out in their home after all that she put them through. Cami started to feel her lips twitch downward for once again taking advantage of the Mikaelsons' everlasting kindness towards her.
Hayley must've took Cami's frown as a sign of annoyance with the way she sprung off the bed with a resigned, "Okay, I get it. You still need time." She walked back to the door.
Cami slightly turned her head to focus on the door where the brunette departed to.
"Hayley?" Her voice sounded scratchy.
Cami heard Hayley's breath hitch, but the female hybrid gave no other response.
"It looks really nice out today." Wow, Cami thought, that felt like a chore to speak out loud.
Hayley turned back to her with a slight smile. "Yeah, it does."
°0°0°
Hayley and Cami found themselves trudging through the bumpy woods of the bayou. It was afternoon, and the sun was hitting all the right places. Cami didn't even care that it was blinding her. Let's just say she'd gotten used to blinding brightness and what not.
Cami followed in Hayley's footsteps by slipping into some combat boots. She didn't miss the delighted smile on the hybrid's face as she was tying up the laces.
"So, you pulled me out of my hole, I assume it was to get me to talk." Cami had her hands in her the pockets of her jeans. She had thrown on a comfy black sweater to combat the slight chill in the air before she left. Heaven forbid she wears a leather jacket anytime soon.
"Well, I wouldn't want to talk about anything you aren't comfortable with or aren't ready to talk about yet. Is there anything I can get out of you that you won't regret sharing?" Hayley wondered aloud taking a giant foot forward to avoid a deep hole in the ground barely covered by leaves.
Cami pondered. She decided to regale Hayley on specific aspects of being under Theresa's control. Like how there were moments Cami would fight back but never win. She didn't go into details about those moments, she'd rather not think about them at all. The last bit of information she gave to Hayley was the part she was there to see in person: Cami being in a deep sleep.
"In my mind, I had... interactions with most of the Mikaelsons. I saw you in one of them along with Rebekah and Freya. It was during that part of my unconsciousness where I begun to understand what my mind was trying to tell me. Each interaction hinted at the fact that I was under mind control and I lashed out towards you guys. It took a couple of hits and chastisings for me to realize something was wrong." She finally trained her eyes on Hayley's face. "So, yeah. And now we're here."
Hayley looked crossed between a frown and a pout. "What do you mean by 'chastisings'?" She held up bunny fingers and curled them as a form of imitating quotation marks.
"Each person I saw was kind of like putting puzzle pieces together. My mind made up illusions of you, Freya, Rebekah, and Elijah," Cami figured there was no point in mentioning Klaus, the moment with him was different from everyone else's anyway. "I," Cami winced, which was her first facial contraction in a while, "took a couple of beatings from you guys figuratively. The fights were mental, so you know, it was nothing extreme," she lied straight through her teeth.
Hayley's face became more structured to pass off as a frown than a pout. She squinted her eyes and lowered them to Cami's chest so quickly, Cami nearly missed it when she blinked.
Hayley could definitely tell that was a lie.
She sighed heavily, "You should know that none of us took anything you did under that witch bitch's mind control personally. At all. We trust you, Cami. And we know you'd never purposely do anything to hurt any of us," Hayley paused, she lightly punched Cami's shoulder with a soft smile, "Everybody knows you're too sweet for that."
Cami felt her lips twitch until they formed a weak smile.
"Yeah," she breathed.
They continued their walk in silence. The silence was comforting. Comforting enough for Cami to ask: "Is it okay for us to go see Hope?"
The smile that took shape on Hayley's face was radiant, practically rivaling the sun itself. "Always."
°0°0°
Being surrounded by Hope and Hayley was more fruitful to Cami's case of unresponsiveness than Hayley had thought. She could have only imagined the Mikaelsons' reactions would be as taken aback as she had anticipated when Cami walked into the compound with a polite smile and a, "I'll be in up in the guest room. Good night."
They all turned to Hayley who was holding Hope with one arm and her baby's bag of belongings in the other. Hayley just lifted Hope a bit in response.
Klaus walked over, raised his eyebrows as a silent way of asking "May I hold her?". Hayley passed their baby to Klaus.
"I will go settle her in her crib." He smiled at Hope, dimples ever present.
Hayley hung the bag over Klaus's shoulder that didn't have Hope laying her little head on it.
Klaus made his way up the stairs. Hayley looked at the remaining Mikaelsons that carried matching mild confused expressions with a shrug.
°0°0°
Klaus had sat in the rocking chair after feeding Hope her bottle of warm milk per Hayley's request via text message. He was whispering a quiet tale from his childhood that involved running around carefree with his siblings when their father was none the wiser.
Little did he know, Cami had left her stationed bedroom quietly to go down the stairs to procure a glass of water. The door that held Hope's crib was slightly ajar, and Cami couldn't help but listen in.
"...still, there was once a time in which I knew peace. Once my life expectancy magically became fruitless, that diminutive foundation of my sense of peace was dwindled into nothingness. That was, until you, my littlest wolf," he whispered the sweet nickname as if it were a secret just between him and Hope,"came along and altered my world in every respect possible."
The smile that found its way to Cami's face came easy.
"You are aware that you do not have to linger outside. You are very much welcome to come in." Every part of Cami stilled, except for heart that decide to pound at an alarming rate.
She could hear the smile in his soft voice, careful not to wake Hope, who fell enervated into the depths of sleep.
Cami's sock-clad feet padded quietly until she reached the door. She slowly opened the door, which to her relief, did not creak much.
"I was just on my way downstairs. I didn't mean to eavesdrop." Cami quickly spoke in a soft tone, sounding quite defensive.
Klaus stood up and crept to Hope's crib, carefully placing her in it and covering her with the blanket already placed in the crib.
Cami had a feeling Klaus had something he needed to stay, so she willed herself to keep her feet stuck to the floor.
Klaus silently clapped his hands together and looked to her from beneath his eyelashes, "Can I-" he abruptly inhaled through his nose, "May I speak to you after you find what it is you seek from downstairs?" He sounded oddly nervous considering just who she was talking to.
"Uh, yeah- yes. Just give me a minute," she squeaked. Oh, gosh, that was horribly embarrassing.
He nodded as she practically ran out of there. Once she reached the stairs, she took a deep breath. She did NOT need to look disturbed when she faced the rest of the family.
Forget the water, what she really needed was a drink. In the dining area was Elijah, who was nursing a glass of alcohol of his own. She nearly did a double-take. She had never seen him drink so casually and calmly, as if everything's right in the world.
Cami resisted the urge to ask him if she could have the rest.
"Hi, Elijah," she cursed herself for sounding so vulnerable.
"Camille," he greeted staring off into the distance intently, no malice found in his voice, much to Cami's displeasure.
Is it bad that she wanted him to be vindictive with her? Maybe then she would feel some sick sense of twisted closure for the horrible act she wanted to be in successful in.
Cami inhaled and spoke, "Look, I have to say this, I-"
"I haven't gotten the chance to tell you how pleased I am to have you back." He gracefully downed the rest of his drink, and stood from his seat. He walked by her to make his way to the kitchen, but not before delicately putting a hand on her arm and giving it a light squeeze. Cami finally exhaled, somewhat disappointed.
If Cami didn't know any better, she'd be utterly lost. Although, momentarily flabbergasted, she figured that that gesture solidified that whatever garbage apology was meant to leave her lips was not heard nor cared for because he'd already forgiven her.
Despite really wanting something stronger than water because she was a nervous wreck, she sucked it up and finished her glass of water.
Though the Mikaelsons were known for never letting anyone get away with hurting their family, Cami sure got off pretty easily. It kind of unnerved her.
The asinine statement that Hayley had said to her while they were playing with Hope - and Cami was visibly wallowing in her guilt - started to make its way to the forefront of her mind.
"You've got to let it go, Cami. Trust me, we all have. How could we hate you? You're practically family."
Cami knew it was ridiculous. Yet another part of Cami, a more willing, open-minded part of her wondered, 'But... what if... maybe, it had some truth to it?'
'No,' a more persistent voice in her head, which sounded a lot like Cami's blunt subconcious, argued, 'it was a lie. Hayley only said that to make you quit your pathetic pity party. You'll never be part of this family. Not after everything you've done.'
Cami frowned at the realization that her subconscious was right. She didn't deserve their kindness. Not anymore.
And like a coward, Cami ran.
°0°0°
And by ran, Cami actually just sped into the guest room she'd been inhabiting, attempting to shut herself away from everybody. She found it agitating how the one time she chose to run away from her problems, she couldn't even go somewhere far enough away from said problems.
Although, everybody else seemed to have taken the hint when they heard her door shut - in a speed that indicated she couldn't have made it into her room fast enough - Klaus knocked on the door softly. In her haste, Cami forgot to lock the door, much to her misfortune, so in all honesty, if he decided to jiggle the door handle, he could just come in. Maybe if she tiptoed silently to the door, she could lock it to prevent him from coming in. Oh, God. Cami just now realized how ridiculous she sounded. Trying to barricade herself in from the owners of the place? Especially since they could easily break through? She felt like a child.
Cami groaned into her hands at the thought of her immaturity. She was on the floor with her back facing the foot of her bed. Her head was in between her arms that were resting on her knees.
"You can come in," she muttered, knowing perfectly well he could hear her.
She heard the click of the door handle resound throughout the room, and she still kept her head in her arms.
Klaus sighed and walked over to her. He looked at her crouched form for a moment before deciding to sit on the ground in front of her.
"Are you uncomfortable here?"
Cami's head shot up. "No! Well... I mean, no I'm not! If anything I feel like I'm the one making everyone uncomfortable." She groaned into her hands. "I need you to tell me something, and I need you to be honest with me," she pleaded.
Klaus opened his mouth, but closed it just as quick. He opted to nod his head instead.
"Don't you think it's weird just going about as if everything that just happened didn't happen?" Cami felt a broken record player with the way she constantly asked that. To herself and others. "It seems you guys are treading lightly around me, but at the same time treating me kindly. And it just... I don't know it just feels so weird." She sighed feeling mentally exhausted. And like an idiot.
She must've sounded as idiotic as she thought if his silence was anything to go by. Just as she was about to 'nevermind' her way out of the tense conversation, he spoke up.
"No," he said firmly.
Cami blinked. What?
"I- what do you mean 'no'?"
"I mean, no I don't find it 'weird '. I'm well aware that all that has occurred is at the fault of the witch." He sounded unbothered. "Well, was at the fault, is more accurate seeing as she's dead." He added with a faint smirk.
Cami... still couldn't believe it. Logically, she knew that none of the things she did was at her own volition, but it still bothered her to no end.
When Klaus saw her mouth downturn into a frown and her eyebrows crease to create a deep thinking face he was well accustomed to, he slid over until he was next to her. His back also against the foot of the bed.
He sighed. "I don't suppose there's anything I can say or do to prove that none of us blame you." He lifted his eyes from the floor to her and slowly snaked his hand to her knee closest to him where she had a vice grip on it with her right hand. Once his hand carefully set onto her hand, her grip slackened, allowing him to fill his hand with hers. "That I do not blame you?"
Her thinking face unscrewed and relaxed. She tilted her head to meet his eyes. "Can you humor me?"
Klaus lifted an eyebrow in question.
"Can you just let me apologize so I can at least not be filled with so much guilt?" She asked timidly. She looked away from him to hide her shame of sounding so weak. So, she missed the way the hybrid frowned at her sudden insecurity.
"Okay."
She bit her lip as she let her thoughts stew in silence. Klaus patiently waited. He personally found it mystifying why she would allow herself to be so tied to a string of mishaps that she certainly held no responsibility for. But if it really meant so much to her to apologize, he would not stop her.
She finally looked at him with a newfound solemnity. "I am so sorry for all the horrible things I did, regardless of whether I was under mind control or not. I'm so sorry that I tried to kill Elijah, I'm saying this because he's your brother and I know that had an effect on you, but also because Elijah wouldn't let me apologize directly to him. I'm so sorry that I broke your railing," Klaus was very thankful that he had a millennium to master controlling the emotions on his face, because the amusement he felt at hearing her apologize for that was enough to make him want to chuckle, "I'm so sorry for going after you, fighting you, all with the intention to kill." He heard her heartbeat stutter at the last bit, which he mentally noted to potentially ask about in the future. "I'm just horribly sorry for everything. God, I'm even sorry that I'm Lucien's failed twisted dream personified." She gestured to herself. "I'm just like him." She meekly added when she saw his eyebrow scrunch in confusion.
Klaus took a moment to let all her words sink in. He didn't have to, honestly. He just wanted his response to sound authentic.
"I forgive you. I forgive you for everything," he stated with fierce sincerity. He paused. "Even the broken railing," he continued with a teasing half-smile. He sobered up and took on a more serious look. "And you are nothing like him." He whispered earnestly. Klaus didn't miss the way she shivered at his words. Or maybe it was his tone. Either way.
Cami focused her eyes on his chest, specifically the spot on his chest where his heart was beating from behind. The rhythm of his heartbeats was steady. She unconsciously lifted her free hand to place it delicately over where his heart was beating. The palpitations increased slightly from her contact.
After a beat of silence, she looked up at him. Nothing but absolute candor and yearning filled the way he looked at her. A look she oh-so missed with all her heart. "Okay," she whispered in confirmation to his response. Her shoulders slumped in temporary relief. "Okay," she whispered again, not wanting to disturb the balance of beautiful silence that surrounded them.
He took his free hand (his left hand) and put it on the right side of her face (his left). He pulled some hair back behind her ear, and cupped her cheek. His hand trembled for a few seconds, as if he never thought he'd be able to do it again. Once he realized that it was real, he held her like it came straight from muscle memory. Like it was the most natural ability in the world.
Cami couldn't help it when her eyes fluttered to his slightly parted lips. When her eyes traveled back up, he gave her a look. A silent 'asking for permission' act she was all too familiar with. She was more than sure the chapstick on her lips was all dried out, so she quickly licked her lips and nodded. They met each other in the middle as their lips pressed together.
It was easy, the kiss. They both fell into it instinctively. Cami squeezed his hand after she intertwined their fingers together.
Klaus moved his hand further down just beneath her jaw as their kiss got deeper. Cami slid her hand from his chest to his shoulder to his neck and unfolded her legs to move closer to him. Suddenly, she felt the burst of veins pulsing beneath her eyes, and she knew exactly what that meant.
She broke away from the kiss and sped to the wall opposite of the bed. She kept her head in her hands, willing herself to gain control and calm down. God, that was mortifying. Even if she calmed down again, she's not sure she could face him after that.
"Camille," he started while walking towards her, "you don't have to conceal yourself." He said softly, trying to gently pry her hands away from her eyes.
No, no, no! She could still feel the veins pulsating. She was just thankful her fangs hadn't grown from her gums because there was no way she'd let him pull her hands off her face if that was the case.
Though her hands were no longer covering her face, she still kept her eyes shut, knowing they were stil glowing a bloody red. She'd thought that her insecurities had gone away when she was a teenager, and yet here she was feeling ugly under Klaus's watchful gaze.
She felt the heat of his hands before he touched them to her face. His thumbs on each side of her face delicately drawing along each very visible vein. Cami sighed through her nose once she felt the contemptible things slowly vanish from her cheeks.
She fluttered her eyes open. "How did you do that?" Right after Cami was free from Theresa - and really, just before now - she had to repeat a calming mantra of sorts to get her face back to normal. She has spent the last few days in this bedroom trying to learn to acquire quicker control over it. It usually took minutes for her to calm her face. Yet, here she was, with her face back to normal in much less time.
"I'm magic," he replied smugly with an innocent shrug of his shoulders. His hands had yet to leave her face.
Cami's smile washed away from her face when reality smacked into her brain like a truck. "I'm going to be stuck with this horrid 'vampire' face forever." Resignedly, she attempted to slide down to the floor.
Klaus caught her around the middle. "No, no. We are not doing that." He chided her firmly but the amused grin on his face betrayed his tone.
She exhaled silently. She met his eyes, "Okay, but even you can admit, it's kind of creepy." She said, humor lacing her tone.
"Maybe," he said teasingly. His teasing smile grew into something more genuine. "But, I'm enamored with it," he cleared his throat, "I'm enamored of you." He felt Cami still in his hold. He swallowed away his slight nervousness and said more boldly, "My dead, albeit beating heart longs for you, Camille."
Cami blinked. She blinked again. And again.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
Oh my God!
"Yeah?" She stupidly croaked out, even though there were a million other things she wanted to scream out.
"Yes," he confirmed. "Or more simply put, I love you."
Cami replayed those words in her head about a bajillion times.
The biggest and brightest smile she hadn't used in a long time ached across her face. She excitedly grabbed his face and pressed her lips against his. His hands moved to grab her waist to steady her body's abrupt movement. The corners of his lips lifted upward into the kiss.
She finally pulled back, and looked straight at him. His eyes were still closed in a daze. "And I love you. Like so much." She breathed out. She was still cheesing.
Klaus opened his eyes and smiled, a complete open-mouthed smile at the glow surrounding her presence. Pleased he was the sole cause for it.
She grabbed his collar kissing him again, and flipped their positions around. With her back free, she walked backwards in search of the bed. When the back of her knees fell onto the bed, Klaus pulled away.
"Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly.
They had never gone further than the standard make out sessions. Now that Cami knew his true feelings, that he reciprocated her love for him, she felt it was time for them to take the next step.
She pulled his head down for a quick kiss on the lips. She then kissed his left cheek, his jaw, and stopped at his nose.
"Yes."
°0°0°
It had been a month since Cami was rescued from the clutches of the witch, Theresa.
Unfortunately, during her time of being a puppet, Cami had missed out on work. With no proper explanation or advanced notice, she had been released. Which was a sweet way to say she was fired. She could have compelled her employer to let her keep her job like Rebekah had slyly (not-so-slyly) suggested, but she chose not to.
It seemed Cami lucked out when she checked her emails and saw that one of the therapist spots she'd applied to early on had gotten back to her for an interview in-person. Cami's heart had dropped when she saw the email was sent just after Theresa had kidnapped her, which was way too long ago. She still emailed back even though she knew her chances were blown.
She shared this information with Klaus who had thought to console her with watching one of her favorite movies that he believed was 'bewildering in terms of plot with dialogue that couldn't be more horrendous'. This time though, he watched it silently with no complaints. As much as Cami had enjoyed just being in his proximity and watching the movie in silence, a part of her had missed his humorous comments. Though, she'd never admit that out loud.
Cami began job hunting for more basic jobs like cafés and other bars. She felt like she lost a year of her life each time she applied to a job that in no way required qualifications she acquired through mind-numbing years of college.
Then somehow, by the grace of some angel, Cami had been emailed back by the clinic with verification that it can be arranged for her to be interviewed. She shamelessly squealed when she finished reading the email. She shared the news with Hayley and Freya (and with Rebekah over the phone, the blonde Original Vampire having been out on the town somewhere with the King of the City himself). She didn't want to get her hopes too far up considering she has yet to actually go through the interview, let alone pass it.
A couple of days later, she readied herself for the interview, getting dressed in her most formal wear courtesy of Rebekah - who had more or less snatched Cami from the comfort of her bed two days prior to take her shopping at dozens of stores to buy as many pencil skirts, blazers, and pantsuits as possible.
Klaus insisted he drove her to the clinic and back, to be there for her as much as possible. He'd given her a pep talk in his own striking way, and then finally let her get to her interview. She had gotten out after her interview finished, nerves bunched up as much as they were when she first walked in. In the most halfhearted way possible, she told herself she did her best and decided not to think too much about whether or not they'll call her soon enough to tell her if she got the job or not. She instead decided -
"Can we go to that cute little café? I'm seriously missing the sugary sweet goodness that is their beignets right about now." She rubbed a hand against her right temple.
Wordlessly, Klaus pulled out of the clinic's parking lot and began the drive down to the edge of town. She didn't have to specify exactly where she was talking about. They'd been to a plethora of cafés during their time together. He just knew exactly where she was referring to. He always knew.
°0°0°
Cami had received a call three days later from the clinic. She braced herself for the news, and she could practically feel the Mikaelson family breathing down her neck from even outside of her room.
She had gotten the job.
Just as she ended the call, the Mikaelsons all bursted into the room and pulled Cami into celebratory hugs. With the exception of Elijah who just offered her a proud kiss on the cheek. So, really, it was just the girls who tackled Cami down.
They had taken her from Klaus, claiming that he'll get her back by the end of the night. Needless to say, her day was filled with drinking and dancing.
°0°0°
Cami has just finished her first day at the clinic. Filling out forms, going through practice sessions all the while being supervised by a strict, yet kind supervisor, Mrs. Wallace.
She felt absolutely jittery the entire time she spent with each client. A total of four clients. Sure, she was able to mask the complete apprehension she felt, but it didn't mean she no longer felt it.
Her supervisor told her first days were often like that, and that Cami didn't have worried too much. Mrs. Wallace truly believed that at the very least one of the clients would return. Whether it was soon or way later in the future, she didn't specify.
Cami gathered her purse and her blazer. She had chosen to wear a long sleeved, puffy wine red blouse and a gray pencil skirt that had thin white stripes - that were barely noticable from a distance - and the blazer matched the design of the skirt. She had paired it with matching wine red heels that were hell on her feet. It was much too hot to put her blazer back on, so she wrapped it over her left arm, and held her purse with her right hand.
Though, he wasn't a client or the guardian of a client, and had no business being in the lobby of the clinic, there Klaus stood by the door waiting for her. She noticed not a single person sitting in the lobby, even the receptionist, paid him any mind. She rolled her eyes when she realized he'd compelled them.
When she said her goodbyes to her colleagues, she met the love of her life by the door. Before she could even get a word out, he'd taken her blazer off her arm to hold it in his. She smiled at him, and mouthed a 'thanks'. He gave her that crooked smile she loved so much and opened the door for her. Before she could walk through, he pulled her to him by her free arm and whispered in her ear: "Have I told you look positively stunning today? Even more so than usual. I would so hate to destroy the lovely wine blouse and striking skirt that are doing you definite justice, but I cannot promise that I won't be tempted to do so. Among other things."
Cami felt a burning red crawl up from the skin of her neck. "Klaus!" She hissed beratingly. Her voice was stern but her limbs felt like jelly at the implications. He pulled away from her, stopped his poorly hidden leering - though Cami honestly believed he wasn't trying to hide it from anyone - and grinned at her mischievously.
He waved at the receptionist, who waved back in a friendly manner, as if she knew him.
When they finally walked out, Cami couldn't help but say, "You compelled her to always allow you to come in whenever you like." It wasn't a question. She knew that's exactly what he did.
"Well, you hardly seem upset about it." He shrugged as he opened the passenger door of his car.
"Thank you," she said as she stepped in. She immediately took off the death traps around her feet. "I just don't want to risk getting fired if you keep sneaking around where you aren't supposed to be." She sighed feeling defeated as he got into the car.
"You don't have to worry, love. There's no way I would stand by if they ever had the gall to fire you." He stated determinedly as he drove out of the parking lot.
"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," she muttered. Klaus looked over to her in confusion at that. "As much as I love and appreciate your support, I just need you to promise me that you won't do anything crazy that gets me unwanted attention at work, okay?" She put her left hand on his right arm.
He took his left hand off the wheel momentarily to cover hers. "Alright, I promise."
She smiled and reached over to kiss his cheek once they reached a stoplight.
"I do hope you know I was not joking earlier about your attire for today." He said out of the blue.
Cami knew what he meant but decided to only address the more innocent part of his bold statement. "Yeah? Well, you can thank Rebekah for this. There's plenty more where this came from. I think she wanted me to shop until I literally dropped dead. It feels kinda stuffy when I where these, but I'll get used to it."
"You and I both know that's not what I meant." He looked over at her with raised eyebrows and a sly smirk. He eyed her from her skirt back up to her face.
Cami's ears may or may not have burned at the very not-subtle movement of his eyes.
And she may or may not have teasingly replied with, "We'll see if I really know what you mean when we make it back to the compound."
°0°0°
Even after two months of relative - keep in mind, relative - peace, Klaus still would not let Cami go back to her apartment without a fight.
Seriously, she had about three months worth of rent to pay. Her landlord might have already packed her things for her, at this point.
"Trust me when I say that I appreciate everything you've done to keep me safe. I do. Really I do. But Klaus, I'm a grown adult that should live on her own. I've already imposed more than I'm comfortable with." She crossed her arms.
"The last time you moved out from your apartment and came here was because Lucien was looking to murder you. And who knows? He probably would've if you hadn't come to live here when you did. Then, you migrated back when all seemed well only to get kidnapped by a vengeful witch. We got you back, but I am not willing to chance a third time of your life being put in danger." Cami opened her mouth to remind Klaus that she can no longer be killed, but he beat her to it. "It doesn't matter if you're seemingly indestructible now, that does not mean you're truly invincible, Cami." She slightly frowned at the use of her nickname. "Everybody has a tolerance for pain and suffering. And though it might take eternity for you to reach yours physically, there are far more worse ways in which you can be destroyed." He finished his rant with a heavy sigh. He turned away from her to regain his composure.
Cami took the moment to blink and rack her mind for the right words to say. She couldn't come up with anything. She couldn't even come up with anything clever to ease the severity of the topic at hand.
She played with the ends of her shirt and mentally battled with herself about whether she should step up to him or back down.
She chose the option of stepping up to back down. She touched his back lightly to get him to turn around. When that didn't work, she opted to speak instead.
"Okay."
She felt the muscles of his back tense beneath her fingertips. "You're right. I'm not completely invincible. If it helps you breathe a little easier, then I'll stay here."
Klaus turned around, and she took her hand off his back.
"You're serious?" He asked.
"Yeah. If I'm the reason you stress out and lose your composure because I wanted to go and do something I know is dangerous, then that would prove your feelings don't matter to me at all," she stepped closer and her eye contact with him somehow became deeper. She chuckled lightly as she said, "And what a load of crap that'd be because your feelings are important to me. You're important to me." She gave him a soft smile.
"Is that so?" He drawled out his words teasingly.
She swatted his shoulder playfully. Klaus laughed softly, but sandwiched her hand between both of his.
"Well then I believe it's a good thing you find my feelings important as do I with yours." Klaus kissed the knuckles on the back of her hand.
"When did you surpass me at giving grand speeches?" He narrowed his eyes jokingly.
She laughed at his facial expression. "What can I say? It's a gift." She shrugged her shoulders innocently.
"A gift, hm? Speaking of which, I need to show you something," he said as he ushered them both out of the guest room and into his art studio. Well, he went into the art studio. He made her wait outside.
"You may come in." He called out.
She walked inside to see Klaus standing with his hands behind his back beside a white covering on a stand. Most likely an easel stand.
"Klaus...?"
"I've always thought you stood out from the moment I saw you on Jackson Square the very first night I came back into town. When I spoke to you, I had almost immediately discerned you from others by your intelligence alone. Listening to your perspective on that painting, well, I'd been unprepared to say the least. Your analysis blew me away. I rather enjoyed hearing your thoughts which is why I chose to seek you out so often, need for compulsion aside. I have never in my thousand years of living met any person who worked their way around compulsion the way you did. Which I still regret having to do, even though you're aware of that. Even to this day, your intelligence is your most distinctive feature to me. To say you're wise beyond your years is a piteous understatement, so I will not say it. My point is I think back to that night often. More often than you can imagine. I wish for you to understand that." He paused to take a breath, "I've never been much adequate with words. So I hope that what I'm about to show you will adequately speak the words for me." He pulled his hands from behind his back and removed the covering to reveal...
Holy Hell.
It was her, well a silhouette she recognized was her. Her head up until her waist was painted. There were people in the background but they looked more like mere afterthoughts: small and unrecognizable. She was outlined by white paint. Her arms were crossed against her chest and the ends of her hair looked like it was blown in the air as if it'd been done by wind. She didn't need to see color to realize it was her on the night she met Klaus, even though he wasn't in the painting.
Her head was crammed with a number of words to echo her thoughts. Her lips were parted and it looked like a string of words were flowing out of her mouth from he brain. It was brilliant to say the least.
"Oh my gosh. Klaus, what do I even say? This is amazing! This is- this is so much more than amazing. It's absolutely ingenious!" The words spilled from her and left her slightly panting with awe.
Klaus looked from her to the ground with a dimpled smile. "If you find it ingenious, then that means the purpose I had for this is complete. Every aspect of this is meant to act as a mirror to you. To your mind. Of course it could never marvel your excellence, but I had hoped to reach close enough." He replied sounding as satisfied as he looked.
"I for one can confirm that this did exactly that." She nodded her head solemnly like she was in a professional setting, which lasted all of two seconds before a cheesy grin grew on her face.
She crossed the room to close the distance between them in a hug with her arms wrapped around his waist. He reciprocated by putting his around her shoulders.
"Jokes aside, I'm extremely flattered to know just how much you appreciate my mind. Thank you so much. I love it," she murmured into his shoulder.
She felt him nod his head, knowing he was much too flustered to vocally accept her praise.
She pulled back a little to look at him. "Also, I think you'll always reign supreme when it comes to giving grand speeches if everything that just came from your mouth was any proof. You always find a way to outdo me." She commented proudly.
His momentary discomposed high from her reaction was gone with the wind as a smirk took place on his face. Cami wouldn't ever tell him - cause Heaven knows, his ego doesn't need more inflating - but it suits him much more than being flustered.
"Well, what can I say? I've had a thousand years of perfecting my speech conceiving skills."
They smiled at each other.
°0°0°
Cami continued progressing in her job and she knew that because Mrs. Wallace tossed her thumbs-up when she no longer had to supervise over her sessions. Klaus continued to pick her up and drop her off. She spent almost all of her breaks and free-time with Vincent who she'd missed dearly. He'd also update her on the supernatural status of New Orleans over cups of coffee they'd take turns paying for.
When she wasn't working, she was either picking up training with Hayley at the ring in St. Anne's Church, unwinding with all the Mikaelson women, or playing with Hope.
When Cami would get home - yes, home, as in the compound - she'd be greeted by the beautiful painting Klaus made for her in her room. Yes, her room. Even though she and Klaus were together, she still needed her own space. Though there'd be instances where she doesn't end up sleeping in her own bed, which became more often over time with how comfortable she and Klaus were becoming with one another.
Not a day would go by where she wasn't thankful for everything the Mikaelsons had done for her.
Not a day would go by where she wasn't reminded by how amazing they were to one another. They fought and even tore each other down, bu they'd always be the first ones to pick up the pieces and put each other back together again.
She had missed that. Family.
Which is why not a single day had gone by where she wasn't reminded that she was family to the Mikaelsons.
Family, she thought, I could get used to that.
Author's Note:
Oh God, where do I even start? I spent over a week on this chapter. Partly because I was stressing over how perfect I wanted it to be, but also because I didn't want to put an end to this story. This story was my baby for eight months. Took a lot longer to finish than I had planned with school, (and what not), but also because of the millions of ideas that would pop up in my head with each chapter I wrote.
I don't want to say too much because I might get weirdly emotional, haha. But I will say this: I thoroughly enjoyed writing through the eyes of these wonderful characters (characters I do NOT own, except for my original character, Theresa). I enjoyed delving deep into Cami's psyche, and I really hope I did her justice. If anyone couldn't tell, she's my favorite character from The Originals, so you can imagine how much her death in the show BROKE me. I wasn't ready to let her go if I'm honest. I wasn't ready to let Klamille go. And even now, I kinda don't want to let them go. Cami had so much potential to grow as a character and grow through her relationships with the Mikaelsons.
Cami was the light of the show in my eyes. There was a certain kind of joy I could tell the characters felt while in her presence.
So I decided to do what the writers didn't: evolve her relationships with the main characters. I wanted to make this as canon-compliant as possible working off of the crumbs that were Cami's relationships with the Mikaelsons we got in the show. I also chose to create friendships with Mikaelsons she barely even had interactions with (i.e. Freya and Rebekah).
God, this is too long because I'm rambling now. There's so much I have to say, but there's no way I can express it all.
I'm so thankful for each and every reader I've ever had. Even if they only took a glimpse at the first chapter or even skimmed through the chapters. I'm so thankful for every comment/review, every kudos, every favorite/bookmarks, and every follow.
I didn't think this story would gain any traction considering Klamille isn't a popular ship and Cami isn't the most popular character. So seriously, I appreciate every person who even took the time out of their day to click on this story. I hope every click, every comment, every follow, and every favorite were worth your time, to whoever is reading this ridiculously long Author's Note, haha.
Bless all of you :)
(Side note: I do think this will be my first and last multi chapter fic. With school coming back up, I can't promise that I'll fully commit my time to updating and creating ideas for full fics. But boy do I have a million one-shot/drabble ideas in store for any Klamille fan who yearns for content.)
Well, that's that.
Until next time,
- Your Loving Author ❤❤