Poison & Wine - Chapter XL
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I blinked my eyes open at the sun hitting them and I felt strong arms wrapped around me as well as a body was pressed against mine. Slowly turning toward the person, I saw it was Klaus. I couldn't help but smile when I saw how innocent and peaceful he looked in his sleep. I watched him for a few minutes before I trailed my fingers over his face. How had I gotten so close to him? I felt like he and I were connected on another level with him. Even after everything he had done to me I still couldn't help the craving I had for his presence.
After a few moments of caressing his face, his eyes opened. "Andy?" He yawned and my smile grew at how adorable that was.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," I said with a smile.
"How are you doing?" He trailed his fingers over my face now.
Everything that happened last night slowly came back to me. "I think I'm okay for now. I slept good last might without any nightmares of Mikael or Esther so... "
"You have nightmares of them?"
"Well, yeah, they both tried to kill me," I sat up in the bed and stretched out my arms.
He sat up with me and I suddenly realized how close we were as he turned to face me. He grabbed my face in his hands and moved his thumb in circles. Staring down at my lips, he asked, "May I kiss you?"
"No," I shook my head slowly, though a part of me was curious to have those soft pink lips against mine again. "But only because I'm mourning right now and if I said yes it would be because I wanted to feel something... plus you asked me. I get you're trying to be a gentleman, and it's better than compulsion, but I prefer spur of the moment kisses."
"Well, I guess I learned my lesson for this time," Klaus stood up and held his hand out to me. "Are you hungry? I'd like to cook you breakfast."
"Sure," I took his hand and he yanked me out of bed but caught me in his arms. I laughed as his arms slipped around my waist and he started out of the room. He carried me downstairs and brought me to the kitchen where he sat me on the counter before he started preparing breakfast. Suddenly I realized that my leg was healed up and so was my torso. "Klaus? Why am I healed up?"
"What?" He turned toward me. I gestured him to come over and showed him my thigh that was completely healed.
"This wasn't like that last night," I said, rubbing my fingers over the skin where the circle round from the stake should be.
"Hmm," He lifted my leg and pressed his fingers all over it. I would be lying if I said I didn't secretly like the way his was face scrunched up with concern or the way his fingers gently went across my thigh. I wonder what Elijah would do if he was Klaus' position at this moment. "I don't know," Klaus said after a moment. He moved back to the stove and continued cooking. "Maybe your witch friend snuck in last night and healed you."
"Maybe," But I highly doubted that. Something – or maybe even someone – else was involved in this. I didn't dwell on that too long. "So have you heard anything from Elijah or Kol?"
"Elijah's been a ghost and I've got Kol to do some of my bidding."
"Such as?"
"It doesn't matter now, because it's over."
I gave a small sigh and looked around the kitchen. He finished cooking the food in our silence and we sat at the table to eat. I asked him to tell me all the places he has been in his many years and he was happy to. By the time we finished eating, he had only told half of the places. "That's amazing," I cooed. "I mean, when we went to Portland that was my first time on a plane, on a boat and out of state."
"Really?" He asked, genuinely shocked.
I nodded. "I've never been anywhere really."
"I will take you. Rome, Paris, Tokyo. Anywhere you want."
I sighed and frowned, looking down at the table. "Klaus, I―"
"Just consider it, Andy."
"I'm human, Klaus," I blurted out after a few moments of silence. "I am only going to have high school once. Also, I know I was involved with Elijah knowing he was a vampire, but I don't know if now I can handle being with you and knowing I'll grow old while you stay young forever."
"Turn into a vampire then."
I shook my head no. "I don't want that now, maybe in the future but if I do, it'll be because I want to, not because anyone else wants me to."
"Understood," He nodded. "But, in the meantime, I'll be waiting."
I smiled small. "I know you will be, Klaus," I exhaled and stretched out again as my eyes went to the clock. I groaned as I remembered the promise I made to Caroline. "So, uh, I have to be at clean up committee in forty minutes."
"Are you sure you want to do that, love?"
"Yes, I want to keep myself busy, and I stay around here I'm afraid you'll put me to work," I stood up. "Do you think Rebekah would mind if I borrowed some of her clothes? Also, do you mind if I use your shower?"
"I'll go grab you some clothes and show you the shower," He did just as he said – holding my hand the entire time, might I add – and I jumped into the shower. After I was finished I dried my hair and didn't do anything to it because I figure the curls looked good enough. I walked downstairs to see Klaus waiting at the door. "Will you come say goodbye to me later?" I asked as I got to him. "Before you leave, I mean?"
"Of course," He touched my cheek and stared at my lips.
"Don't kiss me," It sounded more of a plea than a demand but it worked because his eyes met mine.
"I'll see you later, love," He said and I smiled at him before venturing out of his house. Now I wanted to stay there and not leave. As I headed toward the school, I couldn't help but play the kiss with Elijah that I'd almost had months ago.
He turned around and placed his fingertips on my chin, lifting my face up to look at him. It was just like when we first met, but now I had much deeper feelings for him and desperately wanted to kiss him.
He leaned closer to me, making our lips an inch apart. Our foreheads were pressed against one another, and I could feel his body heat. My breath hitched and my heart fluttered. "Andrea," He murmured, putting a strain of hair behind my ear. Our lips moved closer, about to touch one another—
Someone cleared their throat, and Elijah backed away as we looked over to see Stefan and Jeremy. "Uh, we should be getting ready to leave," Stefan said.
I remember being so embarrassed that we were caught but I was more disappointed for not being able to kiss him. Some of the feelings I had for Elijah had somewhat hidden from me, but my body still reacted the same way it did to his touch. Ugh, my feelings were so screwed up right now between Klaus and Elijah.
I got to the school and headed into the cafeteria where I found Caroline and Rebekah. "Andy? What are you doing here?" Caroline asked when she saw me. "You should be at home with Elena and Jeremy. I could've handled this."
"I haven't been home since before the dance last night, I don't really want to," I said as I walked over to them. "Why don't you sound worried that I disappeared last night?"
"You called us and told us that you were going to stay away for a while," Caroline answered and I immediately knew it was Emmeline. She must have been the one involved in my miracle healing somehow. "It was you, right?"
"Yeah," I rubbed my temples.
"Wait, why do reek of Nik?" Rebekah walked over to me, her gaze going over me. "And those are my clothes."
"Did you have sex with Klaus?!" Caroline demanded, rushing over to me.
"No, we just slept in the same bed last night!" I defended myself. "I didn't have sex with Klaus... I just wanted to be around him last night."
"You lost your V-card!"
"Care, I did not! I swear I didn't!" I exhaled.
"I was going to say that would some kind of going away present," Rebekah said and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, I guess we should get to work. Where do you want to start, Bekah?" I asked as I turned toward her.
"I'm gonna get started on the gym," She answered.
"Mind if I join you? There's something I need to ask you."
"Come along then," She said.
"I'll see you in a while, Care," I said with a smile to her before I followed Rebekah out of the cafeteria.
"What was your question? Rebekah asked as we walked out into the hallway. I began to ask but froze up when a figure came around the corner.
"Alaric?" I asked in a small voice and unable to help the tears that sprang to my eyes.
"You're supposed to be dead," Rebekah said, her eyes wide in shock.
"I am," Alaric answered and I saw how cold his eyes were. This was not our good Alaric, this was bad Alaric. This could not be happening.
Rebekah rushed at Alaric, but Alaric threw her against the locker. I ran at him, ready to fight, but he flung me against the lockers. He was about to stake Rebekah with the white oak stake when Caroline rushed out of the cafeteria and pinned Alaric to the locker. Rebekah took the stake and stabbed Alaric with it through the heart. Caroline, Rebekah and I looked at each other as Alaric took the stake out without bursting into flames. Caroline grabbed my hand and ran us out of there. She brought us to her car and pulled out her keys but they soon dropped to the ground.
Alaric snapped Caroline's neck and she fell to the ground. He grabbed my head, smashed it against the car and everything went black.
My head was foggy as I slowly came back to the land of the living. I groaned at the feeling of my head. Man, that hurts...
When I opened my eyes, I saw I was sitting in a desk in Alaric's classroom. "What the...?" I looked over to my side to see Caroline. I gasped and jumped up when I saw her. She was staked down into the desk with pencils in her hands and a cloth around her mouth that had to be dipped with vervain in her mouth. What else could make her skin like that around her mouth?
I hurried to free her but I was slammed back down into a desk. Alaric was looming over me with a scowl.
"Don't move," He ordered before turning his back. Which, being me, I ignored his order and tried freeing her again which got me a smack in the face. My head smacked against the ground and my vision went black for a moment. Once I gained my sight back, I touched my lip to see it was spilt. I was picked back up and slammed into a desk again. "Now stay!" He shouted before going to sit at his desk.
"Klaus will come for me," I snapped as I touched my sore head.
"Oh, I count on that," He said before pulling out his phone. He was smiling statistically at my horrified face as he waited for whoever he was calling to pick up. "Well, who else would it be?" He said into the phone.
I was really hoping he wasn't talking to Klaus right now...
"Listen closely, I'm at the school, I have Caroline and Andy, and if you want to keep them alive, I need you to get in your car and come down here right away. If you tell anyone where you are going, I will kill them both," Alaric said into the phone before hanging up. If it was Klaus, he wouldn't have had said "get in your car" so I had a sneaking suspicion it was Elena.
"I'm assuming that was my lovely sister?" I asked, glancing over at Caroline who was crying like crazy. He didn't answer and we all sat in silence for a solid ten minutes. That entire time Alaric and I glared at one another.
"Right on time," Alaric randomly said, breaking our glare-down.
I could hear footsteps walking down the hallway and immediately knew it was Elena because vampires would not let themselves be detected so easily. Sure enough, Elena ran up to the doorway of Alaric's classroom and saw Caroline and I. "Caroline, Andy," Elena breathed out in relief and turned to Alaric. "Let them go, Alaric!"
Alaric pointed toward Caroline. "Free her yourself."
Elena and Alaric stared at each other for a moment. I started to tell her not to, but Alaric shot me a glare that shut me up. Elena cautiously walked over to Caroline. She got down and stroked Caroline's arm soothingly. She started to gently pull the pencil out of one of Caroline's hands, but Alaric came up and slammed the pencil back down into her hand.
Caroline screamed and Elena stood. "You said that you would let her go!"
"How many times do I have to tell you, Elena? Stop trusting vampires!" Alaric grabbed my arm and sat me on the other side of Caroline – the side closest to the door – and sat Elena down in the seat I had been in. "If you try to run, Caroline dies." He warned and we reluctantly both nodded. Alaric took the cloth that was in Caroline's mouth off and dipped it into a beaker of vervain that he had sat on Caroline's desk. The skin around Caroline's mouth was very red and had peeled away. Alaric walked back to her.
"No, no more, please, no more!" she begged him.
Elena got up. "Alaric stop!"
Alaric pushed Elena back into a seat. "Sit down! This keeps the vervain in her system. It's like inhaling razorblades with every breath," Alaric put the cloth back in Caroline's mouth. Her skin began to smoke and burn. She cried and screamed in pain. Elena touched her arm, trying to give her some comfort but I knew it didn't work.
"Why are you doing this?" Elena asked.
"To make it easier on you when you put her out of her misery," Alaric said before turning back toward his desk. Elena and I looked at one smother and then I eyed the beaker on Caroline's desk. I wonder if vervain affected him. When I got a chance, I knew it'd be worth it to at least try. Alaric picked up the white oak stake and walked towards Elena.
"What?! No!" Elena shook her head.
"Isn't this what you wanted, Elena? For me to teach you how to kill a vampire?" Alaric held out the white oak stake towards Elena. "Well, here's a vampire, Elena. Kill her."
"This isn't what I want," Elena said.
"Of course it is. All those hours you spent training, getting stronger, you could be a hunter, Elena. But you've never actually staked a vampire through the heart," He persistently held out the stake. Elena just stared at it so Alaric walked over to me. "Maybe Andy would like to redeem herself after switching sides?" He asked, holding the stake out to me. "You have amazing strength, Andy, you would be a wonderful hunter and much more useful than Elena. Your strength is borderline supernatural."
"Screw you," I said, which earned me a slap that hurt like hell, but I just laughed at him. "Is that all you've got?"
Alaric paced in front of us. "Don't tempt me, Andy."
"Why are you doing this?" Elena asked, her voice shaky.
"Because you need me. Because you're both eighteen year old girls without parents or guidance or any sense of right and wrong anymore," Alaric said.
"How is this right?!" I demanded.
Alaric pointed to Caroline with the stake. "She's a murderer. She told me she killed someone and liked it. Now how is that right? Listen, your parents led the council. It was their life's mission to keep this town safe. They weren't dead six months before you undid it all."
"You don't know anything about them," Elena growled.
"Why, am I wrong? Do you actually think that they'd be proud of you?" Alaric kneeled down in front of Elena. "If you don't side with the humans, you're just as bad as them. Now kill her," Alaric handed her the stake. "Or I'll do it for you and I'll make it hurt. Get up!" Alaric grabbed Elena's arm and pulled her out of her seat. He placed her in front of Caroline and forced the stake into her hand. He let go and took a step back.
Elena stood there with the stake in her hand for a moment and grabbed the beaker, then turned around and tried to stab Alaric. He grabbed her wrist before she can. "I thought I taught you better than that."
"You did," I said and he looked over at me with narrowed eyes. Elena took the opportunity and broke the beaker filled with vervain over Alaric's head. He screamed in pain and his flesh starts to burn. Elena and I released Caroline and urged her to leave.
"Get help!" Elena said. "Take Andy with you!"
Caroline grabbed me before I could protest and rushed out of the room. We go out into the hallway and turned around, realizing that Elena was not with us. I started to head back, but Caroline forced me to continue to walk backwards with her.
Suddenly I was grabbed from behind and the person covered mouth so no one can hear my scream I started thrashing until I recognized the grasp and I sunk back into them. Klaus whispered in my ear, "Shhh. It's okay, it's okay. It's me," He took his hand off of my mouth. "It's okay, you're safe. We'll save Elena. You both go straight home. You stay inside, do you both understand?" He turned me around so that I was facing him. He glanced over at Caroline but mainly kept his eyes on me. "Do you understand me? Make sure she stays safe."
Caroline nodded. "Thank you."
I grabbed Klaus without thinking and pressed my lips against his, sparks flying. "Be safe, Nikki," I whispered against his lips.
He smirked at me. "Always, love."
We looked at each other for another moment, then Klaus rushed away. Caroline and I stood in the hallway for a second and then she grabbed my hand. We went our separate ways to our cars and hurried to the safety of our homes.
I waited at my house for thirty minutes before I couldn't stand the anticipation any longer so I headed over to Klaus's mansion to wait. I noticed Tyler's car and Stefan's car in the driveway. I wonder why they're here. As soon as I got to the door, so much pain and fear hit me and I fell down. It was worse than the night of the sacrifice. I hurriedly stood and went into the mansion, going to the room where I heard commotion from.
Tyler and Damon were holding Klaus down while Stefan had his hand in Klaus's chest. He slowly became more and more desiccated as they held him. His wide, teary blue eyes were on me, and they made my heart shatter a million times. It also didn't help I could feel everything. "No!" I screamed and started to head toward them but Tyler rushed over and held me. "Klaus, no! Stefan, Damon, stop! You're killing him!" They slowly laid Klaus' body on the ground and I heard a faint voice.
"Andy…"
I shoved Tyler away from me and ran over to Klaus. "No, no, no, you're okay," I touched the hole in his chest that was healing but I still got my hands covered in blood. Klaus' blue eyes had tears in them and they had so much pain and far in them. "You're not alone, I'm right here, I'm here. Don't, please don't leave me." I touched his face, getting blood on there. Slowly the life disappeared from his eyes and they closed.
I started sobbing but there were no tears, just cries echoing from my lips.
"You promised me," I cried out as I hit his chest. "You said you'd never die... You made me care for you, dammit! I hate you, I hate you!"
"Andy," I heard Stefan's voice but didn't care.
I noticed that I had Klaus's blood all over me and the tears finally began to fall as I looked at it. "Andy," Emmeline appeared in front of me. There were tears in her eyes.
"Emmeline, you have to help me!" I grabbed onto her. "You have to save Klaus, please."
"I-I can't, Andy, I'm sorry," She grabbed me and pulled me into her embrace.
"Who is that?" I heard Tyler ask from behind me.
"That's Katherine's sister," Elena whispered.
"Let's get you home, Andy," Emmeline stood and pulled me up with her.
"No, I can't leave Klaus! I told him he wasn't alone, I have to stay with him... He doesn't like being alone, Emmeline," I said, my voice suddenly a monotone. My tears had seized and I felt my entire being go numb as I looked down at Klaus. I suddenly couldn't feel a thing, it was like I had no emotions.
"Andy, he won't be alone, I'll make sure," Emmeline tried pulling me but I wouldn't move. "Come on, Andy."
I looked around the room. Damon, Elena, Tyler, and Stefan were all watching me. Slowly I looked back to Emmeline. "I have never felt so alone than I do now. Is that how you felt after Klaus killed your family?"
She clenched her jaw. "You're upset, you just lost Klaus after Alaric, I understand."
I started laughing like maniac, but it was so distorted and didn't even sound like me. I eventually fell to the ground and continued laughing. "I don't feel him anymore, Emmeline, the connection isn't there... I've lost him, haven't I?" I broke into hysterics and sobs tore through my chest. "No, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen! Klaus! I need my Klaus, Emmeline! Please!" She picked me up in her arms and carried me to my car. She sat me in the passenger seat and then moved to get in the driver's seat. Stefan, Tyler, Damon, and Elena all walked out of the house and got into Stefan's car. Emmeline and I watched them pull out before she did.
My heart felt like stone as I watched the mansion disappear in the rearview mirror. The ride was tense and quiet after my sobs quieted down because neither one of us spoke since she didn't know what to say and I couldn't speak. When we pulled up to my house, she opened my door for me and helped me up the sidewalk. We passed Damon and Stefan, but Damon had to stop to talk to me. "Alaric and Elena were connected. He was going to kill Elena," He tried to explain.
I blinked a few times and stared at him blankly. "Did you think that would make it easier on me?"
"Well, yeah, he tried killing your sister, Andy."
I punched him before heading toward the house. I heard Emmeline say to him, "You only made it worse." I got up to the door and Emmeline hugged me tightly before I went inside. I heard conversation in the kitchen.
"Alright, let's drink!" I heard Caroline say.
"I do not condone this, by the way," Elena said.
"You survived Klaus," I heard Jeremy's voice. "Alright, make an exception, you can go back to being responsible tomorrow."
I heard her agree and then my breath caught because I thought they'd discovered me when Tyler said, "Hang on. Do you guys here that?" There was a long pause before he spoke again. "That is the sound of a Klaus free life."
I felt a lump in my throat form as they all laughed. Why had I expected anything different from them? They all hated Klaus and wanted him gone so I couldn't really blame them, but they didn't have to be so insensitive to me. Elena made a toast to a Klaus free life and to her family. They all clinked their glasses together, said cheers, and drank. As Jeremy sat his glass down he saw me watching them at the front door. His smile dropped and he looked over at Elena.
One by one, they all seemed to notice me standing there. Their faces scrunched up by guilt and worry while mine was probably distorted by pain. My eyes met Elena as the tears built up in my eyes again. They couldn't wait five minutes to let me mourn, could they?
"Andy," Elena sat her cup down and began to move towards me but I held up my hand and turned away from them as the tears freely flowed from my eyes. Slowly I retreated up the stairs and went into the bathroom.
As soon as I looked into the mirror I was horrified by the sight of all the dried blood on me. It was on my clothes, on my face and arms, and in my hair. I quickly jumped in the shower and did my best to wash all of it out. I scrubbed my skin for what seemed like forever, doing my best to get the feeling off of me but as soon as I closed my eyes all I could see was Klaus's body with the hole through it.
After I was finished I went to my room and changed into some clean pajamas. I put on one of the records I'd bought in Portland – don't asked which because I wasn't paying attention – and did my best not to break down as I blasted the music. I wanted to block out the sounds of my friends and family celebrating their "Klaus free life."
All I wanted was Klaus here with me, and I hated him for not being here. I should be down there with them celebrating, but instead I'm up here mourning and feel like I was drowning as I think about Klaus. I don't even know what I wanted anymore or who I cared for or who I hated. My breathing became irregular as I somehow managed to slip into unconsciousness, those blue orbs stuck in my head.
Klaus was gone.
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The End of Chapter XL