Chapter Four: Colors
"Can you feel it crush you, does it seem to bring the worst in you out
There's no running away from these things that hold you down
Do they complicate you because they make you feel like this,
Of all the colors that you've shined this is surely not your best…"
What was I still doing in Mystic Falls?
I had planned to leave, possibly to head to Chicago after getting rid of Rebecca after her little stunt with the last of Elena's human blood but here I was.
After last night, the answer to that particular question was getting clear.
Annabelle.
We had stayed out in the forest until dawn, where I bid her goodbye and left to head back to my home. I stayed up brooding over a glass of whisky, my mind constantly going back to her.
I never lingered on my thoughts about one woman for so long. My… feelings for Caroline were still a bit blurred around the edges. Besides, I was the one person who "couldn't love". Rebecca use to comment on how I would compel any woman to have my way with them. She was right of course.
My sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming up the drive so I flashed to the door. Opening it, I saw Annabelle standing outside my house, gazing up at it with her arms crossed.
"Are you lost then, sweetheart?" I called. She turned her gaze to me and shook her head.
"No, I'm not lost. I just… I dunno, figured you'd like some company. Or something." She shifted as if uncomfortable by her words.
"What made you think that?" I asked softly, knowing she'd hear me. She walked slowly towards me, eyes focused on the ground. Once she was in front of me, she stopped and looked into my eyes.
"Because something tells me you're lonely," she whispered. I looked at her face slowly. It was quite lovely, with very fair skin, high cheekbones and pretty lips. Her eyes were large, rich as smoke, surrounded by long dark eyelashes. A tiny freckle rested above the corner of her upper lip. Resisting the sudden urge to reach out and trace those lips, I placed my arms behind my back.
"I'm not lonely. I have plenty of things to…amuse me." Her eyebrow rose at an angle and she gave me a doubtful look.
"Amusements aren't friends, Klaus," she said.
"Are you saying that we are now friends?" She gave me a long look.
"Perhaps," she commented. "Are you going to invite me in for a drink?"
"You don't need to be invited in, last time I checked you're a werewolf, not a vampire." She burst out laughing, shocking me. Her laughter doubled when she looked at the expression on my face. She had to wrap her arms around her middle while a tear escaped the corner of her eye.
"No, no!" She giggled. "God, when was the last time you had someone over for a drink? Five hundred years ago?" she teased, wiping away that lingering tear. "Come on." She shocked me more by grabbing my arm with a surprisingly firm grip and pulled me back to the house.
"Why are you laughing at me?" I demanded. Annabelle walked into the living room to where the liquor was displayed and poured us both a glass. She giggled one more time before giving me a serious look.
"Not used to being laughed at, Klaus? I think you knew what I meant… Maybe we can pass it off as a blonde moment. Your hair is dark but blonde is blonde."
My mind clicked back into place. I gave her a smile when she handed me a drink. "Am I really that amusing to you?"
"You have your funny moments. I don't really know. You're not much of a talker. More of a suffer in silence type," she said in a prim tone.
"Annabelle, I'm sure if I told you everything about me you would run away so fast I wouldn't even be able to catch you," I pointed out.
Annabelle moved across the room towards the window. "You don't know that." She looked over her shoulder. "You know I'm not afraid of you."
"Like I've said before, sweetheart, you should be." I glanced at my watch and decided it was time to give Tyler Lockwood a little visit about a certain sire bond and the little incident in the church the other day.
"Look, sweetheart, I have matters to attend to, but feel free to stay around and drink my whisky to your heart's content."
Annabelle turned from the window to face me. "Where are you going? Or should I even ask, if all I'm going to get is a 'none of your business, sweetheart'?"
Giving in, I walked over to her and traced her cheek. The same electrical feeling passed through my finger tips when they touched her delicate skin. "I have a Hybrid of mine and a vampire hunter to deal with." Her eyes widened.
"Care to elaborate?" Her voice broke slightly in surprise.
"Tyler Lockwood, the man you saw with Caroline earlier, is a Hybrid like myself. A born werewolf who I turned and sired. But he's been a little…difficult lately, so I have to pay him a visit. Then a new vampire hunter arrives and has been making the other vampires a bit nervous…" I trailed off. Annabelle's eyes were still huge.
"Glad I'm not a vampire," she murmured. I laughed.
"No, apparently he enjoys collecting werewolf venom." Her eyes narrowed at that.
"Well, I'll make sure to keep a safe distance." We watched each other with my hand still on her cheek. I felt the blood rushing into it as she blushed and her heart began beating faster. Her eyes flickered from my eyes to my mouth and back, darkening. For an impossible moment, I almost leaned in to kiss those lush lips of hers.
Forcing myself to step back, I shook my head at her. "Not a good idea, sweetheart," I murmured. Her expression changed to that of slight disappointment and she nodded at me.
"I'll be here when you get back," she told me.
With that, I left her at my house to deal with the Mayor's son.
Ooo0ooO
He was gone so fast I didn't hear a sound. Lifting a hand to my cheek, I traced where his hand had been. Shaking my head I dropped my hand to my side.
"Bad idea, Annabelle, very bad idea," I muttered to myself. Picking up my drink, I took a big gulp, letting the alcohol warm me on the inside.
I wandered around the house, exploring the different rooms. The house was so massive it felt like if I took one wrong turn, I'd be lost in its hallways forever. Walking down one hallway, I noticed that a pair of doors was closed. I thought it was strange since the rest of the doors had been left open. Feeling curious, I opened the door slowly.
I walked into a large drawing room, covered with paintings and sketches with a multitude of sketch pads, canvases, brushes and other art supplies. I gaped at the drawings spread out across the walls and along the tables, fascinated. Whoever had done these had some serious talent. Walking up to a long table littered with papers, I selected a random piece of parchment (real parchment!) and looked at it. I gasped when I saw who it was of.
Caroline was smiling slightly, standing next to the head of a horse. The picture captured her completely, with extreme detail. I couldn't stop gawking at it.
"What the hell!" I whispered fiercely. There were others of her, scattered all over. Throwing down the piece I held, I turned from the table and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me.
Something akin to jealousy boiled in my blood as I glared at nothing. Once I was out of the house, I wasted no time shifting, shredding the clothes Klaus had lent me. I ran into the woods, putting distance between myself and the mansion quickly. I found myself running towards the river.
Once I reached its banks, I sat on my haunches in a huff. Not bothering to shift back, I laid down and placed my head on my paws. My ears twitched as I listened to the soothing sound of running water, the bird's songs, the wind, the hum of bees…. I ended up falling into a slight doze as the rest of my anger drained out of me.
When I woke up, I lifted my head and saw that it was dusk. Rustling in the bushes behind me alerted me I had company. Spinning around, I lifted my lips away from my sharp teeth and growled. Klaus, as his gray wolf, walked out and eyed me with those gold eyes. I stopped growling but did my best to glare.
Klaus shifted back. "Shift back, sweetheart. It will be easier to talk to you than just growling at each other." I shook my head at him and turned around again and sat back down. He walked over to my side and gazed down at me.
"Did I do something to anger you, darling?" I growled slightly, keeping my gaze stubbornly focused on the distant trees across the river.
"Come now, no need to act childish."
Continuing to ignore him, I got up and started walking away along the river. He flashed in front of me and I snarled at him, bristling.
"Change back," he commanded fiercely. My ears pinned themselves against my head as I snarled again, loudly. He leaned back and glared.
"I saw you shredded my sister's clothes. What happened to 'I'll be here when you get back'?" Feeling a tinge of guilt, I lowered my head slightly.
He sighed. "Stay here," he ordered. He flashed away.
Klaus returned in a matter of minutes with new clothes in his hands. With a sharp snarl and jerk of my muzzle, he complied and turned his back to me. Shifting quickly, I yanked on the clothes, with a pair of jeans and a blouse.
"No shoes?" I asked, signaling he could turn back around. He faced me with an annoyed yet amused look on his face.
"You didn't have shoes when I first found you. I'm sure you will survive for the moment. Now, tell me why you weren't waiting for me like you said you would."
"I saw the drawings," I said flatly. His expression darkened and in a second he was in my face.
"What exactly were you doing in that room?"
"I was bored, Klaus, so I started exploring. Not my fault I stumbled across that room. It wasn't exactly locked," I said, placing my hands on my hips. I watched him carefully. His close proximity, however, was causing my heart to beat faster.
"I normally don't have werewolves snooping around my house when I'm away."
"Oh, my God. Then next time, tell me where I can and can't go before you go and maybe we can avoid this little discussion!" I snapped. His hand darted out and closed around my throat, bringing me even closer to him. Our breaths mingled and my heart lurched.
"I don't care much for your tone, Annabelle, so I suggest you change it before I crush your vocal chords," he whispered softly. His hand tightened at his words and I gasped, lifting both hands to his.
"Stop," I wheezed. "I'm sorry."
Klaus stared at me before dropping his gaze to my lips. I felt a blast of heat shoot down my spine as his dark stare. He abruptly let me go, causing me to stumble back a step. I rubbed my throat and kept my eyes on him.
"Don't do it again."
Straightening, I looked him dead in the eye. "Do you love her?" He laughed quietly.
"Envious, are we, sweetheart?"
"Hardly," I shot back. "I barely know you." Klaus tilted his head at me while he appraised me with cool blue eyes.
"And there's a reason for that."
Ooo0ooO
Annabelle fell silent after my retort. The sun had set and the night was making its appearance around us. I heard the distance call of an owl.
"Come along, sweetheart," I said, motioning for her to follow me back to the mansion.
"Klaus?" I turned at her soft voice. Her eyes were the color of storm clouds as she stared at me. "I really am sorry."
"Why is it by the end of the day, you're always apologizing to me?" She smiled and shook her head.
"Because you always cause me to say something I regret," she retorted. I chuckled. Together we walked back to my home.
Once we were inside the mansion, I lead her into the living room and got a fire started in the large fireplace. Annabelle curled up on one of the chairs and focused on the flames.
"Did anything interesting happen today?" she asked.
I suppressed a laugh. Indeed, many interesting things had happened. I nodded at her. She turned to face me and propped her arm on the arm of the chair, placing her head in the cup of her hand. She gestured for me to continue.
I told her the brief story of what happened at Tyler Lockwood's with Caroline and the other new werewolf girl Hailey, then how I went with Damon Salvatore to the hospital to deal with the hunter.
"He blew up a supply room in the hospital!" Annabelle yelped. "Were you guys okay?" I raised my brows at her concern.
"It takes more than a silly bomb to kill an Original vampire, sweetheart," I informed her.
"What about the hunter?"
"I healed him with my blood. The last of the Hybrids I made are watching over him now." Her brow crinkled.
"Why are you keeping him alive?"
"I have questions that I need him to answer."
"Like?" I sighed, leaning back in my own chair. I took a sip of whisky.
"Just some things," I said in a dismissive tone.
"You're not going to tell me." She said this as a statement, not a question.
"Not at the moment, no."
Ooo0ooO
Klaus and I kept talking for a little while longer before I started drifting off on him. I fell asleep in the chair I was in.
When I woke up, I was laying on the bed in the guest room I had been in the first time I had been in the house. The covers were drawn over me and the shades were closed, keeping the room dark. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I was surprised to see that it was nearly noon. I noticed there was a folded piece of paper on the bedside table next to me.
More matters to attend to. Help yourself to the kitchen; it's open for your use. I shall return later. –Klaus
I raised a brow at his…kindness. Hopping out of bed, I ran a hand over my wrinkly clothes and exited the room.
Following my nose, I walked into the biggest kitchen I had ever seen. It was very modern and sleek. Opening the fridge, I was surprised to see that it was indeed stocked from top to bottom. Selecting eggs, bacon and the makings for pancakes, I got to work.
After a very satisfying meal, I politely cleaned my dishes and put everything back where I found it.
Suddenly, the front door opened and male voices filled the quiet air.
"Chain him in the other room and keep an eye on him." At the sound of Klaus's voice, I crept to the door leading out of the kitchen.
"Now, Connor, why don't you tell me why you're in Mystic Falls?" Klaus's voice was deep and dangerous. I opened and closed the door quietly before sneaking towards the room his voice was coming from.
When I saw what was going on, I gasped loudly. A muscular black man, the hunter I presumed, was chained with his arms over his head with Klaus standing in front of his with a terrifying look on his face; an ugly mixture of rage and impatience.
"Klaus! What are you doing?" I demanded.
"Get out of here, Annabelle," he snapped.
"I asked what you were doing!" I snarled back.
In a flash, Klaus had me by the arms and he was glaring furiously at me. For the first time, I felt a small trickle of fear towards him.
"Annabelle, if you do not stay out of my way, I will hurt you and believe me when I saw it will be slow and painful," he growled. My eyes rounded at his words. Yanking myself out of his grasp, I ran outside of the house and took to the woods again.
Collapsing on the river bank, I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Burying my face, my thoughts whirled around what I just saw.
Why was Klaus keeping the hunter chained like some sort of animal? How strong could he really be? Why did he drive me away?
I understood he did not trust me. He was a very guarded man who let few people see who he was really like and he hid himself from the rest of the world.
You just met the man, what do you want? A voice in my mind snapped.
What did I want? Sighing, I laid down on my back to stare up at the sky. Watching the clouds roll by, I let my thoughts drift for a while.
Ooo0ooO
It was long after nightfall before I went out to search for Annabelle. Using my instinct, I flashed outside towards the river. I found her lying out along the banks, much like yesterday, gazing up at the stars.
"Are you still mad?" she whispered.
"No," I said truthfully. "I apologize for being so short with you. I didn't want you to see that." She got to her feet and turned to look at me.
"Why?"
"There are many things in my life I'm not proud of and that was one of them."
Annabelle made her way over to me and looked up to meet my eyes. I could tell by her eyes she had already forgiven me. As if I deserved her forgiveness.
"I forgive you," she told me, reaching up to touch the side of my face. Her long fingers stroked my cheek, brushing over the stubble that laid there. Without thinking, I leaned very slightly into her touch. I saw her eyes were gentle and smiling.
With her talent to utterly shock me, she abruptly leaned up and her toes and brushed a kiss over my lips. A bolt of heat went through me and I felt a tingle of desire. She pulled back, opening her eyes and smiled. Slowly, I reached up to cup her face in both of my hands before leaning in to kiss her again. The hand that had been on my cheek fell down across my chest before both latched on my hips. She groaned softly as her lips slid against mine and I felt her shiver. I let my hands curl into her thick hair and I tilted her head back to give me better access to her sweet mouth.
Annabelle's lips parted with a sigh and her tongue greeted my own. She tasted of rain and wildflowers.
Just as slowly as it began, we pulled apart. Staring at each other, minutes passed before either of us spoke.
"We should get back," she whispered.
Without replying, I took her hand and we walked along the path back to the house, surrounded by darkness and the sounds of crickets chirping.
Ooo0ooO
Author's Note: I felt bad that Chapter 3 was a short one so I figured you guys deserved another one!
The only part of the show I'm going to omit is whatever happened between Caroline and Klaus… but I promise to write about what happens between them in this story!
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, let me know what you thought of it!