Author's Note: This chapter is going to be from Klaus's POV… Get ready kids, we're going back in time!
Chapter Thirty Three: Reverse This Curse
"I live too fast and I know I will lose her
But there is an option, to die is to live in her head…
So I'll hang on, never let go
So this goes out to the ones that fall in love
And to the girl that filled my dark…
One last chance to reverse this curse…"
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When I managed to get Hayley out of the mansion, I went to find Annabelle. I found her in the second living room, playing the piano. Her eyes stared out the front window, lost. It struck me how tired she looked. With Hayley around, both of us hadn't had the chance to sleep for the past few days.
I leaned against the doorframe and watched her. Her slim fingers danced over the keys gracefully, a sad tune spilling out into the air. It pulled at my heart, knowing many of the songs she played were sad ones that reflected her cloudy mood.
Walking over to the bench, I sat down next to her. I moved to brush the hair off her shoulder and was shocked when she moved away from my touch. Her eyes met mine, distress filling their dark gray depths.
"What's wr-…" I trailed off. Anna's expression flickered briefly. She went back to her song, her eyes now fixed on the keys.
"In my grandfather's journal," she began, her voice slow and steady. "He talked about the Original Werewolf, William Davis and how he asked the first witch to change his family into werewolves to save them from a plague. The price was that every full moon they would have to change, even if it was against their will. That's how the werewolf bloodline started." Her gray eyes turned back to me.
"There was another story that was passed along by my family about the Original pack. It tells of how William's younger brother, Samuel, turned his back on his family and began his own bloodline. All of his descendents are from the Original bloodline, but since Samuel had forsaken the Davis's name, they never were pure blooded werewolves. Charlie and I are the only ones left who descend from the true Davis bloodline… And until now, we never knew there were any descendents from Samuel's." Her words slowly began to sink in.
"You and Hayley are related," I stated, though the question was implied. Anna's eyes drifted away again.
"Yes, in a sense we are. Extremely distant cousins… but nonetheless, we come from the same blood." I stared at Anna, my mind catapulting back into the past.
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[972 A.D.]
After Henrik's death, tension between our village and the neighboring werewolf clan was thick. I never strayed near our borders, guilt weighing my heart down.
Rebekah tried to console me but I shrugged her off. I spent my time alone, avoiding Mikael and my mother at all costs. Elijah and Finn kept watch over me from a distance but never tried to approach me. Kol kept to the huts with our mother.
One night, I was walking through the huts when I heard a woman's scream. I dashed towards the sound and came across a large man clenching a woman, biting viciously into her shoulder.
Lunging, I managed to throw the man off of her, catching her before she could fall to the ground. The man whirled and faced me. I was shocked when I saw his eyes were glowing gold and his teeth were long and sharp.
"Samuel!" I turned at the bellow and saw an equally large man running towards us.
"William, come to join me for a night run?" the first man drawled. I turned to see his eyes cool, changing into a bright hazel-green color.
"Samuel, what have you done?" the other man, William, demanded. His gray eyes were furious.
"Just having some fun, brother," Samuel answered nonchalantly. The woman in my arms moaned and both of the men turned their gaze towards me.
"Take her home," William ordered. I obeyed, picking her up. As I walked away, I heard the men arguing.
"You know it's strictly forbidden to bite anyone from this village! Mikael will start a war if he hears what you have done!"
"Let him! Let's see if he'd dare challenge us, especially after he finds out I killed his poor little Henrik." The blood in my veins froze at Samuel's gloating words.
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I snapped back when I felt Anna's hand cover mine. She looked at me questioningly.
"Klaus, do you know about Samuel and William?" she asked. I nodded slowly.
"Back when my family and I were living in the Old World, just after Henry's death, I came across a man attacking a young woman. That man ended up being Samuel. He was confronted by William and I heard him confess to killing my brother." Anna gasped, her eyes going wide.
"After that, Samuel kept changing people from our village, drawing them away. I never knew he was building up his own pack until one day war broke out. Mikael lead our village against the pack, and there was great loss on both sides of the battle. Samuel ended up being banished by his own father and family and ran off with the survivors of his new pack. Soon after we left the Old World, since the pain and suffering we endured there was too much too bear." Anna sat still as stone on the bench, her eyes flickering.
"Throughout the years, I came across werewolves whose bloodline would be traced back to Samuel, since they all bore that birthmark. The biggest clan began gathering in the South, where Louisiana is now, changing people to fight against the growing numbers of vampires in the area. It has been quite some time since I've met a werewolf with that mark until…"
"Until Hayley," Anna finished. I nodded. She shifted in her seat, sighing.
"We have to tell her," Anna said. "She deserves to know, despite everything." I scoffed and stood, pacing.
"Being a descendent of Samuel's is nothing to take pride from," I growled. Anna stood up and walked over to me, placing a hand on my arm. She looked at me patiently.
"I know you hate Samuel, Klaus, but Hayley should know about the werewolves she comes from. Even though I hate her and she probably hates me too, it's the right thing to do." I looked into her eyes and same they were direct, honest.
"The right thing to do," I repeated, remembering those words being said to me a very long time ago from a man with gray eyes…
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[972 A.D.]
William Davis stood in front of Mikael, his massive arms crossed over his chest as he regarded the smaller man with calm gray eyes.
"Why should we negotiate peace with you now, William? After everything your family has done to my family, this village…"
"Like I said Mikael, Samuel has been banished, along with all the people he has changed. There is no reason for this war to continue," William said firmly.
"Are you sure he will never return?" Mikael asked. William nodded slowly and for a brief, brief second, I saw the regret and pain flash in his eyes before it disappeared.
"Yes. It was the right thing to do," William stated. He turned a little to face the entire village. His gaze focused in on my family, who were all standing around Esther.
"I cannot take back what my brother has done to your family or to this village, but from day forth there will be no more violence. My clan will move on and will never return. That is a promise we intent to keep."
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I looked down at Annabelle. She gave me a small smile, lifting a hand to my cheek. I leaned into her touch and sighed deeply.
"Very well," I said. Anna's eyes softened. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to my lips. I took her into my arms slowly, running my hands up and down her back. She pulled away to look back into my eyes.
"I'm sorry I've been so on edge," she said. "I didn't mean to take it out on you." I smiled and rested my forehead against hers.
"I understand, sweetheart," I murmured. Anna's hands stroked my neck as she sighed.
"I hate knowing that one of my ancestors did that to your family," she admitted softly. "Almost as much as I hate knowing I'm related to that little bitch." I chuckled quietly and tightened my hold on her.
"There's nothing you can do to change the past, darling." Anna's eyes focused on mine.
"But you still carry that pain and guilt in your heart from Henry's death. Klaus, it wasn't your fault." I closed my eyes as Anna buried her face into my neck, holding me close. Her love washed over me, so strong I believed it really could heal all the scars that I carried from the past. Perhaps it could.
I didn't answer her; I simply picked her up and carried her away in my arms. She wrapped herself around me, whispering my name.
Once we reached my bedroom, I laid her down gently against the crimson pillows. She watched me with soft gray eyes as we slowly undressed each other. There was no heat, no fire. We took our time enjoying each other in the pale sunlight.
When I finally entered her, her hands slid up my arms to clench my neck, pulling me down. Her lips met mine in a slow, easy kiss. I moved within her, our eyes locked. There was no hint of gold in those gray depths, just gentle, gentle love.
And when we finally reached the peak, I fell into those eyes.
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While Annabelle slept against my chest, I let my thoughts drift back in time. I remembered the last time I saw Samuel, a hundred years after he was banished….
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[872 A.D.]
A hundred year after leaving the Old World, Rebekah, Elijah and I found ourselves alone in the world. Mikael never stopped trying to find and kill us, and Finn, Kol and our mother had disappeared.
"Perhaps he finally gave up on looking for us," Rebekah said. "We could start having a somewhat normal life."
"We will never be completely safe if Mikael is still alive," Elijah replied gravely. Rebekah pouted and turned her baby blue gaze to me.
"Nik, please, can't we just have fun? I'm sick of being so scared!" I sighed.
"Rebekah, don't act so childish. We all need to protect each other," I told her. Rebekah huffed and flipped her long blonde hair.
We travelled through small towns, keeping to ourselves, feeding as little as possible to not draw the attention of others.
One day in the woods of what would become South Carolina, we ran into a large pack of werewolves. Elijah took Rebekah away to protect her, while I went to investigate.
I hide in the shadows as I circled their camp. Many of them were in their wolf forms, lying around a large fire.
Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind by two strong men. They dragged me into the camp, and despite my strength, I couldn't overpower the older werewolves.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" My eyes snapped up at the familiar voice. I was shocked when I saw Samuel, now old and gray, standing in front of me. he was still large and muscular, but age had gotten to him with the lines scouring his face, the gray streaking through his hair.
"Samuel," I snarled. "You're looking strong for a century year old murderer." He chuckled and approached me.
"I see the rumors are true about the Original Vampires." He leaned in close. "Did you know that a werewolf bite is lethal to a vampire?" I said nothing, I just smirked.
"No idea," I said sarcastically.
"Oh yes. You go insane within a matter of hours and within a day, you're dead. You become nothing but the bloodsucking parasite you are, gorging on blood before you wither away." Then the hands holding me tightened so I couldn't move.
"How about I show you?" I didn't flinch or cry out when Samuel bit down on my forearm. He pulled back with a smirk, wiping my blood from his chin. He looked down at the bite, which healed quickly. After a few minutes, I began chuckling as his brows furrowed.
"How is that possible?" he demanded. I pretended to consider his question.
"Well, let's see… If the bite doesn't affect me, what could that possibly mean?" I asked, cocking my head. Samuel's eyes narrowed.
"But you're a vampire," he snarled. I laughed at his foolishness.
"Not entirely," I replied. His eyes widened but before he could react, I heard the two men behind me gasp sharply and gurgle, before falling to the ground. I sensed Elijah's presence.
"You know, what the one thing about family is, Samuel?" Elijah asked very calmly, dropping the two werewolf hearts to the ground. Samuel took one step back.
Out of nowhere, Rebekah attacked him. Her fangs buried into his throat, tearing it away with the viciousness of a wild animal. Taking my chance, I lunged forward, driving my hand through his chest, clenching his heart. He gasped and glared at me with furious hazel-gold eyes.
"You can always rely on them," I finished. I ripped out his heart, watching with dark satisfaction as the lights faded from his eyes. He collapsed to the ground. Rebekah wiped the blood from her pretty mouth.
"That's for Henrik," she snarled softly.
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Annabelle stirred slightly, releasing a tired breath. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at me, resting her chin on my chest.
"Have you been awake this whole time?" she asked. I smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"It's just been a couple of hours," I said reassuringly. She gave me a pointed look.
"You should still sleep, you know. Even Hybrids can get tired." I chuckled. Her lips curved at that and her fingers played with my necklaces.
"You know," she said. "You never explained to me where you get these." Then she moved to trace the tattoo on my left shoulder. "Or this." I played with her hair as she studied the marking, which depicted a large black feather with sparrows breaking off from it and flying across my chest.
"I have another," I reminded her. She blinked then smiled.
"Right, the triangle on your shoulder blade. What does it mean?" I sighed, leaning against the pillows. Anna curled up against me, sliding her leg between mine so we were intertwined under the sheets.
"This one," I said, picking up the larger, darker necklace. "Was a gift from Henrik. He wanted to become a blacksmith and he made this for me before he…" I trailed off. Annabelle covered my hand, her gaze understanding.
"The other was a gift from my brother, Finn," I said, pointing at the smaller silver one. "He gave it to me for my twentieth birthday." Anna cocked her head a little.
"Klaus, how old were you when you became an Original Vampire?" she asked.
"I was born at the beginning of the 10th century, so 1000 A.D. Around a month after my twenty eighth birthday, Mikael kill us and made us vampires." Annabelle's eyes widened.
"Finn was around thirty five or so, Elijah thirty, and I believe Rebekah was nearing her twenty second or fourth birthday," I continued. Anna rested her cheek right above my heart.
"That must have been so awful," she murmured. I continued stroking her hair.
"I suppose it was," I said, keeping my voice even. "But none of that really matters, with Mikael finally dead."
"In the end, they all died, didn't they?" Anna turned her face back to look at me. Her gaze was sad, yet thoughtful. "All of that fighting, with all that death… Eventually it all caught up to them. I know William was the only one that dead from old age… and your parents…"
"Mikael was never my father," I said flatly. "When I killed him, I felt nothing even near remorse." Anna trembled a little. I tightened my hold on her.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to upset you," I said quickly. She shook her head slowly.
"What happened, happened. Like you said, you cannot change the past. But I have to ask… Didn't you ever want to find out who your real father was?" I stared at her with surprise. That thought never occurred to me.
"I…I never thought about it," I admitted. "I never tried to find out who he was, since my mother wouldn't confess to the affair she had in the first place. And after living with Mikael, I strayed away from any father figures. I had my brothers and I…" I looked over into her eyes. "I assumed that's all the family I needed."
"Not once? You weren't even curious once?" I shook my head gravely.
"Mikael created an image in my head as to what father figures were supposed to be… Mean, abusive, ruthless. After I found out he wasn't my true father, I thought to myself, why would I want to find out who my true father is, if he might be exactly like Mikael?" I sighed and looked up at the ceiling blankly.
"But look who I became, Anna," I said tiredly. "I became just like Mikael."
In a flash, Annabelle was straddling me, her furious gray eyes glaring down at me. One hand slapped down on my chest and the other was pointed right at me.
"You listen to me, Niklaus," she snapped. "You are nothing like Mikael. You are a good man."
"How could you possibly believe that?" I asked tonelessly. Anna's eyes softened. She leaned close, pressing her forehead to mine. Her sweet breath washed over me.
"Because if you were truly like him, you would not know how to love another," she whispered. "And you love, Niklaus. You love so much." I stared at her for a long, long moment.
Then I had her on her back. "You truly believe that? That I'm not just some damned creature forced to live an eternity in the darkness he created for himself?"
Her eyes were serious as she gave me a small frown. Her hand traced my cheek softly. "You are not damned, Niklaus."
"How do you know?" I asked thickly. Anna's eyes met mine.
"Because you are worth forgiving." I froze at her words. I thought back to the conversation I had a while ago with Damon, about being worthy of forgiveness.
"Debatable," I murmured quietly. Anna's hands cupped my face, forcing me to look at her.
"I forgive you. I love you no matter how damned you think you are. " I watched her quietly, my fingers wrapped in her curls.
"Perhaps I am not cursed, since I was blessed with you," I said, looking into her eyes. "And I don't know what I'd do without you in my life." Anna pressed a sweet kiss to my lips.
"You would survive, Nik. Just like you have for the past thousand years without me." I sighed, bringing her lips back to mine.
"Those years mean little to me compared to the months I've had with you," I said firmly.
Without replying, Anna simply kissed me again, rising over me in the golden sunlight.
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When night came, I went out to search for Hayley. I found her at the Grill and convinced her to return to the mansion.
Once I got her back, Annabelle wasted no time in explaining to her about her bloodline.
"Wait, wait," Hayley said, lifting her hands in the air. "Are you saying we're, like, cousins?" Anna sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Yes," she replied impatiently. "Very, very distant cousins." Hayley raised an unpleasant brow at Annabelle.
"Well that's great," she said sarcastically. I narrowed my eyes at the younger werewolf.
"Mind your tongue," I ordered calmly. "If you wish to keep it." Anna gave me a sharp look.
"Stop it with the threats," she said in an authoritative voice. Hayley sighed loudly and rolled her eyes.
"Okay so if you guys are done with the whole sexual tension fight thing, can I go now? I don't really care if we're distant whatevers, no offense. That doesn't get me closer to finding my birth parents." I saw Anna's jaw clench at Hayley's tone.
"If we hadn't told you this, you wouldn't even know where to start. So I suggest you shut up and listen, you brat," Anna hissed. I had to cough to hide the chuckle that rumbled in my chest.
"Rumor has it," Anna continued as Hayley closed her mouth. "That a lot of that clan still lives in Louisiana. My bet is you can find someone down there that has connections leading back to your parents or at least to someone who can find them."
"And what about Tyler?" Hayley demanded, glaring at me. "Am I supposed to just run off when I know you want to kill him?"
"I have more important matters to attend to than finding Tyler for the moment," I said. "So he can consider himself lucky for the time being." I felt a sharp stab of disapproval coming from Annabelle, but I ignored it for now.
Hayley didn't seem pleased but she nodded and left quickly. Anna turned to me, her eyes dark.
"Klaus," she sighed. "When will you just let the whole Tyler thing go?" My lips thinned. Anna stepped up to me, taking my hand to rub it against her cheek.
"You don't have to hunt him," she said quietly. "You're better than that."
"Am I?" I asked. Anna just looked at me.
"Yes," she said simply. I watched her and saw the truth in her eyes, the belief that I was really a better man that I myself believed I was.
"Come on," Anna said. "I could use a soak in the tub." With a smile gracing her lips, she led me up the stairs.
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Annabelle leaned against me, cradled between my legs. I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her wet shoulder. She tilted her head back as I trailed my lips up her neck slowly. Her wet hair tickled my chest as we sat in the large bathtub, soaking in the lavender scented water.
"You never told me about your tattoos," she said suddenly. I laughed softly.
"The sparrows represent freedom and hope. The triangle simply means change," I explained.
"When did you get them?"
"The triangle came first, which I got after Rebekah, Elijah and I migrated to America to start our new lives, even though we were still on the run from Mikael. It was a massive change for all of us." I rested my chin on her shoulder.
"The sparrow tattoo came after I first began dreaming of you." Anna turned a little to look at me with surprise. I smiled.
"I was finally free from ever being afraid of anything or anyone… and along came this woman, this angel, in my dreams. I felt such strong feelings for this creature I never meant, yet I knew one day I would find her. I had hope…and hope paid off." Anna rested her forehead against mine, smiling.
"It paid off for both of us," she said softly.
And for a long time, we sat there, relaxed with each other's presence. We didn't say anything else, simply because we didn't need to.
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Author's Note: If you guys have any questions about this chapter that I need to clarify, don't hesitate to ask!
Let me know what you thought of this chapter!
(Special thanks to IrishBeauty294, for correcting me on the whole "B.C." or "A.D." thing. My bad guys!)