This chapter is a little bit short. I will expand on some key items as the story progresses. Thank you for all your love and support!
Warning: Mentions of abuse/Violence/Language
Rated: M/MA Reader Discretion is advised
Chapter V
To most people, his name is Klaus. For Rebecca, his bratty sister who he cherishes with every fiber of his being and Bonnie, he is Nik. Elijah is the only one who calls him Niklaus. He is the black sheep in his family which is why he sought to pave his own way showing favor to only those who are truly worthy.
The day Niklaus Mikaelson met Bonnie Bennett, things could have gone very wrong, wrong in a sense that he could have misread the situation and person and went about establishing trust the wrong way. Nik wasn't known to be the most caring man to those outside of his circle, in fact, he was known to be quite volatile. So, when one day a barefoot young woman came running into his establishment with a busted lip and black eye dressed in only a sports bra and boy shorts, his first instinct was to kick her out. He didn't need drama messing with his business. Nik also had his younger sister Rebecca visiting and would kill anyone who put her in harms way. He was about to ask the young lady to leave when an older tall burly man came running in after her. The man had scratches all over his face and arms. His wife beater looked stretched and the zipper of his jean shorts was undone.
"Come here you little bitch!" The man growled as he closed in on the young woman. He wrapped his large hands around her throat causing the bar's patrons to gasp and cower away. Nik couldn't decide what was worst, the scene in front of him, the fact that his darling Rebecca stood there witnessing it, or the blood leaking from the girls leg on to his freshly polished wood floor.
The man smiled as the young lady shook in fear. One swift back hand to her face and her expression turned blank. It was as if she turned off her ability to feel. Nik found her lack of emotions both frightening and intriguing. It reminded him much of himself when his father Mikael would lash out at him after finding out Nik's birth was a result of an affair his wife Esther had with one of his business rivals. After years of abuse, Nik found a way to cope by falling in to a catatonic state when Mikael would beat him. He almost felt sorry for the young woman, then again, what was going on between this older man and her was none of his business.
A sweet voice reached him. "Nik, please, you have to help her." He looked at his baby sister, one of the few people who loved him unconditionally and said, "Bex dear, it's none of our business. You should go to my office whilst I take care of this. There is no need for you to witness such brutality."
Rebecca looked at her brother pleadingly. "I'll go, but please Nik⦠we must help her." A slam echoed through the bar as the older man dragged the young woman out of the door as if she were a rag doll. Klaus wasn't sure whether or not it was Rebecca or seeing himself in the young woman that cause him to follow them out, but he did. He watched as the older man threw the young woman into his car. The lady made no noise, her face held no expression, the absence of emotion made Nik's sketching hand itch. He had long ago mastered the art of the void.
His feet brought him closer and closer as the older man unlocked his car door. Klaus felt possessed, he had no control of his actions. He didn't think about what he was doing, he just allowed himself to feel. Klaus felt for himself and for the young woman who, at the time, couldn't feel anything at all. It all happened so fast. One moment Klaus was approaching them, the next his fist connected repeatedly with the man's face until he laid unconscious beside his car. Blood was splattered all over Klaus's face, shirt, and hands. He turned to the young girl who finally allowed an emotion to pass through. Her expression was one of gratitude and slowly morphed into fascination.
Nik didn't know what possessed him, but he offered her his hand. Once she took it he looked into her eyes and said, "I don't offer handouts. If I decide you are worthy, I will take you under my wing. The second you bring more trouble than you are worth, your ass is out on the street. Do you understand?" The young girl nodded her head.
"Good. Now, tell me your name?" The girl responded. "Bonnie Bennett." The right side of Nik's lips turned upward. "Lovely!" He began to walk off expecting the girl to follow him, but instead she grabbed his arm causing him to pause.
He looked at Bonnie impatiently. "What is it now?"
Bonnie's eyes brimmed with tears. "Please, help my sister Davina." Klaus rolled his eyes. He was over the theatrics and had no interest in being anyone's savior. Bonnie read his indifference and it did nothing to weaken her resolve. "Please, I'll do anything. He will kill her."
A nagging voice that sounded a lot like his baby sister urged him to help. He tried to fight it, but he couldn't. Reaching into his pocket, he dialed his brother Finn's number. "Brother, it seems like I am in need of some assistance."
"Rebecca insisted I help some waif of a girl in dire need of rescue and apparently I'm the knight in shiny bloody armor." She could hear laughter on the other the other line followed by intelligible dialogue. Nik reached into the unconscious man's pocket and retrieved his wallet to pull out his driver's license. He showed Bonnie the address and asked, "Is this where your sister is?" Bonnie nodded.
"I will send you the details and you will help me retrieve the girl." Bonnie interrupted. "I need to go with him." Klaus looked as her as if she lost her mind. "Why in the bloody hell would you do that?"
"The room we live in is hidden." She pointed at the unconscious man. "Dr. Lowen hides his sickness well." Klaus unconsciously shivered at the implication. "Finn, pick up Mason while you are at it. It seems I require his talents."
That night, Nik put to an end to a demon that plagued the two girls for a very long time. Rebecca took to the girls immediately. She was excited to have girls close to her age to talk to. Davina was always more open than Bonnie was. He still had he doubts about the young caramel beauty. She followed the same routine daily: help clean up, read, home school with his sister and Davina, and then she would disappear until it time for her shift. He found out her and Davina were both only 16 so he had them working with inventory, busing tables, and other odd jobs. He didn't want to spoil the girls but getting them used to being taken care of. Eventually Bonnie reunited with Matt and Vicki Donovan, her adoptive family whom she had been taken away from once Dr. Lowen accused Vicki of providing an unsuitable home for the young girl. The four, Matt, Vicki, Davina, and Bonnie circulated the system a lot in their youth and somehow found a way out.
Nik didn't really care much for any of them least of all Bonnie. There was a certain amount of resentment he held for her because of how much it cost him to fix her situation. Rebecca taking to her the way she did was Bonnie's saving grace in Klaus's eyes. That all changed when he caught the young woman in his personal art room. No one ever dared to enter it, but she did. He watched as she looked at each piece as if she were reading a story, as if she understood exactly what he was trying to say. She spent hours admiring the different paintings, sculptures, and sketches. For the first time since he met her, he met the young woman smile. It was beautiful.
Following that day, Bonnie added a new element to her routine. She would spend a few hours sketching with charcoal leaving on Klaus's desks a new drawing each day. Each day, the sketches told him a different story. An array of emotions such as: anger, gratitude, forgiveness, sorrow, and joy. Each day, he looked forward to what she might leave him. Eventually those sketches evolved into conversations. He quickly realized how strong Bonnie could really be and stopped judging her for her weaknesses. He would bring his younger brother Kol to meet with them and practice martial arts. He made sure she could defend herself. He taught her how to play chess and apply those strategies to real life situations. Klaus became her rock and the only person outside of Davina, Vicki, and Matt with whom she revealed her darkest demons. Bonnie found comfort in him, she knew that he was one of very few people who truly understood her. The scent of paint, sandalwood, and red wine would always bring her back to her safe space. The smell of him.
When she'd have nightmares, she tried to hold on to that scent to stave away the dark thoughts that would visit her at night. Eventually Klaus established a routine of wearing flannels for a day and then giving them to Bonnie the next to sleep in to stave her demons. Little did she know that every once in a while, he would allow himself to bask in her scent when she would return them the next day. The lines between them consistently blurred but were never crossed. Nik always feared tainting her. For that reason, Klaus bedded a lot of women. He needed to sate his hunger. That hunger turned into anger when Kai Parker started to court his Bonnie.
At first, he thought, Kai Parker would not last. Bonnie is someone you play the long game with. There are no shortcuts. Had there been, Nik would have found them. Kai proved to be more patient than Klaus had anticipated. He did interfere knowing that eventually Kai would screw things up. The disillusion on Bonnie's face when that moment arrived, he felt relief and anger, mostly relief. Thankfully what occurred between Kai and Bonnie did not cause irreparable damage. This Damon Salvatore fellow seems to be a different story though. Nik wasn't sure how to proceed.
Nine years ago, 16-year-old Bonnie Bennett barreled into his life. Presently, the 25-year-old Bonnie is tucked safe in his arms and for the first time in years, he's filled with fear. He wonders if he can love her the right way, he wonders if she would return his affections, and he wonders if he could stand the pain of losing her. The only thing he is certain of is that Bonnie provides him with just as much comfort and understanding as he does she. No one, not even Damon Salvatore will stand in the way of that.
