* Authors note: Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who decided to follow/favourite my story. It really means the world to me. Also, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They put a smile on my face and made me want to work so much harder on this story just for you guys!

SingLikeThere'sNobodyListening: They are human in this story, no vampires sorry. Who knows maybe my next fic will be supernatural based.

Here is the first official chapter so please enjoy! Once again thank you to my beta; without her I'd be lost.

Chapter 1: The Departed

Klaus was awoken when he felt a sudden weight shift onto his bed. Not wanting to make his consciousness known, he stayed perfectly still hoping that whoever it was would eventually leave him alone. Fake sleeping was not his strong suit as his family was well educated on the fact that Klaus was a light sleeper. However, Klaus decided to risk it and stick to the charade.

Klaus could take a wild guess as to who his unwelcomed visitor was; his mother has not spoken to him since Henrik's death and Mikael did not approach Klaus unless it was to lash out his anger. Judging by the stillness of the figure it was not Mikael, he would have stricken Klaus already, asleep or not.

"Come on, I know you're awake." A feminine voice began to drift through the air.

Deciding to give up on the act, Klaus flipped over begrudgingly to face his intruder. "Go away Rebekah. I was attempting to sleep until you rudely interrupted me; we all know I cannot sleep if there is a living, breathing thing in my room."

The beautiful blonde couldn't help but let out a small smirk. She has missed her brother's joking and banters. Klaus hasn't said or done much in the past week since Henrik's death, he had been nothing but miserable and easily angered. Mikael's treatment toward her brother did not help the situation the least bit. In order to avoid confrontation Klaus would remain in his room doing god knows what. He didn't even bother to come down to eat. Rebekah could only guess that he would sneak out his room at night in order to retrieve what little rations they had.

Shaking her drifting thoughts out of her head, Rebekah focused on why she came to her brother's room. "I brought you some tea. Mother just made a fresh kettle." Rebekah silently placed the steaming cup of tea on her brother's side table. "And there is some breakfast left, you should really eat Nik."

Klaus automatically looked down to his sister's hands at the steaming tea. He knew there was more to Rebekah's visit than a cup of tea. "Now now Rebekah, we all know you didn't come here to play mother to me. What is it you really want?"

Sighing Rebekah responded, "Mother's worried about you."

"Oh, is she?" Klaus interrupted sarcastically, "Because I haven't heard as much of a word escape her lips since Henrik died. She can't even look at me." Now frustrated, Klaus threw the covers off of him and made his way over to his dresser, attempting to find a shirt in hopes of some distraction. He did not want to lash out at his innocent sister, but he needed to control his emotions and stay calm.

Turning around to face her brother, Rebekah responded in a soft tone. "She loves you in her own way, you know. Just give her some time."

"She despises me."

"No she's hurt. This is the second son she has lost. One in childbirth and now to war, no mother should have to bury their child." Rebekah rose from the bed and made her way to her brother who seemed to be gripping onto the dresser for dear life.

"It's my fault she has to bury Henrik in the first place." Klaus was trying to hold back tears. Not only did he fail Henrik, but he failed the rest of the family. He could only imagine what his brothers would say to him when they returned from war and learned the news of their deceased youngest brother. "I brought him outside to his death, instead of to the cellar where he would have been safe and alive."

Rebekah knew no words could heal or comfort her brother, so she stayed silent and walked around her brother's room in order to give him time and space to cool down. His room was messier than normal; the curtains were shut not letting in a single beam of light and candle wax had melted and hardened onto his furniture. The thing that caught Rebekah's eye was her brother's painting station; all the oils were left open and had dried out. His prized paintbrushes now were ruined with hardened paint all over them. It was unlike her brother to be so careless in his work, let alone with his tools.

Rebekah turned back around to face her brother who stood immobilized in the same position at his dresser. Klaus was spiraling downward and there was nothing she could do. "This is war Nik, death is a part of it. We were just one of the unfortunate ones. Henrik was not the only one to perish that night."

Klaus just shook his head. He knew what people thought; his parents held him responsible and deep down Klaus knew a part of Rebekah blamed him to. How could they not?

"This is not what I came here to talk about." Rebekah attempted to change the subject.

"Please do spill the beans my dear sister, enlighten me. What brings you to my chambers; deep down I know you blame me for Henkrik, just as I do." Klaus turned around to face his sister; he just wanted to be alone.

"Keep it up Nik and you will push everyone away."

"I said talk." Klaus wanted answers and he wanted them now.

Sighing dejectedly, Rebekah turned around to face her brother. "Mother found a way to get out of here, out of Britain." Rebekah said nervously as she glanced up from the floor to analyze the reaction on Klaus' face.

Sparking his attention, Klaus barged up to his sister and stood an inch away from her face. "What?" Klaus questioned.

"We have to move quickly, we leave at sundown. A British ship is making its way to America, to a town called Mystic Falls. They are to send British soldiers there to train future American soldiers who will later be sent over to Europe to fight in war. Father is to pretend to be one so we may get on the ship. He has promising connections."

"And why have I yet to hear of this?!" Klaus was now clearly enraged. This type of information was not something you would just come buy suddenly. It took extensive planning and communication amongst several parties. There had to have been intent in order to plan to run away. His family had left Klaus out of these plans and he was only hearing of them last minute through Rebekah. Were they even going to tell him or was he to wake up tomorrow and find everyone gone?

Rebekah now fearful of her brother's temper began to stutter, "M-mother and father, they wanted to protect the rest of the family after Henrik's death and—"

"They weren't going to tell me, were they?" Klaus interrupted as he began shouting at his beloved sister.

Seeing the hurt in his eyes, Rebekah grabbed Klaus' arms and shook her brother in order to make him look at her. "Listen to me." Rebekah chimed. "Mother wanted to tell you, she did. That is why she has been avoiding you. Father threatened to leave her if she so much as opened her mouth to you. I didn't want to tell you this but he says you deserve to die here if you can't bring honour to the family. I am telling you of his plan because I love you Nik, always and forever. You're my brother."

And there it was; the cowardice that his father always accused him of.

Rebekah only saw pain flicker across Klaus' face for a brief moment before her brother skillfully masked his emotions. She knew telling Klaus wasn't going to be easy but he deserved to know. Letters were being sent out to her other brothers so they could join them after the war. Rebekah promised to keep her family together and she was not about to break it now, even with Henrik gone.

"Alexander is attempting to find another way to escape…."

Klaus quickly interrupted his sister's confession. "Ah my little sister being a strumpet are we? Got bored of the last one, or did he tire of you?"

"Shut up Nik! I am trying to talk to you, can't you see that I am here for you!" She barked at her brother frustrated.

"No I don't. You are too busy warming up the beds of anyone who bats their eyelashes at you."

Tears began to swell up in Rebekah's eyes. Shaking his head, Klaus couldn't help but give a small laugh to his sister's reaction; she was so easily touched by words. No wonder her track record with men wasn't the greatest.

Noticing his brother's reaction, Rebekah began to raise her voice and lashed back. "Go right ahead. Laugh at the girl who loved to easy, but I would rather live my life than yours Nik." Tears began to flow down the blonde's delicate face. Klaus shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the floor to avoid his sister's gaze. "No one will ever sit around a table telling stories about a man who couldn't love. So do it Nik, look me in the eye and tell me how foolish I am."

Rebekah continued to stare intently at Klaus while sniffling away tears.

The words that escaped the blonde's mouth stopped Klaus in his tracks. It was just another reminder that he was doomed to be alone.

A long silence stretched out between the siblings. No one bothered to move or break the tension; each was alone in their own thoughts.

After what seemed like several minutes, Rebekah wiped away her final tear and spoke up. "We leave at sundown." Rebekah stated somberly. "Meet at the docks if you wish to come. If not have a good life Nik."

Rebekah turned her back toward her brother and walked toward the door. Standing in the threshold, Rebekah turned around to take one last look at her brother. He stood in the same spot still as a statue, not one for emotion to be read easily on his face. She wished her brother would find comfort in his life, whether it was with her or someplace else, she just wanted him to be happy.

No matter what her brother chose to do, she would love him none the less.

Always and forever.

xxxx

Poland, December 1940

It had been close to two years since Katerina Petrova had been on the run, two long years since she had a home.

Katerina was making her way down the barren streets of Poland while trying to protect her face from the blistering cold wind. Shivering, Katerina attempted to wrap what was left of her scarf around her mouth and ears. Even though she was successful, the thin and dainty material of the scarf failed to provide much warmth or protection to Katerina's body. At this moment she would do anything for a nice warm fire, but she couldn't build one because she did not want to draw the attention of the German soldiers. Katerina knew if drew any unneeded attention to herself, death was soon to follow.

A jacket—or any piece of clothing would do, Katerina thought as she continued her pursuit into town. It would not be as warm as a crackling fire, but it would enough to provide adequate protection from the blistering wind.

When Katerina first came to Poland from Bulgaria in 1938, she was able to seek refuge with a couple roughly her age. Trevor and Rose were close friends to the Petrova family and when Katerina came knocking on their door, they welcomed her with open arms. The first year that Katerina spent in Poland was a rather peaceful year; she learned all of the Polish customs and eventually was able to blend in well enough that no newcomers could suspect she was Bulgarian; if someone suspected her of being foreign; it was because her name gave it away. Despite all the hardships that Katerina endured in the past, she could envision a new life within Poland; a new home and possibly a new family.

Such dreams were too good to be true.

Katerina's fantasy came crashing down in September 1939 when war was declared and Poland became occupied territory. Trevor and Rose advised Katerina to stay indoors in order to protect her identity. Since Bulgaria was an ally of Germany, German soldiers would not act favourably towards a Bulgarian runaway who sought refuge with the enemy. For the most part, life remained relatively normal during the first couple of months of occupation. Despite the increasing hunger, abuse and murder within Poland, life was able to go on as long as a blind eye was turned away from the horrors. That was until one wintery night in January of 1940.

Katerina remembered waking up in the middle of the night to incessant and ferocious banging and shouting at their front door. German soldiers barged into their home and appeared to be looking for someone. It was only after Trevor asked the German soldiers who they were looking for that Katerina realized they were looking for her. After listening to the conversation from the second floor, it turned out that their neighbours two houses down sold her out to the Germans in order to protect their children one night during a raid. Katerina couldn't blame them, she would have done the same thing in the circumstance, but if she wanted to protect herself, she had to get out and run. Quietly sneaking back into her room, Katerina realized that the bedroom window was her only chance of escape. Not taking the risk to bid her final goodbyes to Trevor and Rose, Katerina jumped from the second floor and landed with a thud that vibrated through her entire body. After she composed herself, Katerina ran as fast as she could.

She spent the night in the woods and it wasn't until the next day that she realized Trevor and Rose were dead. She returned to the house in an attempt to find her friends, but when Katerina arrived she found Trevor with his head severed off as well as Rose lying beside him; as far as Katerina could tell she had been shot in the heart. Due to the public display of the bodies, the brunette could only guess that the Germans utilized their murders as a sort of reminder to the Polish people to not rebel against German authority. It was a message. Katerina's running had cost her friends their lives.

There was no time to feel guilty.

From that day forward, Katerina continued to run.

The streets of Poland remained barren and empty. Ever since Poland became occupied by German soldiers, citizens remained indoors and hardly traveled into town. People were too frightened to leave the safety of their homes; to enter into the public sphere meant to risk confrontations with German soldiers. The encounters between Polish citizens and German soldiers were hardly peaceful, and if anyone acted or said something that the Germans did not approve of or did not like, they would be shot on site. No questions, no trial, just straight massacres. Katerina could swear the Germans shot innocent civilians just for fun.

However, the emptiness of the streets worked to Katerina's advantage. She would travel into town, raid the markets for food and clothing and eventually make her way back to the outskirts of town, into hiding. Due to the harsh cold that had plagued Poland over the last couple of days, Katerina noticed that the market was even more barren than usual. The majority of the shops were closed and the only one that seemed to be open was a man selling beaded jewelry. Katerina began to approach the man in hopes that he had some food on him and that he would be willing to give.

"Hello sir." Katerina stated as she plastered a fake smile on her face. "What lovely pieces of jewelry you have." A soft voice escaped Katerina's lips in an attempt to act genuinely interested in front of the man.

The man seemed to be reading the newspaper. He looked up from the flimsy paper to acknowledge Katerina. After giving her a small nod he returned to his reading. Pretending to look at the jewelry, Katerina cleared her throat and began to speak once again.

"So what brings you out into the market on this fine cold day? Everyone else seems to have stayed home." Katerina glanced up from the trinkets to the man in order to analyze his reaction.

The man didn't even raise his head to acknowledge the girl's question. "Got mouths to feed, can't miss a day, even if I get only one customer it is better than none." After a brief pause the man quickly glanced up, "What about you missy? By the looks of your wardrobe it seems like you don't got a lot of money to spend on jewelry, so what is it that you want?"

Sighing, Katerina decided to drop the small talk and cut to the chase. "I have three children back home who are in need of food. I came here in hopes to find some. And possibly warm clothing; the weather seems to become harsher every day." Katerina had quickly learned that if you mention starving children to strangers, they would be more willing to donate.

"Sorry lady, can't help you there. If I could I would. I am desperate enough, why do you think I am trying to sell jewelry during a war?" The man's frustration began to show as he threw down his newspaper and stared intently at his crafts. Not bothering to look up, he began to speak once again. "I suggest you start heading home now, storms going to hit soon and you don't want to be stuck in that." The man began to pack up his things. Katerina noticed the look in his eyes, it was one of hope vanishing.

Feeling defeated, Katerina gave the man a small thank you and began to walk away. It had been days since she had anything to eat. Panic and anxiety began to build inside of Katerina, there was a storm rolling in which meant everyone would remain indoors which would then lessen her chance at obtaining food. Tears began to swell in her eyes, I am going to die here, on the street. She was already weak and could not walk straight. Her body felt numb because it was filled with cold air; Katerina couldn't even remember what heat felt like.

She was slowly withering away.

Not paying attention, Katerina tripped over an abandoned wooden crate and fell to the icy ground.

She was too exhausted to pick herself back up, and too weak to even move.

Why even bother? Katerina thought. She just wanted to lie there and face the inevitable; sooner or later the coldness would settle in her body and death would eventually take her.

Death… what an awfully big adventure that would be, Katerina pondered as she remained still on the frozen ground. In that gloomy moment, Katerina became content with the idea of death, it would take away all of the suffering and pain from her miserable life.

She had accepted her fate.

As the minutes passed by, Katerina's body began to numb. She could no longer feel the cold or the icy ground beneath her. If this is what dying feels like, I cannot complain, Katerina thought as her mind became accustomed to the idea.

After what felt like hours on the frozen floor, Katerina noticed a shady figure emerge in front of her vision. Squinting her drained eyes, she barely made out the character compiling of pale white skin and wavy golden hair. As Katerina's eyes began to adjust she noticed piercing blue eyes and rosy red lips that only an angel could have. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Mesmerized, Katerina reached up to the figure and stroked her hair. "Are you an angel?" Katerina asked in a hoarse voice as she dropped her arm as it became too difficult to hold up.

After hearing the words that escaped the fragile brunette's mouth, the blonde stranger knew she was not in good condition. She placed her empty basket on the ground and used both hands to help the young woman up. After successfully getting Katerina on her feet, she began to stumble and fall with the weight of them both. Readjusting the brunette's body higher on her body, the stranger grabbed onto Katerina with two hands in order to steady them both. "Careful now." She hushed as she continued to support the majority of Katerina's weight. "I am going to take you back to my place, do you think you can try and walk?"

Katerina did not respond to the woman's soft words, she just continued to stare off into the distance with a dazed expression. Taking a chance, the woman began to take a couple of steps forward. Katerina soon followed suit behind the blonde, taking one slow step at a time as moving proved more difficult than she anticipated with her fatigued body.

After forty-five minutes of stumbling through ice, snow and slush the two finally reached a house in the farming district of town. Once inside, the blonde gently placed a shivering Katerina on the couch and wrapped her in all the blankets she could find. Almost instantly, the brunette passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow. With Katerina fast asleep, the blonde stranger took the time to build a large fire in order to warm the girl.

Once the fire was built, she made her way into the kitchen in order to start dinner. She placed water on the stove to boil in order to make stew. After analyzing the brunette's frail body on the couch, the blonde came to the conclusion that the girl was terribly weak and unwell; she needed to make something that would be easy for the mystery woman to digest.

After an hour and a half of chopping ingredients and adding spices to the water, the woman began to hear rustling come from her living room which suggested that Katerina was waking up. Wiping her hands on her apron, she grabbed the warm cup of tea and quickly added lemon in it before she made her way back to the living room. Placing the tea on the side table, the woman went to add more wood to the fire and waited for the woman to finally come to.

Katerina slowly drifted in and out of consciousness. She woke up content; a warmth like she had never felt before filled her body and her back no longer ached as she felt like she was lying on a cloud. Katerina was so comfortable she did not want to open her eyes. If this is what death feels like I do not want to wake up.

A soft humming suddenly sparked Katerina's interest. Groaning, she reluctantly rolled on her back and began to open her eyes. At first everything remained a blur, colours and images blended together as her eyes tried their best to adjust to the dim lighting. After a couple of minutes, her eyes began to focus to her surroundings. The first thing that Katerina noticed was the wooden ceiling and the soft couch material beneath her. What the hell? Katerina thought. How did I get here? Where am I?

Looking around more, Katerina noticed the large fireplace with a blonde woman crouching beside it. It seemed that Katerina had found the source of the humming. She attempted to sit up but fell back down as she clutched her head from dizziness.

Hearing the rustling behind her, the woman turned around and saw Katerina struggling to sit up. She dropped the fire poker and made her way over to the brunette, crouching at the end of the couch so she could be at the same eye level as the exhausted woman. She began to speak in a soft tone in order to prevent frightening the fragile girl, "Hello my name is Caroline." She beamed at Katerina with a warm smile on her face.

"Katerina Petrova." Katerina croaked out as she continued to clutch her pounding head.

Reaching to the end table, Caroline grabbed the now warm cup of tea and handed it to woman on the couch. "Here, drink this. I found you on the floor in the market square. This tea should help warm up the insides."

Katerina began to sip the tea, moaning instantly at the warm liquid. The sweet water was enough to send Katerina over the edge; she hadn't tasted anything this wonderful in ages. Unable to container herself, Katerina gulped the rest of the tea down in one breath. Not only did the wonderful taste of the tea lift her spirits, but she felt the warmth spread throughout her body.

Caroline watched the event with a small smirk on her face. "You must be starving."

Katerina who had totally forgot about the blonde's presence, glanced up to her and wiped some dripping tea from the corner of her mouth. "You wait right here, I prepared a nice stew. You must be famished, I'll go grab a bowl for you."

Caroline grabbed the empty coffee mug and made her way back to the kitchen. She refilled it up and grabbed the soup and a small bread roll. Walking back into the other room, Caroline placed the items on a tray and brought it over to Katerina who was now sitting up on the couch. "I also got you some more tea."

Katerina grabbed the tray of food that was being handed to her. The food smelt absolutely delicious and tasted better than the tea she had previously engulfed. Remembering she had an audience, Katerina tried her best to pace herself while she ate.

When she was finished, "thank you," were the only words that she could get out.

There were not enough words to describe the stranger's generosity toward her. After what happened to Trevor and Rose, she felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she knew Caroline had unknowingly put herself in danger at her cost. It was then Katerina decided she owed to come clean with her.

She placed the last bit of the roll back on her plate that Caroline had so graciously given her after being welcomed into her home. "Caroline, there is something I need to tell you." Katerina cleared her throat as she glanced up to the woman nervously.

"Hush now dear, we can chat later. You must be starving and freezing, finish up your meal and then we can talk. You need to regain your strength and energy."

Sighing heavily, Katerina quickly finished the rest of her meal and placed the tray on the side table on the right side of the couch. Caroline smiled and walked over to the couch and sat beside Katerina. She handed the young woman a wool blanket which Katerina eagerly draped over herself. "If you are still cold we can move you closer to the fireplace so you can warm yourself up, we wouldn't want you getting sick now."

Katerina smiled graciously but shook her head, "I am fine thank you Caroline. Really, your generosity have been very heartwarming."

"Talk to me." Caroline stated as she turned to face the brunette and grabbed her cold frail hands. "Tell me what happened. Do you have a home? Are there any children or relatives waiting for you? What happened in the market?"

Caroline was genuinely concerned for the woman. If she could take away the pain and suffering for one person in this brutal war, she could die a happy person.

Tears began to fill Katerina's eyes as she remembered all she had lost. "No." Katerina whispered faintly. "I'm all alone." Taking one hand out of Caroline's grasp, she wiped away a tear that escaped from her eyes. "Caroline, I am a runaway citizen from Bulgaria fleeing from the support of Nazi rule. I came to Poland expecting to be free and safe, but that was before the Germans and Russians took over." Not wanting to hide anything from the girl who saved her life, Katerina wanted to ensure Caroline knew the danger of having a runaway in her home.

She owed her that.

"For the past year I have been living on the outskirts of town in abandoned buildings scrounging for clothing and food. If the soldiers find me, they will punish me for running away from an allied state, and then they will probably punish you for assisting me." Katerina slowly looked up timidly to Caroline's face in order to gauge her reaction. She was expecting to see the expression of shock and fear on Caroline's face, hell she was half expecting the blonde to chase her out of the house and report her to the German soldiers right then and there.

As her confession came to an end, to her surprise Caroline placed a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder and warmly smiled. "You don't need to be afraid, I suspected you were foreign when you first stated your name. We should change your name to make it sound less Bulgarian, Katherine sounds nice, and it is very similar to Katerina so it shouldn't be that hard to remember. You should also borrow my cousins last name, Pierce—and if anyone asks we shall say you moved here with us after you lost your family in the war and that I am your cousin and the only family you have left. We shall say that you originally lived on the side of Poland that is now under Russian control." Caroline smiled back at Katherine and welcomed her with a hug. "I do not wish the horror of homelessness and poverty on you. Please, make yourself at home Katerina." Caroline let out a hopeful laugh as she gave the brunette a knowing smile, "—or should I say, Katherine."

"Caroline, I cannot put you in this sort of danger. I have already killed two loyal friends of the family by association, I do not want you to meet the same fate. It's asking too much." Katerina stated as tears once again starting dripping down her cheek.

"Nonsense. No one knows who you are here, and I could use the extra set of hands once you're healthy again. It will work Katherine, trust me." Caroline looked into the brunette's eyes and waited for her response.

"I have nowhere else to go." Katherine cried out as Caroline embraced the young woman in a hug.

"Hush now, everything will work out, you will see. I promise. I will take care of you; we will help each other survive this war."

Katherine hugged the blonde tighter as she nodded at Caroline's words. She would make it up to Caroline, even if it was the last thing she did.

"Promise?" Caroline questioned as she pulled the brunette back into sight.

"I promise."

Endnote: Just wanted to say sorry for making Katherine a little OOC in this chapter. I promise her fun/snarky personality will come into play.

Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!