Hello lovlies! Here it is, chapter 5!

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Please keep them coming.

To the Guest - Klaus is in this chapter, and I think there will be a klaroline interaction really soon...

To Sonia - thank you for all of your support and kind words. I look forward to our conversations and I am happy to call you a friend!

Chapter 5 – Siege of Malta

Malta, August 1942.

Klaus stepped outside of the crowded tavern for a moment to light himself a cigarette. As the cool air engulfed his body, he picked out the last smoke and tossed his empty pack into the trash with an annoyed grunt. Klaus took a long hard drag and instantly felt the warmth make its way down his throat and into his lungs. He exhaled a second latter to find a relieving feeling of ease, as if he had escaped the war for the time being.

Looking around at his Mediterranean surroundings, Klaus took a mental picture of the natural beauty that made up the island of Malta. As he took another long drag, Klaus couldn't help but remember the big operation the British Royal Navy planned that loomed on the horizon – Operation Pedestal. After being bombarded by the Germans in the Mediterranean for almost two years, the British Navy enacted a plan that would attack Axis supplies while also destroying their navy. Malta was key for the British and their Allies but one of the main routes their navy needed to travel on in order to disperse supplies to other bases and countries, was blocked and barracked by the Germans. The HMS Eagle was a British warship that would transport British aircraft and other weaponry. While the battle was going on, they were to attempt to sneak the ship past their enemies and take out the German base. Klaus was stationed to be upon that ship tomorrow as he would be working alongside the navy to ensure the successful transportation of supplies. If anything was to go wrong, Klaus was to hop in his plane and gun the Italians and Germans down.

Klaus decided to join the British army the day Rebekah told him they were leaving for America; ever since then he had been fighting in the front lines of every battle that took place.

Tomorrow would be no different.

He knew the drill by now; you either live to fight the next day or tomorrow might be your last. There was no guarantee that one would make it out of a battle or operation alive; that unfortunately came with the job.

The impending battle made Klaus nervous. If one little thing went wrong tomorrow, the whole operation could fall apart which would then lead to the slaughter of the Allies. As far as the British could tell, the Axis powers did not have a clue about their plan. Klaus knew that he had been lucky for far too many times already in this war; why should his luck continue when thousands around him were dying every day? It almost did not seem fair. If tonight was going to be one of Klaus' last nights on earth, he decided he better go out with a bang.

Carpe Diem, as they say.

Throwing his cigarette on the floor and crushing it determinedly with his boot, Klaus made his way back insidethe tavern to look for his friend Marcel, the night's plan already brewing in the blonde's head as he remembered back to their first encounter.

Klaus first met Marcel at the conscription agency in Britain when he decided to enlist for the war. As the two waited for their examinations, they got to talking. It turned out both of them had lost loved ones during the bombing of Britain; Klaus had lost his brother and Marcel had lost both of his parents that night. Both of them no longer had a family so they turned to the war effort in an attempt to find a sense of place. Once the examinations were done, Klaus learned that he and Marcel were to be placed in the same infantry unit in the air force. They would kick ass together during battles, and wreck havoc at night when soldiers were allowed to travel into the towns and villages.

They became more than just friends, they became brothers.

Klaus made his way back to the bar and tapped his old friend on the shoulder as he sat down beside Marcel and ordered another round of whiskey.

"Niklaus Mikaelson, back so soon are we? I was sure you would have found yourself some pretty lady to indulge yourself in for the night. Unless you did and it only took you about thirty seconds to finish," Marcel chimed out as the rest of the tavern who was listening burst into laughter. "Not a fan of sleepovers, are you?"

"Ah Marcel… always the charmer, you always know the best ways to start a conversation, don't you?" Klaus questioned as a smile crept upon his face.

Marcel chuckled light heartedly and clinked his glass against Klaus' before taking a casual swig. "Just keeping things light my friend – after all, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

The whole tavern suddenly went quiet as soldiers stared blankly off into space. "Tell me about it," Klaus replied as he chugged back his drink. Slamming his glass down on the bar, he looked up to the ceiling and then back over to Marcel. "So there is something I want to do before tomorrow," Klaus stated as a smile crept onto his face.

Marcel shook his head at his friend with a knowing grin. "Niklaus the night is young, what is it that you want my friend?"

"First off, I need to go find more cigarettes and matches. I have seemed to run out."

"Already?" Marcel glanced over to Klaus with a questioning look on his face. "We just bought a pack this morning."

"I know, but this war is enough to drive anyone insane. I find smoking a good way to calm me down and keep my head in check."

"You got that right my friend, hasn't this war turned us all into avid chain smokers. Alright, walk with me. I know a place close by where we can get some." Marcel threw some money down on the bar covering his and Klaus' drinks and began to make his way out of the pub with Klaus following close behind. "What else is it that you want to do? Surely you don't just want to smoke the night away."

Klaus glanced over at his friend and let out a small chuckle. "Of course not, I want to go out and wreck some havoc with my best friend before we go and get ourselves slaughtered tomorrow. Maybe we can even find some ladies of the night to get lost in… you know, for about thirty seconds." Klaus smiled as he attempted to throw Marcel's earlier joke back in his friends face.

"Well when you put it that way, how can one say no?"

xxxx

Klaus awoke the next morning disoriented and with a pounding headache. As he sat up slowly, he took in his surroundings and realized he was still sitting at one of the tables in the brothel. He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he remembered everything that happened the night prior. The sex was alright; it wasn't anything mind blowing but it none the less got the job done. As Klaus became more awake, his head began to throb signaling the beginning of a hangover. Between Marcel and himself, they probably drank the brothel clean. If there was one good thing about this war, it was that it brought him his friend Marcel. Who would have known there was someone else out there just like him?

Marcel was still passed out with his head down on the opposite end of the table. "Marcel," Klaus called out as he reached out and shook his friend lightly to awaken him.

He didn't budge.

"Marcel!" Klaus shouted a little louder and shook him just a little bit harder.

He still didn't budge.

Grunting out of frustration, he stood up and retrieved a glass filled with water from the bar and walked back over to his friend. He watched on in amusement as he slowly poured the entirety of the glass over his friend's head; Marcel jolting awake, abruptly startled and kicking in every which way.

"What the hell!" Marcel shouted as he jumped out of his seat. "Could you have woken me up without giving me pneumonia?" He questioned as he glared daggers at Klaus.

"I tried but you weren't moving," Klaus stated with a shrug as he tried to defend himself. Marcel looked as if he wanted to kill him. "We need to get going anyway… big day ahead, remember? I need a nice meal and a power nap before we launch this operation this evening. I needed a quick and effective way to wake you up. Also, I thought it would be mildly entertaining to watch." Klaus smirked wickedly. "And it was."

"Of course you thought that would be amusing, and yes how could I forget?"

Klaus slapped Marcel on the back in order to display that they were in this together, and that no one could tear them apart. The two men walked out of the brothel, and made their way back to base in order to meet the Germans and their allies without any hesitation or fear.

XXXX

When Klaus and Marcel made it back to base they engaged in a meal with their fellow soldiers and slept until their Sergeant gathered the entire unit in the common meeting area. The two friends quickly dressed and made their way to the meeting area where last minute plans and details were being discussed. In order for the operation to succeed the navy and air force needed to work hand in hand and everyone needed to understand the plans; there was no room for miscommunication.

The men were also informed that the Western Poles recently joined the Germans and Italians to reinforce the men that the axis powers lost in battle. While this increased the numbers they were up against, the confidence of the men did not dwindle; everyone knew that the Western Poles were forced into conscription. Klaus couldn't help but smile. Perfect, he thought. Klaus knew all about the Germans and how they had barged into Poland and occupied their territory. With occupation meant conscription, and with forced loyalty Klaus knew these men could care less about the German cause, they were simply fighting for their life. Fighting without a united front would make them weak and vulnerable, a fact Klaus planned to take full advantage of. After all, they didn't call him 'The Wolf' for nothing.

Once the men were dismissed, Klaus and Marcel made their way to the HMS Eagle ship in order to find out where their plane was located. The friends assumed their plane would be located on the landing pad looking out to the ocean as there were dozens of other planes and helicopters in the area. Out of the corner his eye, Klaus spotted his precious plane. It looked a little worn but it flew smoothly and was a powerful little thing none the less. Once Klaus gained Marcel's attention, the two men made their way over to the plane where an inspector seemed to be doing a final inspection.

"Dean, my friend, how are you?" Klaus questioned as he approached his acquaintance.

Looking up from his clipboard Dean nodded to the two men. "Klaus, Marcel. I am doing fine thanks. Just finishing up some last minute inspections before we launch the operation."

Klaus reached over to touch his plane. He ran his hand over the hard metal as he analyzed the tiny scratches and gouges. He could remember every battle he fought in this plane which led his thoughts to wander to his impending mortality. He has already been far too lucky in this war; he could thank Henrik for being his guardian angel. However an unsettling feeling dwindled inside him as he thought about the operation; he did not feel good about this. Klaus couldn't put his hand on it but something was about to drastically change.

Attempting to shake the thoughts out of his head and the feeling in his gut, Klaus dropped his hand from the plane and turned his attention to Dean. "How's the hummingbird anyway?"

Dean smiled, "She's a beauty. Seems to be in amazing condition for a war, you can tell you can take care of her."

Klaus smiled with pride at Deans words. "Thanks mate; she is my pride and joy."

Rolling his eyes, Marcel decided to interrupt the conversation. "You know it's just a plane right? You sound like you want to get married to it."

Klaus turned over to look at Marcel and clutched his heart. "I think your words may have just wounded me."

Dean busted out laughing at the two characters in front of him. Once he calmed down he signed off on the inspection papers and looked back up to Klaus. "Plane is all good…. 'Hummingbird,' that is an interesting name, where did you get it?"

Klaus just looked down from Dean's eyes not wanting to reveal the truth behind the name. "The plane hums and it flies… reminded me of a hummingbird, that's all."

Dean just nodded and gave Klaus a pat on the back before he walked away. "Gotta go deliver these papers, but good luck tonight."

Klaus and Marcel both nodded in response.

About five minutes after Dean left, the ship began to make its pursuit into the Mediterranean Sea. The men on the ship stood in their positions, ready for action at any moment. Klaus and Marcel stayed stationed by their plane, alert and on defence. They were ready to pounce at any sight of action.

The wait felt like hours.

The men remained silent as they held their breaths in anticipation; at any moment they could be sighted by the Germans. To Klaus waiting was the worst, it forced you to think and thinking during these times usually left you debating whether if you were going to see tomorrow or not. It's too quiet, too still, Klaus thought as the night continued to drag on. He looked out to the ocean and saw nothing but darkness - it surrounded him and consumed him. Anxiety slowly arose within Klaus making his palms sweaty and his head dizzy. Eventually his thoughts drifted to Henrik which slowly eased his body and mind. Klaus would fight this war for him, to avenge his death, not caring if he died in the process. If Klaus died, it didn't matter, no one would miss him anyway.

Another uneventful hour passed and the men aboard the ship began to relax as they became comfortable with their surroundings. At first small whispers and little conversations were exchanged; eventually the men on board began to tell jokes which resulted in random bursts of laughter. That was until the HMS Eagle was shaken violently as a loud explosion rang in the men's ears. All of the men on board fell to the ground, while the unfortunate men standing too close to the edge of the ship plummeted into the dark cold water.

"What the hell was that?" Marcel screamed as he picked himself off the floor.

Attempting to rid himself of the ringing in his ears, Klaus shook his head and looked up to his friend from the ground. "What did you say?"

Marcel extended his hand to help his friend off of the ground. As soon as Klaus was back on his feet Marcel repeated himself, "What the hell was that?"

Looking around Klaus responded, "Nothing good I can tell you that much… Come." Klaus waved Marcel over as he headed towards the edge of the boat.

"Don't get to close. Just in case it happens again... you don't want to fly off." Marcel warned his friend.

Klaus nodded and looked over the edge of the boat cautiously. Sure enough his suspicion had just been confirmed; they were hit by an enemy U-boat missile. The derby from the bottom of the ship was scattered along the water, as well as the bodies of those men who had fallen. There was no time to mourn them now, they had to act and act quickly.

Klaus turned toward his friend and motioned him away from the edge of the ship. "Seems to be a German U-boat missile. We need to move, now, I doubt that is the last of them!"

The men had to move quickly; from what Klaus saw the damage in the boat was grave. Any minute the ship could start sinking and they would be submerged in the water. Either the men would drown or the enemy would come around and collect the survivors and take them as prisoners. Not to mention, more missiles were headed their way, which would definitely speed up the sinking process. Klaus and Marcel just looked at each other before they began to run in opposite directions. Klaus was running to the plane, while Marcel was making his way to the safety boats.

"What are you doing?!" Marcel shouted over all of the commotion on the boat. "We are supposed to use the safety boats, we can't leave anyone behind! We are only supposed to hop in the planes if the Luftwaffe shows up and starts shooting us down!"

"I'm going to kill them!" Klaus shouted as he continued his pursuit to the plane. "I am not leaving her behind!"

"Klaus it is just a god damn plane for crying out loud! We will get another one once we get to safety!" Marcel was now getting frustrated with his friend; he was going against orders which would either lead them to their death or shame within the unit. "You are going against orders; we need to help the others reach safety before we just take off in our comfortable little plane!"

Klaus finally stopped what he was doing and turned around to face his friend. "I don't care! I do not follow anyone's orders but my own… I will kill the Axis powers with my bare hands if I have to! I am sick and tired of running and hiding from them! I will take action… are you with me or not?"

Marcel was about to answer his friend but a humming noise began to fill the air. Both men looked up to see the German Luftwaffe circling above them. Every time Klaus saw the German planes it brought his mind back to the night that Henrik died; the only way he could rid the image was to be up in the air shooting them down. Looking back to Marcel, Klaus questioned him one last time, "Well are you with me?"

Marcel dropped his head from the sky and looked at his friend with determination in his eyes. "Hell yeah!"

Both of the men continued their pursuit toward the plane. They ran and dodged other soldiers who were in motion while they also kept an eye on the enemy looming above them. Klaus was just waiting for the moment when the Germans decided to gun them down from the air – he hoped to make it into his plane and in the air before then.

Suddenly Klaus and Marcel were once again knocked off their feet as another explosion rocked the ship. Men were scattered all over the floor as the ringing in their ears prevented them from getting a grasp on their balance. As if the blow wasn't enough to delay and rattle the allies, the German Luftwaffe began to bomb and gun down the ship, creating chaos for the men who were still alive.

Klaus attempted to push himself off the ground but fell back down as the pressure in his head prevented him from finding his balance. Resting his head back on the ground, he attempted to look at his blurry surroundings. He saw fire surrounding and consuming him from all sides. He watched as the flames burned an auburn colour as they climbed high into the night. The night was burning and all he could do was cover his eyes. He closed them and let the darkness consume him as he accepted that his brothers, along with himself were going to perish this night. Klaus could hear the sky falling down as the German Luftwaffe continued to gun them down; he could hear his people screaming out. Hopelessness engulfed him as he allowed himself to get lost even further into the darkness.

Marcel looked over and saw his friend lying still with his eyes closed. Fear slowly crept though Marcel as he thought the worst but he quickly calmed when he saw the even rising and lowering of Klaus' chest. Marcel gathered his strength and slowly pushed himself off the ground and crawled over to his friend.

A violent shaking made Klaus open his eyes. "Klaus get up, we need to move!"

Klaus opened his eyes to see Marcel hovering above him. Just as Klaus was about to respond, Marcel screamed out in pain as he collapsed onto Klaus.

"Marcel!" Klaus shouted as a shot of adrenaline coursed through him. He pushed himself onto his knees as he reached out to his friend who was curled in a fetal position on the floor. Looking over his friend, Klaus saw the bullet wound on Marcel's back that was located in the area where his heart lay. As he reached for his friend, Klaus could slowly see the life being drained from his eyes. Klaus attempted to put pressure on the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding, glancing around quickly for anything to help. Marcel would be wounded but he was not going to let him die. "Just hang in there buddy." Klaus half dragged, half carried Marcel to a spot behind a set of cargo bins in an attempt to shield them from all that was happening around them. Once he settled Marcel, the cloth over the wound and his hands were quickly drenched in blood. He couldn't stop it, Marcel was bleeding too much. Klaus reached into his jacket to retrieve another cloth, it immediately stained through and he knew it was no use.

His friend was dying.

"Would you look at that," Marcel coughed up as he reached around to feel the wound that his enemy had created. He knew he was going to die, but what a better way to die than to die for your country with your best friend by your side, "It's been one hell of a ride with you brother, don't have too much fun without me while I am away."

Klaus couldn't help but crack a smile. Marcel would try to make a joke as he was dying. "I won't, I promise." Klaus reassured as he watched Marcel begin to desperately gasp for air. Eventually blood began to trickle out of his friend's mouth, and within minutes Klaus slowly felt Marcel go limp in his arms. He only let a single tear escape his eyes before his demeanor changed and the anger began to boil quickly inside of him. First Henrik, and now Marcel. He didn't even know if his other brothers were still alive and Rebekah was off doing God knows what in some foreign land. This war was tearing his family apart; everything Klaus had ever lived for was being taken from his hands.

Closing Marcel's eyes and gently placing him on the ground, he carefully removed the bloody dog tags from around his neck and stuffed them in his chest pocket. Then Klaus took one last look at his friend before he got up and charged towards his plane. He was forced to run in a zig-zag type pattern as he was attempting to dodge bullets, bodies and debris among the shop; the sudden movements of his body would prevent a German plane from locking him as a target. When Klaus finally reached the plane, he jumped in the cockpit and fired up the machine with ease. Once the plane was roaring with life, Klaus looked out to the commotion on the ship – the hard part would be getting the plane up into the air. The deck consisted of bodied and debris, as well as pockets of fire that were now scattered all over the ship from the enemy bombs. Klaus needed to find a clear path for takeoff; glancing around, Klaus noticed that the only clear path available on deck seemed to be along the edge of this ship that now loomed dangerously close to the water. The boat could sink any minute.

Klaus needed to act and act now.

Carefully, he manoeuvred his plane toward the edge of the ship and took a deep breath.

Klaus wasn't one to pray; he was not sure if he even believed in a God but praying felt appropriate in the moment. He silently prayed that another missile wouldn't come and knock him off the edge of the ship before he could get up into the air, he prayed that the other men found their strength to fight back and make it to safety, he prayed for Marcel who only moments ago became another star in the sky. He prayed for the safety of his family, and lastly he asked Henrik to guide him throughout the night. Wiping away tears and sweat from his crimson eyes, Klaus charged full speed down his makeshift lane. As he drove over the bumpy surface of the ship, he began to pull his steering downward for takeoff. Relief filled him once he felt himself lift off into the air. He let out a scream, one of victory before he locked his eyes on his target. Klaus was burning red; he would get his revenge.

On the count of three, Klaus gripped the trigger tightly and began to gun down the planes hovering around him. One by one they fell into the dark sea, leaving a path of black smoke behind them. The sky eventually became full of thick smoke which left Klaus unable to fully see his surroundings. Darkness consumed him as the humming of planes filled his ears. Klaus tried not to make any drastic moves. There was one of him and a million other Germans, he tried to use the invisibility to his advantage and go on undetected. Only when a plane was directly below him would he open fire.

After several minutes the sky suddenly went quiet, all Klaus could hear was the beating of his heart and the buzzing of his plane. The others seemed to have disappeared from his line of sight. Klaus knew he couldn't have possibly shot them all down, they must have figured out that an Allied plane had made it into the air. Klaus held his breath as he waited in anticipation for the next move.

From the distance Klaus could hear another plane approaching. He squinted his eyes in an attempt to locate the plane but he had no luck. The sound crept closer and closer until Klaus could no longer distinguish which way the plane was coming from. As far as Klaus could tell it was circling him. Screaming in frustration, Klaus opened fire shooting in every direction in an attempt to gun the plane down. The sudden outburst of noise and sparks must have given the enemy plane an advantage as it charged directly toward Klaus and ended up ripping the wing of his plane.

One German sacrifice to save the lives of many others.

After Klaus recovered from the blow, panic swelled inside of him. He began to spiral downward towards the dark water after his enemy's plane. Thinking fast, Klaus reached for his emergency eject lever and pulled with all of his might. The ejection tossed Klaus, along with his seat out of the plane as a parachute shot out in order to attempt a safe landing; the only problem was that Klaus was surrounded by gallons of water. He looked down to watch his Hummingbird plummet towards its death; before it could even reach the water, it exploded into a ball of fire.

Klaus looked around at his surroundings. His plane was falling in tiny pieces into the water and the HMS was now mostly submerged; the parts above sea level were engulfed with a raging fire. As Klaus fell closer and closer to the water, he tried to come up with a plan but failed. When he was close enough to the black waves, he unbuckled himself from the seat and jumped into the water; he needed to get out of the way before the parachute landed on top of him and trapped him underneath. Klaus swam as fast as he could to move away from the falling seat; eventually stopping when he was far enough away. Klaus treaded the water as he watched his lifeline slowly sink to the depths of the ocean.

Klaus slowly felt his body going weak; he needed to find a way out of the ocean before his muscles gave up on him. Looking around he saw nothing but debris that came from the ship. He quickly swam over to the largest piece of wood he could find and held onto it for dear life.

So yeah.. what do you think is going to happen now? How will they meet?

Also, the Klaroline awards are coming up. Don't forget to nominate your favourite stories! (this one maybe? :P)