Chapter Eight

'Get ready, love. We leave in half an hour.' Klaus said after knocking on my door long enough to assure that I was awake.

I groaned in response and threw one of my pillows at the door, pulling the spare one over my head. I hadn't slept a wink last night and while I wasn't exactly cheery in the mornings after a good nights sleep, without any shuteye I was murderous. As if he could sense this, I heard Klaus chuckle from the other side of my door, I was about to tell him exactly what he could do with his wake up call when his voice cut me off.

'Meet me and Stefan over at the bar when you're ready, love.' He said, his voice abrupt, making me frown. He usually loved teasing me in the morning; my crankiness was hilarious to him, so the fact that he was willingly walking away was a little concerning. The sleepy fog present in my brain was as strong as it had been all night; but no matter how much it tried to lull me into sleep it just kept failing. This happened whenever we slept in a hotel; usually I managed to get at least a few hours but last night I'd been wide awake all night, staring at the ceiling. I wondered if Klaus' presence had something to do with that; I never had trouble sleeping when I was in the car, and when I'd woken up in his arms yesterday I'd felt more refreshed than I ever had, despite getting up at the crack of dawn. That didn't make any sense though, I'd never needed Klaus to sleep before and I didn't need him now, at least that was what I attempted to convince myself.

With an annoyed huff, I pushed the covers away from me and climbed into the shower, sighing in pleasure as the hot water cascaded over my body. I washed my hair, planning to leave it down to dry on its own. Once I was out of the shower and I'd dried my body, I went to the freshly laundered clothes that were folded neatly on my dresser. I already had an idea of what I was going to wear, so I just needed to find what I was looking for. As I was doing this I carefully packed the rest of my clothes into my duffel on the bed as I searched through the pile. I sighed in relief when a pair of my black high waisted shorts came into view, with my light blue crop top; it was supposed to be one of the hottest days of the year today and I planned to dress accordingly. After I'd dressed and made sure I had everything, I made my way out the door and over the road. I went put my bag into the back seat of the truck, seeing as Klaus never bothered to lock it, then I made my way into the bar.

'You look murderous,' Stefan said after his eyes took in my expression, he grinned in amusement when I glared at him in response.

'Are we gonna go?' I said, looking over to Klaus who looked just as amused as Stefan did, 'I don't think he's going to stay dead for much longer.'

'My thoughts exactly, love. Stefan why don't you grab Ray and put him in the trunk of the car.' Klaus said, holding open the bar door, gesturing for me to go first, I gave him a thankful nod but otherwise didn't respond. I got into the car, clicking on my seat belt while I idly wondered if I would be able to get any sleep on the way there.

'How long are we going to be driving for?' I asked Klaus once he'd gotten behind the wheel.

'Not long love, probably twenty minutes, if that. But we do have a few hours of a hike ahead of us though.'

I felt my face drop. A few hours to hike on a good nights sleep? No problem, in fact I would probably enjoy it. But two hours on no sleep? I was fucked, completely and utterly fucked. I slumped down into my seat, avoiding the temptation to cross my arms over my chest and pout like a five year old. I was just going to have to get on with it; it was as simple as that. I stared out of the window, searching for Elena and Jeremy's feelings when all of a sudden my vision was taken over. I gasped, my arm shooting out in Klaus' direction, almost to see if he was actually there. I was a little relieved when my hand touched his arm, but it only quelled the panic a little.

'Klaus,' I said, my voice horrified.

'Love?' Klaus replied, and I could hear as well as feel his concern.

'I can't see. I can't-' I broke off when a string of images took over in my brain; it was like I was somewhere else watching privately from the shadows. I grabbed Klaus' hand and placed it to my face, allowing him into my mind so he could see what I saw.

Klaus was standing in the middle of the clearing, a beer bottle in his hand, his arms outstretched with a defeated look on his face.

'What happened?' Stefan asked, as he threw Ray's dead body on the floor.

'They're dead,' I said from my place on a rock, not far from where Klaus was standing. None of them could see me, standing at the edge of the trees, watching.

'Some of them went rabid and killed each other, while the others just bled out.' Klaus said, sounding sad, I noticed myself shift on the rock as if I wanted to reach out and comfort him but I was restraining myself. I knew why when he suddenly exploded a second later.

'I did everything I was told!' Klaus shouted, sounding pissed, 'I killed a vampire. I killed a werewolf.' He stopped and looked in between Stefan and me, his eyes softening slightly when he met mine, 'I killed a doppelgänger. It should have worked!' I continued to look at him, probably trying to take away some of his frustration, while Stefan avoiding Klaus' eyes, nervous at the mention of Elena.

'There must be a reason. We'll figure it out.' I said, my voice so low, if he hadn't had supernatural hearing he wouldn't have heard it.

'Yes, love. We will.' He replied, most of the anger disappearing as he spoke to me and I wondered from my place in the shadows if I had something to do with that.

I gasped as my vision returned and I was suddenly back in the car, with Klaus' hands still gently on my face where I'd placed them. I saw in his eyes that he was concerned with what he had just seen, and so was I. I could feel the worry in my eyes as I looked to his.

'What was that?' I asked him, slightly afraid of the answer.

'Your powers are growing, love. I believe that you've just had a vision. Of the future,' He said, looking to me a somewhat proud expression on his face.

'Does that mean that the pack we are just about to go after is going to…die?' I asked.

'Looks that way, love.' He said, looking devastated, though he was trying to hide it. I placed my hand to the side of his face, my thumb rubbing back and forth comfortingly.

'What do you want to do?' I murmured, mainly to distract myself from wanting to press my lips to his. So much for getting him out of my system; my body was more on fire and craving him more than ever.

'We're going to continue as planned, love.' Klaus said, 'seeing as you've not had a vision before we don't know yet if they're completely accurate.' He tried to turn his face away from mine, but I kept my hand firmly on the side of his face; though if he really wanted to he could have easily turned away.

I could feel the denial coming off him in waves but I could also sense a slither of fear, what surprised me was how much I hated him feeling that way. I knew how much this meant to him and having my vision ruin his plans must have been hard for him to see or believe, which I understood and he did have a point; I'd never had a vision before so there was a possibility that it wouldn't be true. I leaned forward and kissed the cheek that my hand wasn't covering, amplifying the calming waves I was sending in his direction, my lips lingered on his skin for a second too long before I pulled back, looking into his eyes, which were now slightly calmer.

'Okay,' I agreed, knowing that he needed to do this. I reluctantly moved my hand away from his face after a moment and scooted back to my seat, not knowing when I'd made it over next to him. He took a minute to collect himself and I was happy to sense that the fear was gone and most of the denial had simmered down into almost nothing. Stefan walked out of the bar, Ray thrown over his shoulder; he quickly flashed him into the trunk, probably to avoid anyone seeing, before he himself got into the back of the car. We started driving, and for the first time I spent the whole twenty minutes in silence as I focused on Klaus' feelings, assuring that he wasn't letting the anxiety overcome him. I could feel that he was concerned at one point, but I quickly took that away before it could manifest into something else. We arrived at the bottom of the mountains roughly twenty minutes later, and I fought back a groan, wondering how the hell I was going to do this on no sleep and with zero energy. Stefan grabbed Ray, slinging him over his shoulder as he followed Klaus, while I started out walking next to Stefan; within the next hour I had fallen about a hundred yards behind him. My energy was withering into nothing and I was about five minutes away from giving up, planting myself on the nearest rock and telling them to come and get me when it was over. But while the thought of curling up in a ball was tempting I knew I had to keep going. I was so focused on putting one foot in front of another that I didn't realise that Stefan and Klaus had come to a stop until I literally walked right into them. Klaus reached out to steady me, and once he was sure I wasn't going to fall he moved his hands away. I frowned, confused, I glanced around us as if that would give some hint as to why we had come to a sudden stop but there was nothing that explained it, so I looked up to Klaus' amused gaze and asked him.

'Why have we stopped?'

'You look like your struggling, love. Would you like a sip of water? A sit down?' Klaus asked, his tone was filled with mirth but I could see the smallest amount of worry glimmering in his eyes.

'As nice as it is for you to offer, if I sit down I'm not sure I'll get back up,' I answered him honestly. I patted his chest as I made a move to walk ahead of him, ignoring the protests of my muscles, 'we better keep going.' Before I could completely move my hand away from Klaus' chest, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him, the shift in balance almost making me fall on my ass, much to his delight.

'What's wrong love?' He asked, looking into my eyes as if they were going to tell me the answer.

'I didn't sleep last night. At all, so my lack of energy is making me a little slower, sorry,' I said, deciding to answer him honestly, 'but in all fairness, I probably would have been trailing behind you anyway, I'm the only human here,' I murmured, trying to lighten the mood. He smirked slightly, but I could tell he was still worried.

'Stop it,' I said, referring to the worry I could feel coming off him, 'I'm fine,' I went to move away again, but he didn't release his hold on my wrist, but before I could insist for him to release me, I was suddenly swept up off the floor.

'What the hell are you doing?' I asked, trying to sound pissed but that was difficult when by body was overcome with relief at not having to stand up straight anymore. He was holding me against his chest, bridal style, and I would be lying if I said I was uncomfortable.

'Can't have you falling behind, love,' Klaus said, gripping me tighter against him. I could feel the surprise coming off Stefan but at that moment I just didn't care; in his arms I felt calm and safe. I know, weird but I couldn't help it if that was the way I felt. I sensed all of the argument draining from me as I melted into his arms, more comfortable there and then than I had been in the hotel bed last night. My eyes fluttered closed and I nuzzled into the crook of his neck my arm grabbing his shoulder for leverage to keep myself there. I heard him chuckle in amusement and that was the last thing I registered before I was out like a light.

Klaus' P.O.V

I heard her breathing even out and I hid my surprise at how fast she had fallen asleep. She must have been exhausted; I had seen it before we started hiking but I knew that she would have to wear herself out a little first before she would even consider letting me carry her. She was stubborn, much like myself and I found it both infuriating and amusing at times. I felt her nuzzle deeper into my neck, inhaling and I smiled at the sensation. For whatever reason this incredible woman wasn't intimidated by me, or scared of me and I liked that she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, even knowing that I could end her life in less than a second. I never would; not even I could kill her with no remorse, she was so innocent, so pure.

'Let's keep moving, mate.' I said to Stefan, ignoring his shocked face at how tender I was being with Kim, as I moved forward. We could both easily use vampire speed to finish this journey in three minutes flat, but I didn't see the point in rushing; Ray would be dead for at least another hour and if I was honest, Kim looked like she could use the sleep.

'What's going on between you two?' Stefan asked, his tone seeming to be laced with curiosity and worry that he was trying and failing to hide.

I smirked as I looked over to him; he had every right to be worried, he had seen all that I had done, but he didn't know that I would never hurt her. He didn't need to know that either, no one could know because I wouldn't risk her being used as a weakness against me. I couldn't help but let my mind flash back to yesterday though. The way her eyes had darkened lustfully before she'd slammed her lips to mine, the way she'd looked at me when I'd sunk into her, the way she moaned in pleasure, the way her skin felt against mine. I had been with many girls in the past thousand years, but none had ever been anything like that. She was incredible. I thought that tasting her once would satisfy my desire to taste her and I would be able to stop sneaking glances at her when she wasn't paying attention, but if anything I wanted her more than I had before. She made me feel a sense of protectiveness whenever she was near, and when I touched her I couldn't help but feel calm and almost content but I pushed that away; I didn't need anyone to make me content I was an Original hybrid that couldn't be killed and I was indestructible, I didn't need anything or anyone else. I felt my eyes harden at my thoughts only to immediately soften when I heard her sigh into my neck.

'I'm not sure what you mean, mate.' I replied, my signature smirk present on my face.

Stefan's worry just grew and I knew that he was biting back a threat, which only served to amuse me more; I had over nine hundred years on him and I could probably kill him in my sleep. Though I couldn't fault the need he felt to protect her, the need that anyone would feel if they were with her long enough to see how protective and how empathetic she was of others. The fact that she could empathise with me, Klaus Mikaelson the man who had killed her sister was unbelievable in itself. I had seen an example of her empathy just over an hour ago, when she'd allowed me into her mind to see her vision. I had been in denial and the slightest bit afraid that I wasn't going to be able to build my hybrid army, but she had taken it all away, allowing me to feel calm. If she really hated me, like she should, then she wouldn't care how I felt. While we made the journey here in the car and she had remained silent, I had been concerned for her; I was concerned that she was angry with me for disputing her vision, but when I felt my concern disappear as quickly as I'd felt it I had realised what she was doing. She was focused on me, making sure that I wasn't feeling anything other than the calming waves she kept aiming my way, and when I realised that I felt my heart squeeze reluctantly, as my soft spot for her grew even deeper. A soft spot that had been growing since I'd first laid eyes on her in the history teachers body; it had become massively deeper when she'd told me that I had been her first. I still couldn't believe that, I knew she had told me the truth, but she was exquisite and I found the idea of no one before me noticing that ludicrous. I had been about to tell her that before Ray had decided to try and escape and forced me to stop him.

'I think we're close,' I heard Stefan say, his tone still laced with concern, but I ignored it.

'Wonderful,' I said as I stepped forward, making myself visible, they looked confused, eyeing me and the beautiful sleeping girl in my arms, but their expressions immediately became fearful when Stefan walked forward, throwing Ray's dead body to the floor.

'Ray? Oh my god, what happened?' A brunette woman demanded as she fell on her knees next to Ray's dead body, I smirked at her, and she stepped back when she noticed that my eyes were glittering dangerously.

'The important question is who am I. Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus.' I said, grinning when they all retreated a step, I didn't need Kimberly to be conscious to tell me that they were afraid.

'You're the hybrid,' She said.

'You've heard of me. Fantastic,' I smiled, enjoying the fact that they were afraid of me even with a sleeping girl in my arms. I went to hand her to Stefan, knowing that I would need my hands free in a moment if I was going to put the whole pack into transition, but her hands curled around my shirt, holding on tightly as if she knew what I was about to do. She didn't want me to let her go, and I decided that for a little longer, I wouldn't. I didn't need my hands free as I was explaining the benefits of what I was. I sat next to Stefan on a giant rock facing the pack of soon to be hybrids; or soon to be dead hybrids if Kimberly's vision was going to come true. She curled into my chest, inhaling deeply and I unconsciously held her tighter.

'It's fascinating, actually...A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid.' I said, looking to each of their expressions as I tried to gauge their reactions; their expressions told me they were wary of me but also a little curious. Fantastic. I was about to elaborate when Ray suddenly shot up on the ground, gasping for air.

'Excellent timing, Ray. Very dramatic.' I murmured, my voice dripping with mirth.

Ray looked a little confused and afraid as he looked around at his pack and then to me, 'what's happening to me?' He asked.

'Stefan?' I prompted, indicating for him to complete the last step of the transformation, seeing as my hands were a little full.

Stefan moved forward, grabbing Ray by the scruff of his collar as he turned him around to face his pack.

'Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die.' Stefan said, his voice deliberately emotionless.

'Doesn't take much, just a sip. Anyone? A boyfriend, a girlfriend, along for the ride?' My eyes travelled over everyone as I sorted through the different scents in the air until I stopped on a man when his human blood overwhelmed me.

'You!' I said, nodding in his direction, Stefan flashed over to him without another word, grabbing him, biting into his forearm and throwing him in front of the transitioning hybrid.

New vampires weren't known for their restraint, so I wasn't surprised when Ray rushed forward, his teeth sinking into the human's arm without another word. Stefan pulled him away after he'd had enough, aware that we would need him for the others. He healed the human with his blood and compelled him to stay calm and to not go anywhere. Ray's condition looked a little discouraging and I felt a ball of concern growing in my gut as my mind went back to Kimberly's vision. I didn't want this to fail, so I refused to acknowledge that there was more than a distinct possibility that that was going to happen. I stood from the rock, carefully placing Kimberly down on it, much to her annoyance; she groaned and tried to hold on to me, making me smile but I was able to get her to release me easily. Once I was completely out of her grip, I turned around, about to address the rest of the werewolves in front of me. But when Kim shot up with a gasp behind me, I twisted around and smirked at her. I waited for her eyes to meet mine before I said anything.

'Afternoon, love. Did you have a nice nap?' I said, amused that she had awoken as soon as I'd let go of her. It made me wonder if my lack of presence was why she hadn't been able to sleep last night. Before I could give it anymore thought, however I was snapped out of my thoughts as she stepped off the rock, glancing around her to gain her bearings.

Kimberly's P.O.V

'Afternoon, love. Did you have a nice nap?' I heard Klaus ask, his voice amused.

I frowned at the sunlight glaring down on me as I pushed myself off the rock, looking around to see where we were. I noticed a dozen people standing behind Klaus, and when I saw Ray awake with blood dripping down his face I figured that this was his pack and Ray had been the demonstration. I winced when their fear suddenly overcame me; I had never experienced this much fear all at once before and I took it all in without even stopping to consider the consequences. Which given the fact that taking two people's fear had virtually given me a panic attack, taking six times that amount was probably not the brightest thing I had ever done.

'Kim?' I heard Stefan and Klaus say at the same time.

I leaned back against the rock, suddenly feeling very weak, 'I'm fine', I said, trying to ignore the fact that my breaths were coming sporadically and I was starting to see black spots in my vision. Klaus didn't look convinced and he came to lean beside me on the rock. I noticed that he was controlling his expression; he looked careless and his body language was casual but I could feel the concern coming off him, instinctively I went to take it not caring that it would probably make me even worse than I already was. I stopped when I felt Klaus' hand on my back, his fingers extending to my waist and squeezing me in warning, knowing exactly what I had planned to do. He moved his hand to splay against my back, his thumb moving back and forth comfortingly. He didn't want any of the others to know what he was doing so I didn't react to him touching me, at least not visually; my heart was beating through my ribcage and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from moaning when I felt his hand over where he had probably left bruises where he had grabbed me passionately the day before.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for my breathing to go back to normal or for my vision to clear. I realized that Klaus was the only one who could calm me down and ground me enough to let me deal with other people's emotions healthily. I didn't have time to ponder why as he stepped away from me, moving forward to address the dozen, now calm, werewolves. I sat back onto the rock, bringing my legs to my chest as I rested my head on my knees.

'Anyway as I was saying…' Klaus started, looking to a woman who was stood more further forward from the rest of the pack, 'It's the new order, sweetheart. You join us, or you die.' He said, and I didn't need to see his expression to know that he was probably grinning maliciously. I knew this was going to end badly, if I hadn't had that vision earlier then I would have known from the feeling of dread cascading over me in that moment, but I knew Klaus needed to see it happen with his own two eyes to believe it.

'I'd rather die than be a vampire,' the woman Klaus was talking to sneered.

'Wrong choice,'' he said, flashing over to her before he bit his wrist, fed her his blood and quickly snapped her neck, 'she'll thank me for that later.'

I rolled my eyes at his arrogance, but otherwise remained silent. He turned to everyone else, smiling in a way that brought out his dimples, 'who's next?' He asked, when no one volunteered he made his way around everyone; completing the same steps he had with the woman. When they were all dead he made his way back to the rock, leaning next to me so close that our arms touched, but in that moment I didn't mind; I was mentally and physically exhausted and for whatever reason his touch comforted me. Though I did resist the urge to lean my head against his shoulder; I was supposed to be keeping my distance, and I'd already screwed that up enough for one day.

'They're dead. They're all dead.' Ray said, I looked around Klaus to see him sitting on the floor, his arms around his knees as he rocked back and forth.

'Ah he's through his transition. He should be feeling better soon.' Klaus said, not answering Ray's ramblings. I frowned and gave him an 'are you sure about that look', which made him give me an 'I don't know' look in return. I felt his indecisiveness flow from him and I took it with a hand to his shoulder, giving him a comforting squeeze when I was done before pulling away.

'So this is your plan?' Stefan asked, pulling Klaus' attention away from me, 'build an army of hybrid slaves?'

'No, not slaves. Soldier's, comrades.' Klaus answered, reaching forward to grab a beer bottle before he opened it and took a sip, he offered some to me and I took it gratefully taking a big gulp before handing it back to him.

'For what may I ask?' Stefan said, glancing between the two of us warily, I could feel how uncomfortable he was at how relaxed Klaus and I were with each other. I sent a reassuring wave his way and felt him relax a little.

'Oh, you don't arm yourself after war has been declared, Stefan. You build your army so big that no one ever dares pick a fight.' Klaus replied as if the answer was obvious, in all fairness it did make a little sense, but I didn't understand why an invincible hybrid needed protection from anything; Stefan looked like he was wondering the same thing when he replied.

'What makes you think they'll be loyal?'

'Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team. That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder.' Klaus responded, taking a gulp of beer before smiling at Stefan knowingly.

'That's why you're, uh...you're keeping me around? To witness my attitude adjustment?' Stefan asked with a laugh, I looked to Klaus and thought I recognized the same glimmer of recognition in his eyes that I had seen all those months ago before it disappeared again. He looked over to Ray, his hand coming to his face as he forced him to look up to him, his eyes were bleeding and I felt as well as saw Klaus' concern as it overcame him. I took it before it had a chance to grow and I noticed him send me an unreadable look before he replied to Stefan.

'You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know.' Klaus said, his voice final, indicating that he didn't want Stefan to continue to question him. He turned back to Ray, his frown deepening, 'something's wrong.'

'That shouldn't be happening should it?' Stefan murmured, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the crimson tears running down Ray's face.

'Well obviously.' Klaus replied, his tone hinting at his frustration.

I looked at Ray and noticed he was shivering, but when I tried to focus on his emotions I came up blank; he wasn't feeling anything.

'You said I was going to feel better. Why don't I feel better?' Ray asked.

'Some master race,' Stefan said his tone snarky, I gave him a warning look, knowing better than to aggravate Klaus right now.

'Lose the attitude.' Klaus said, his tone one of warning before he looked over to the first woman he had killed as she woke up, he looked over to the human who was stood to the side waiting for his orders, 'come on. Feed your girlfriend.' Klaus murmured gesturing to the confused woman on the floor.

I make a move to go to Ray, feeling a sudden rush of pain coming from him, when he suddenly jumped up off the floor making a move to attack me, Stefan pulled him back just in time, throwing him to the floor. I took Ray's pain, holding on to the rock for support as my body suddenly felt as if it was on fire, but even when his pain was gone, he didn't calm down. Stefan tried to restrain him, but Ray managed to escape from his grasp after biting his forearm. Klaus looked at Ray's retreating figure with an unreadable look before he sent a look to Stefan.

'Go and get him,' He said, pointing in the direction that Ray had ran in.

A feeling of dread washed over me as soon as the words left his mouth and I felt myself making my way over to Stefan instinctively. I searched out for people's feelings around me and had to bite back a gasp when someone familiar felt close. Very close.

'I should go too.' I said, moving to walk behind Stefan, but before I took a step Klaus was suddenly in front of me. He looked at me as if to say 'you're not going anywhere' and I looked at him as if to say 'I'm going whether you like it or not, buddy'. Which apparently wasn't as intimidating as I thought because he just chuckled and shook his head.

'Look, I have a bad feeling about Stefan going on his own. You don't need me here, and I'd probably be safer with him anyway if all of them wake up and want to attack me as well.' I said, crossing my arms over my chest giving him a look that clearly said 'you know I'm right. Now move.' After giving me a reluctant nod he moved out of the way, I moved to step past him but he grabbed my elbow, halting me to a stop. I looked to him, confused before I noticed him looking at me as if to say 'be careful'; I gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand before walking away.

I made it to Stefan's side on the edge of the clearing and he grabbed me and threw me onto his back as he flashed away, I assumed he was following Ray's scent. Once we stopped and he let me off his back I looked to Stefan, allowing the worry to surface on my expression.

'Elena is here,' I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

'What?' He said, worried.

'She's close, Stefan. I can feel her. I'm pretty sure she's with Ric and Damon. They're getting close. We need to get them out of here before Klaus-' I'm cut off when we hear a man screaming in pain, I realized it was Ray when I couldn't feel the pain coming from Damon or Ric. Stefan froze; I assumed he was listening to the conversation. He suddenly grabbed me again, vamping to the direction of the noise. I noticed when Stefan put me down that it had gone dark, and I wondered how long we had been up in the mountains for.

'Nice, doggie.' I heard Damon say, and I looked over to my left to see Damon trying to calm what looked like a feral Ray. The hybrid moved forward to attack Damon but before he could, Stefan rushed forward, ripping out his heart.

'Well, fancy meeting you here,' Damon said, looking to Stefan with a sarcastic smile on his face, when his eyes moved to mine he looked a little relieved, 'oh good, you're still alive.'

'Why wouldn't I be?' I said, crossing my arms over my chest as I made my way to stand by Stefan.

'I thought one of the two psychos you're travelling with would have eaten you as a midnight snack by now,' Damon muttered and I just rolled my eyes and smirked.

'What part of stop following us got lost in translation Damon?' Stefan asked, sounding pissed.

'Not me. Blame your little girlfriend and your sister. Won't give up on you,' Damon said, his words making my heart squeeze painfully.

'Well tell her that if she keeps looking for us she'd going to get us all killed. If Klaus finds out that we lied about her being alive, he's not exactly going to be forgiving is he?' I said.

'I have told her that, do you think she listens to me? That girl is stubborn!' Damon said, his voice seeping with frustration.

Despite everything it made me smile; Elena was almost as stubborn as me.

'She's not gonna give up on you. Either of you,' Damon murmured, his voice sounding firm.

'Well make her.' I said.

'She has to.' Stefan agreed, 'because we're never coming back. Why don't you get her home? See if you could keep her there this time.' Stefan threw Ray's body over his shoulder before grabbed me, flashing away after he had finished speaking.

We arrived back at the clearing and I moved over to the rock that Klaus was closest to; as I looked around I realized with a start that my vision had come true. Klaus looked over to me as he heard me and gave me a nod; I could feel the emotions coming from him. He was angry, frustrated, confused but most of all he felt crushed. I hated it and I took everything, bringing my legs up to my chest as I rested my head in between my knees as I breathed through each emotion as it happened. I could feel Klaus' gratefulness, but before I could take his anger, Stefan spoke.

'What happened?' Stefan asked, as he threw Ray's body onto the floor.

'They're dead,' I said from my place on a rock, trying to keep the pain from my voice as I started to take Klaus' anger, but it got more difficult the angrier he got about the fact that his plan hadn't worked.

'Some of them went rabid and killed each other, while the others just bled out.' Klaus said, sounding sad, I lifted my head, seeing as well as feeling his sadness, I wanted to move forward and comfort him, but I felt the anger growing and knew he was going to explode so I stayed put.

'I did everything I was told!' Klaus shouted, sounding pissed, 'I killed a vampire. I killed a werewolf.' He stopped and looked in between Stefan and me, his eyes softening slightly when he met mine, 'I killed a doppelgänger. It should have worked!' I looked to him, absorbing his anger as fast as I could, feeling relieved when I took that which was remaining, and none grew to take its place.

'There must be a reason. We'll figure it out.' I said, my voice so low, if he hadn't had supernatural hearing he wouldn't have heard it. I just hoped that Elena dying wasn't the key to him making more hybrids; she deserved to be free from this and live a normal life.

'Yes, love. We will.' He replied, the anger gone from his voice, his eyes were soft as he looked at me, but when he looked to Stefan he looked amused.

'You look like hell,' Klaus said, smirking; I could tell he'd mistaken Stefan's discomfort at the mention of Elena for pain from the werewolf bite on his arm.

'Well last I checked I was dying.' Stefan muttered, looking to Klaus who was staring at Ray's dead body, Stefan looked worried but I wasn't; I knew he was going to heal him so I stayed silent.

'I had to take him out. I didn't have a choice. I failed you. I'm sorry. Do what you have to do.' Stefan said, his voice laced with fear.

Klaus turned away, picking up an empty beer bottle from the floor, 'it should have worked.' He said, biting into his wrist and holding it over the beer bottle for a moment before he handed it to Stefan.

'Bottoms up. We're leaving.' Klaus said, waiting for Stefan to finish drinking before he continued, looking in between the two of us, 'It appears you're the only comrades I have left.' He said, somewhat sadly, and I sent a comforting wave his way before I stood from the rock to follow him. I noticed his shoulders relaxed a little, but otherwise he didn't respond.

'Where are we going?' I asked when I was sure I wouldn't aggravate him.

He stopped, waiting for me to catch up to him, before he looked to me with a small smile on his face, 'Chicago, love. And if you thought ten hours in a car was bad, you're in for a rude awakening.' He smirked and nudged my arm playfully. I laughed at him and shook my head, though I wasn't looking forward to being cramped in a car for more than ten hours, it was nice to see him joking around with how defeated he had been minutes before. I knew I shouldn't care how he felt but I did, and honestly I refused to question why; I was afraid of the answer.

After a few minutes of walking, Klaus grew impatient and pulled me onto his back before instructing Stefan to flash to the car. We made it a few minutes later, and I wondered why we didn't just do that in the first place. I opened the passenger door with an exhausted sigh; it had been a long day and I just wanted to sleep. With any luck I'd sleep through most of the journey and I wouldn't have to suffer boredom for more than a few hours. I climbed inside, slamming my door shut as I prepared to fall asleep, but I could feel the twanging in my brain like I had last night; like I was missing something. I looked over to Klaus; I could feel the uncertainty in my eyes, as I realized what I needed to fall asleep. I'm not sure what made me act so assertively, whether it was my body demanding sleep, or whether I was just too frustrated to fear rejection, but whatever it was, I leaned on my side curling my legs to my chest as I rested my head on Klaus' lap. I felt calmer immediately and the twanging in my brain quieted down, I sighed happily, finally feeling relaxed. I felt Klaus stiffen in surprise for a moment before he relaxed as well; the last thing I registered was him softly running his hands through my hair, lulling me to sleep even faster.

There's another chapter! I really enjoyed writing this one, I didn't want anything to change between the characters after they'd had sex, at least not anything they noticed; Stefan noticed how familiar they were with each other (if you picked up on that) but otherwise they are oblivious. I enjoyed writing Klaus' P.O.V for this chapter as well; I wanted to give everyone an insight to his feelings towards Kim, knowing he isn't the type to make it obvious. You will notice that now they have slept together, Kim's need for Klaus' touch and presence has grown… what could this mean? Let me know what you think; leave a review, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

I would like to say a huge thank you to: Kittegal2000 and Melanina for choosing to either follow or favorite my story- it means a lot!

Geminigurl89: Kim and Klaus are so ridiculously hot together! Thank you, I think so too ;)