Chapter Fifteen
'Bekah, wake up!' I shouted, standing by her side of the bed with a mug of blood in my hands.
'Ugh, go away!' She muttered, throwing her pillow at me, I managed to dodge it and skilfully avoided spilling any of the crimson liquid.
'Come on, I've got your breakfast…' I tried to make it appealing by waving it by her head, hoping the smell of it would entice her like pancakes did with me.
With a groan, she sat up, leaning against the headboard as she took the mug from my hands, giving me a small grateful smile, which I returned before I perched beside her, fighting the yawn that wanted to break free; I hadn't planned on staying here last night, meaning I hadn't had one of Klaus' shirts, so I hadn't slept a wink.
'So… everyone's going to be up soon and probably putting together this whole kill Klaus plan, and I'm assuming that Mikael is going to be there for it.' I made my voice soft, hoping to lessen the fear that I knew would accompany her father's name. Sure enough fear came from her as well as regret for having any part in the plan to kill her brother.
'Hey, it's going to be okay. I'll be there the whole time, ready to move in front of you if he makes a wrong move, and if you're feeling anything other than completely calm I'll take care of that too.' I placed my hand on her knee, squeezing comfortingly.
Rebekah looked up from her mug to gaze at me with tears in her eyes. I could feel her surprise as well as her gratitude, 'I don't know what I did to deserve someone as amazing as you as my friend.' She murmured, tears streaming down her face.
'Don't be ridiculous.' I replied, embarrassed as I waved my hand dismissively, desperate for a subject change.
'No. You are more than aware of what my family is capable of… what my family has done and yet you are still an incredible friend to me. Why?' She asked, sounding genuinely curious and a little apprehensive, which I hated; I didn't want her to think that my intentions with her were anything other than genuine because they weren't. I cared about her and I considered her a friend.
'Because, I don't judge people for what they have done, but who they are, and you are loyal, funny, kind and amazing. Those happen to be the kinds of things I look for in a friend.' I winked at her once I had finished speaking, hoping to lighten the mood, amazingly she grinned at me, which I returned before she pulled me into a hug.
'Right, no more tears. We need to get dressed!' Rebekah exclaimed. I blinked and she was gone from the bed, I looked around the room and noticed that the door on the far wall that led to the closet was now flung open and I made my way over, gasping when I saw that the closet was basically almost the size of the room I had just left. Rebekah was at the far end as she moved through the clothes on the hangers, apparently having trouble choosing something to wear.
'Bekah, do you mind if I borrow something?' I asked, glancing around a little nervously; so far I hadn't seen anything other than dresses and I wasn't really a dress kind of girl, unless it was against my will.
'Help yourself.' Rebekah replied, waving her hand to gesture to the closet before she continued flipping through all of the clothes. I started to flip through the hangers myself and was starting to lose hope that I would find something that wasn't a dress when I found a row of shelves about half way down the room, stacked with skinny jeans and T-shirts. I bit back my sigh of relief as I changed into some high waisted black skinny jeans, noticing they were a little loose but not drastically, and I paired the jeans with a baby blue plain t-shirt. I wore the same shoes I had yesterday; my navy high top converse. I made my way down stairs after I was dressed, leaving Rebekah to continue to look for an outfit seeing as she hadn't found one she liked just yet. I decided to make some pancakes for breakfast, seeing as I hadn't eaten myself yet. As I was cooking I idly wondered if anyone in the house would want some as well, and then I shrugged, making an extra stack for people to help themselves to if they wanted. They were all chocolate chip but who didn't like chocolate?
'Please, make yourself at home.' Damon muttered sarcastically as he stepped into the kitchen, sipping from a blood bag.
'I will, thanks' I smiled cheekily at him for a moment before my attention returned to the task at hand, 'do you want some pancakes to go with your morning blood? I'm making extra.'
'Huh, and here I was thinking that all of those were for you.' Damon said as he gestured over to the growing pile of pancakes I was stacking onto a single plate.
'Ha, I love pancakes but I couldn't eat that many unless I'd been starved for days.' I replied, putting the most recent pancake onto a new plate, adding more batter to the pan as I made another. Damon took another plate out of the cupboard and took three of the pancakes from the stack before he grabbed a knife and fork and sat down at the breakfast bar, which was directly across from where I was stood.
'Mmmm.' Damon moaned in pleasure as he took his first bite, making me laugh.
'Good?' I asked, still chuckling.
'Oh yeah.' He nodded, hungrily cutting off another bite before he eagerly shoved that into his mouth as well.
'What the bloody hell are you moaning at?' Rebekah asked as she joined us in the kitchen, she looked over to Damon as she frowned in confusion, 'I was a little worried I was going to walk in on you two having sex on the countertop.' She joked.
I wrinkled my nose in disgust, happy when Damon did the same; I knew he didn't feel that way about me and I definitely didn't.
'Ew, no.' I muttered, adding my third and final pancake to my plate before I turned off the hob and made my way over to the empty seat next to Damon as I dug into my own breakfast.
'Those are up for grabs by the way, help yourself.' I said to Rebekah, gesturing to the pile of pancakes after I'd swallowed my first mouthful. Delicious. She didn't need to be told twice; she got herself a plate and grabbed two pancakes, taking the empty seat to my left as she started to eat as well. I couldn't help but laugh when I felt the wave of pleasure coming from her as she chewed; she was more restrained than Damon and didn't vocalise it but I could still feel it.
'These are amazing.' She commented.
'I'm glad you like them.' I smiled, finishing off the ones on my plate before I went to stand up to clean up the mess I had made. To my surprise, Damon stopped me, taking my plate with his and cleaning up himself.
'You cooked, I'll clean. You are meant to be a guest after all.' He offered as an explanation.
I just shrugged; I couldn't argue with that. Not long after Elena and Stefan came into the kitchen, each of them helping themselves to the left over pancakes, finishing off the pile. I waited until they were finished before I broached the topic that everyone seemed to be trying to avoid.
'What's the plan?' I asked after all of us had made our way into the library; I was sat in between Rebekah and Elena on the sofa while Stefan sat on the armchair opposite us and Damon remained standing.
'Well we need to come up with something plausible if we're going to lure Klaus here.' Stefan said.
'We could say that Mikael followed me here and tried to grab me and use me as bait?' Elena suggested.
'That's a good idea, it does sound like something he would actually do.' Rebekah agreed.
'Okay, then what? You vervained him?' Stefan asked.
'No we vervained him; he's an Original. This needs to be realistic.' I muttered.
'Okay, fine, we vervained him and in the process we discovered that he had a dagger.' Stefan replied.
'That he planned to use on Rebekah, but before he could…' Elena trailed off.
'I drove it though his heart,' I piped up, liking the idea after what I had seen of him in my vision yesterday.
'Why you?' Damon asked, his expression one of disbelief.
'Klaus knows how protective I am of Elena, so it wouldn't be hard for him to believe. Plus I doubt Mikael even knows about me, meaning I would have had the element of surprise.' I explained.
'That's true.' Rebekah said, backing me up.
'Fine. Then what do we do if he asks to see Mikael's body?' Damon asked as he turned to Stefan, 'you my brother have been compelled to do what Klaus says. So if the idea is to lure him back to Mystic Falls, the last thing we need is you getting tripped up and tongue tied.'
''Well, don't look at me. I'm just in charge of getting him back here.' Stefan replied, looking extremely relaxed.
'Klaus is smart. If we tell him that Mikael is dead, he'll want proof.' Elena confirmed, looking convinced, which I was as well in all honesty.
'Then I shall be dead.' Mikael said as he calmly walked into the room, joining the conversation. I felt myself stiffen as I felt his cold and uncaring aura; I knew how unpredictable it made him and I didn't believe that he wouldn't screw us over if it meant that he could kill Klaus. I placed my hand on Rebekah's knee, amplifying the comfort I was sending towards her once I had taken all of the fear that had emerged at her father's sudden appearance.
'What if he wants to see you in person?' Elena asked, looking to Mikael apprehensively, and I was glad I wasn't the only one who had noticed that he couldn't be trusted.
'That will mean the plan is working, you see Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here and I will kill him.' Mikael's voice was so sure, so confident that if I didn't have my abilities to rely on I would've believed him.
'With what? The daggers won't work on him.' Stefan said, as if Mikael didn't already know that.
'I am in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned.' Mikael answered as he dipped the dagger he had pulled from his jacket pocket into the jar of ashes he had been holding.
'Where is it?' Damon asked as he watched Mikael warily.
'Not here. Knowing it's location is my insurance policy.' Mikael answered as he walked over to the sofa where Elena, Rebekah and I were sitting. I tensed, ready to move in front of Rebekah if he decided to stab her, but I knew he wasn't going to.
'Against what?' Elena asked as she looked up to him; he was now standing in front of me.
'You leaving this in my heart. You see, a vampire can't dagger an Original without dying, and seeing as you've already expressed your eagerness to do this, the responsibility falls to you.' Mikael handed me the dagger and I took it without hesitation, moving to stand but fell back when Elena kept me in my seat with a hand on my arm.
'You want her to actually dagger you?' Elena's voice was shocked.
'Klaus will leave nothing to chance, especially when it comes to trust.' Mikael explained.
I moved Elena's hand off my arm, gently as I stood up and walked over to the open space in front of the fire place, he followed me and looked down at me with an almost arrogant look on his face; he didn't think I would do it. I pictured the way that he had been with Klaus in my vision and without a moment's hesitation I moved forward, plunging the dagger into his heart. He fell to his knees, shocked even though the whole point of this was for me to dagger him. I moved out of his way, refusing to break is fall, and he fell to the side, his eyes now closed and his skin grey with black vein's protruding to the surface.
'Wow. Harsh.' Damon commented, amused.
'I vote we leave the dagger in.' I muttered as I looked down to his body.
'You know we can't do that, Kim.' Elena said, her voice soft. I rolled my eyes and went to sit back between her and Rebekah on the sofa.
'Now we lay the bait.' Damon said, gesturing for Stefan to make the call, he did and he had it on speakerphone so we could all hear the conversation. I could feel my heart beat pick up as I wrung my hands on my lap in anticipation; I hadn't heard his voice in what felt like forever. The dial tone echoed throughout the room until Klaus picked up on the third ring.
'Portland is fantastic. Once you get over all the whiny music and healthy looking people it is literally a breeding ground for werewolves.' Klaus said, surpassing the normal greeting, which made me smile.
'Your father is dead.' Stefan said, his tone emotionless.
'What did you just say to me?' Klaus demanded.
'Oh, my mistake. Not your actual father and not dead. Mikael, daggered- what do you want me to do with the body?' Stefan asked, a hint of amusement working its way into his tone.
'Well, first I want you to explain to me exactly what happened.' Klaus said, his tone dangerous, but I could sense a trace of hope that this was all true and Mikael really was out of his life.
'He followed Elena here; he was apparently planning on using her as bait to catch you. Damon and I managed to vervain him. We noticed he had a dagger, which we think he was planning on using on Rebekah. It dropped to the floor at some point during the struggle. Kim came out of no where and daggered him when he tried to go for Elena again.' Stefan reiterated, his voice once again so emotionless he almost sounded robotic.
Rebekah and I exchanged a look, as the silence on the other end seemed to go on forever.
'Is Kim all right?' He asked, his voice concerned. I felt my own eyebrows raise in surprise that he had asked about my safety before demanding to see his father's dead body; I could feel the surprise coming from everyone else in the room for the same reason.
'Kim's fine.' Stefan assured.
'I wanna see him. I want to see his rotting body for myself.' Klaus said, his tone now seething with anger.
'Well, he's here. Come by whenever.' Stefan muttered, his casual tone suggesting that they were talking about meeting up for a weekly catch up.
'If you are lying to me, Stefan, your compulsion will expose you. So, answer with your life: is what you are saying the truth?' Klaus demanded.
'It's true, I saw it with my own eyes.' Stefan confirmed.
Klaus' next words surprised everyone for the second time, 'I want to speak to Kim.'
My eyes widened in fear as I frantically gestured for him to not give me the phone; I was convinced he would be able to tell I was lying. Of course, Stefan was compelled so the traitor couldn't not give me away.
'No problem, she's right here.' Stefan said passing me the phone; I took it, glaring at him as I did so.
'Hello?' I said, carefully keeping the nervousness from my tone.
'Hello, love.' Klaus said and I could tell he was smiling.
'So… what's up?' I asked, feeling awkward with everyone staring at me and listening in to the conversation.
'I hear you daggered Mikael, I must say, love I'm impressed.' He said and I could tell that he genuinely meant it.
'Well, let this be a warning to you; I'm dangerous,' I said frowning when he laughed, 'excuse me; I don't know why you're laughing. I daggered an Original!'
'I know, love. I'm definitely intimidated.' He said and I could tell he was smirking.
'Did you want anything else? Or did you just want to speak to me to mock my excellent daggering skills?' I asked, smiling despite myself.
'Yes love actually there was.' He paused and when he spoke again his tone was serious, 'is it true?'
'Why are you asking me? I thought you'd want to hear it from Rebekah.' I said, genuinely interested.
His tone softened as he became sincere, 'because I trust you.'
I felt my heart expand so much that I honestly thought for a second it would burst through my chest. My tongue suddenly felt like led, as if my body was telling me not to betray his trust. Honestly, I didn't want to, and I could feel the tears swimming in my eyes as I whispered, 'it's true.'
I could feel everyone's relief as I said those two words, and I vaguely registered Elena wiping away the tears that had fallen on my cheeks. I just had to remind myself that me doing this wasn't going to lead him to his death. He was going to be fine. He might never trust me again, which hurt more than I could even comprehend, but he would be fine.
'Thank you love. Is Rebekah near you?' He asked
'Yeah, just a second, I'll put her on.' I passed the phone to Rebekah taking a deep breath to calm myself; even though I knew he would be okay I still felt guilty as hell for lying to him.
'Hello, Nik.' Rebekah's voice was soft.
'Bekah, how are you over the news of Mikael's tragic run in with the dagger?' Klaus asked, confusing us all; he wasn't asking if it was true, meaning he genuinely meant it when he said he trusted me. Damn it; I was feeling worse by the second.
'I'm happy, Nik. He's finally out of our lives for good. I miss you; I'm miserable here.' Rebekah replied.
'I'll be home soon.' Klaus promised.
'Good, I'll see you then, brother.' Rebekah mumbled before she hung up the phone.
I sighed, relieved that his voice was no longer around to remind me of my guilt, but at the same time the pain in my chest reappeared, reminding me how much I longed to hear it again.
'Now, was that easy or what?' Damon asked, looking around his eyes pausing on mine.
'You're joking, right?' I said flatly.
'Don't tell me you actually feel bad about-,' Damon was cut off when Elena glared at him, her stare so icy that even I was a little intimidated.
'It'll be okay.' Elena assured me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as she hugged me sideways.
'I know,' I answered, I could feel everyone's relief at my words, but they thought that I was referring to the success of the plan, when in fact my comfort was being drawn from the fact that I knew this plan was going to fail.
I sighed as I stood and walked over to Mikael on the floor, kneeling down beside him, 'let's just get this over with,' I mumbled before sharply pulling the dagger from his heart and storing it in my back pocket.
Everyone seemed to snap into action from that moment; Rebekah grabbed my hand, ushering me upstairs insisting that we were to get ready immediately. As you can imagine I put up a fight but I was no match for her strength. Elena said she was going to go back home to meet Bonnie and pick out a dress. Damon was going over the plan, and Stefan was staying away from everyone encase he saw something that was important to the plan that he might accidently reveal to Klaus.
Rebekah had a group of women come to the house to do our hair and make up; we had to change into robes with just our underwear underneath to avoid us having to remove our clothes afterwards and ruining the hard work. Rebekah gave the girls strict instructions as to what she wanted, and when she turned to me waiting for my requests I just stared at her blankly and told her she could decide for me, which she was really delighted about. While the girls were doing my hair, Rebekah disappeared for a while to talk to Mikael, when she returned I could feel her anger and her sadness and I quickly took both, replacing them with comfort. I don't know how long I was in that room for being plucked, prodded, curled and brushed, but it felt like an eternity. What made it feel longer was Rebekah's refusal to let me see exactly what was being done to me, she even picked out my dress, making me close my eyes and threatening to compel me if I opened them while she helped me into it.
Finally, I was done; the girls had left after finishing Rebekah's make up; she had her hair styled in waves around her shoulders, her make up was light and natural; she was wearing a red fitted dress that cut off mid thigh and she looked absolutely stunning.
'Rebekah you look beautiful.' I told her, genuinely meaning it; she beamed at me.
'Thank you, but trust me, sweetheart you'll be the one turning heads tonight.' She promised me, mischievous grin lighting up her face as she dragged me to the floor length mirror. I frowned at her before my gaze moved to my reflection and I gasped in shock, not believing that was me. My usual loose curls had been tightened and styled half down half up but it was all pinned so that it fell straight down my back, leaving both sides of my neck bare. My dress was a dusty pink, a colour that seemed to make my olive skin glow. The material was lacy and so fitted to my body that it was practically a second skin, and yet I could move in it with ease. I was a little worried about it's length though, it was shorter than Rebekah's and I wondered if you would be able to see my underwear if I bent over. My eyes were a smoky brown, my face was lightly bronzed, and I was wearing a lip colour that matched my dress exactly. I noted with a small relief that I was wearing flats that also matched my dress; heels and I were not friends.
'Bekah… thank you.' I said turning to her and giving her a massive hug.
When we pulled apart she gave me a bright smile, and I could tell that she was excited to actually go to this dance. I remembered her telling me how she had spent her immortal life on the run and realised that this was probably going to be her first school dance.
'You're welcome, I'm glad you like it.' She said, her tone honest.
'We need to take a picture.' I said, grabbing my phone off the bed as I set it on a timer and leaned it against the bathroom counter top. We stood side by side, each with an arm around the others waist as we grinned at the camera. I showed her the picture, pretty pleased with how it turned out. She smiled and I sent it to her phone when she asked. We were just grabbing everything we were going to need, I was picking up the clothes I had been wearing earlier and noticed the dagger sticking out the back pocket, I grabbed it and went to the bathroom, hiding it in the water tank above the toilet.
'Ready?' Rebekah asked brightly.
I grinned at her as I came out of the bathroom, storing my phone between my breasts before I walked over to her and linked her arm through mine.
'Yep, let's rock this homecoming.' I said, my tone also bright as her excitement rubbed off on me.
We took Damon's car after assuring him that we wouldn't scratch his baby; we were half way to the school when we got a call that the dance had been moved to Tyler's house. With a shrug I turned around the car and made my way in that direction. The last time I had been there it had been with Elijah before the sacrifice, it was crazy how it felt like that was years ago when in reality it was just a few months.
'Nice party, Tyler.' I said, genuinely meaning it as I took in the surroundings; it was packed with people and from the looks of it there was a live band out back.
'Thanks, but I'm not the one throwing it. I'm just doing what Klaus wants.' Tyler said, reaching into the back of a truck to pull out a keg.
'What do you mean?' Rebekah asked.
'It's not a party, it's a wake.' Tyler explained, before he lifted the keg and walked off in the direction of the music. Rebekah and I shared a look before we moved to walk forward, our arms still linked together as we silently offered one another comfort.
'Good evening everyone! I wanna thank you for being here with me to celebrate! It's been a long time coming!' Klaus shouted, his voice echoing over the sound system. As soon as I heard him my feet came to an abrupt stop and as if my body knew where he was, I looked straight at him on the stage. My breath stopped when his eyes met mine once he had finished speaking. I blinked and he was suddenly in front of Rebekah and me.
'Nik! Quite the celebration.' Rebekah said, drawing Klaus' eyes from mine, he looked over to her and grinned.
'Of course, sister, only the best to send off our father.' Klaus smirked and I felt my heart skip a beat; it had been so long since I had seen him in person and I found myself staring at him almost as if I didn't know what to do now he was right in front of me.
'Are you all right, love?' Klaus asked, and that seemed to snap me out of my trance, I pulled my arm from Rebekah's and flung my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. I'd probably be embarrassed for being so forward later, but I had missed him. I felt his surprise for a moment before he softened and hugged me back, his arms wrapping around me tightly. I inhaled his scent, and I felt the calmness that only he could bring flow through me; the hole in my chest seemed to be a distant memory as I could finally breathe without the sharp pin echoing in my ribcage. I felt Klaus' head rest in the crook of my neck as he inhaled as well, and I wondered if he was feeling the same thing I was; when I focused on him I noticed he felt calm, much like I did.
I heard Rebekah clear her throat, I squeezed Klaus tighter for a moment before I reluctantly pulled away, moving back to Rebekah's side and linking my arm through hers once again.
'I missed you too, love.' Klaus said, his voice teasing. I rolled my eyes at his arrogance but I couldn't stop the small smile that formed on my lips; I had missed him and while I was happy to hear his arrogance now, I was sure it would become annoying again soon enough.
I was about to ask Rebekah why she had interrupted us when Stefan suddenly walked over, answering my question. I looked over to Klaus to see his eyes were still on me; his blue orbs shining with amusement before looked over to the newcomer.
'Quite the homecoming.' Stefan commented.
'I've been planning my father's funeral for a thousand years. Granted, in no version of it were any of these people invited, but you get the idea.' Klaus said as he gestured to the huge crowd gathered in front of the band stage.
'So, what now? Stop running?' Stefan asked.
'Now, I reunite my family.' Klaus said, his eyes flickering over to Rebekah; I could feel her worry and I took it, calming her as I did so. I knew she was worried that if they killed her brother then she would never see her family again, but I knew that she had nothing to be concerned about.
'Your family. You mean the people you cart around in caskets?' Stefan said; I could practically see the cogs turning in his head as he put the pieces together. Frankly, I was surprised it had taken him this long to figure out the connection between those caskets Klaus had dragged around over the summer and what they were to him. I had realised what they all must be when he had added Elijah to the collection and if I hadn't then I'm sure I would have when he woke Rebekah in Chicago.
'None of that matters anymore. Mikael is gone. Bygones will be bygones.' Klaus said, sounding sure of himself though I could feel his worry over how his family would react after being in a forced slumber for who knows how long.
'I wouldn't be so sure of that.' I muttered, unable to keep my mouth shut.
'Why's that, love?' Klaus asked as he glared at me.
'If you'd daggered me for who knows how long and then just decided to wake me up one day I know I for one would be pissed. I'm not saying they won't forgive you eventually, but don't expect them to wake up and want to play happy families.' I said, my gaze not wavering from Klaus'.
'She's right, Nik. Finn for one won't be particularly welcoming. Neither will Kol.' She said, drawing Klaus' glare from me.
'Perhaps you're right.' Klaus said, his tone reluctant. Rebekah and I shared a look, rolling our eyes; there was no perhaps about it, his siblings were going to be furious, but it looked like that was all we were going to get.
'Anyway… would you like me to take you to your father?' Stefan cut in, clearly eager to get his part of the plan over with.
'Well, it wouldn't be a party without the guest of honour now, would it? Bring him to me.' Klaus smirked, his eyes hardening at the mention of Mikael.
'All right. Perhaps there's something in it for me? My freedom from your compulsion.' Stefan said.
'Sounds fair.' Rebekah and I said at the same time, causing Klaus' brow to quirk in amusement before he turned back to Stefan.
'Once he is dead and his weapon is destroyed, you'll have your freedom; it'll be my pleasure to give it back.' Klaus smiled, patting Stefan's back. Stefan nodded and turned, walking away without another word.
'Well, seeing as this is your first high school dance, let me introduce you to the joys of beer pong.' I said, dragging Rebekah further into the crowd in the direction of the beer pong tables. I knew that Klaus was following us, and I could feel his amusement at me suggesting we play this game. We made it to the other side of the crowd and I noticed there were three tables set up. Two were being used so I made my way to the one that was empty, happy that everything that we needed was already on the table.
'I'm thinking girls against original hybrid?' I suggested throwing half of the cups to the other side of the table to Klaus; he caught them with no effort and a smirk. I started to set mine out in a triangle, noting that Klaus was doing the same, I looked over to Rebekah when I could feel her confusion growing as I finished filling the cups a quarter full with whiskey, sliding the bottle over to Klaus so he could do the same.
'You take a ping pong ball,' I said holding up the ball as I continued, 'and you have to try and get it into one of your opponent's cups. If you do, they have to drink it, and vice versa. First to clear their opponent's cups wins.' I said, smiling when she nodded in understanding.
'Ladies first.' Klaus smirked, looking incredibly confident.
I took aim and released the ball, smirking when I got it into one of his cups; he picked it up toasting in our direction before swallowing its contents in one go. He turned the cup upside down and took the ping pong ball, lining up his shot before he let it go, the ball effortlessly landing in one of the cups. I sighed and mimicked his actions, ignoring his smirk as I swallowed the contents, enjoying the burn in my throat before I turned my cup upside down and passed the ball to Rebekah. Klaus laughed when she missed while my mouth dropped open in shock, she looked over to my expression and smiled sheepishly before she glared at Klaus.
'I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, little sister.' Klaus teased.
'Shut up, Nik!' Rebekah shouted, amusing him even more. He threw the ball and once again got it into one of our cups, I gestured for Rebekah to drink it before I picked up the ball, realising that I might be the only one who could win us this game, meaning we were screwed.
We were down to one on one; we both had one cup left and it was my turn, which I was a little concerned about as the whiskey I had to drink was starting to affect my balance.
'You can do this, Kim. If he wins, we will never hear the end of it.' Rebekah said from behind me, rubbing my shoulders as if I was about to go twelve rounds with Mohammad Ali. She was getting too into this.
'Bekah, sweetheart, you don't actually think the only one without supernatural help is going to win this do you?' Nik asked, from the other side of the table, his hands clasped behind his back with a smug smirk on his face as if he had already won.
'Shut up, Nik!' Bekah shouted back, making me smile.
'I can do this.' I muttered to myself, ignoring Nik's chuckle at my self pep talk, I took the ball lined it up, blinking a few times as it kept moving, 'okay is it just me or are there three of them?'
'Oh good lord. We are so screwed.' Bekah mumbled while Nik laughed loudly, 'just aim for the one in the middle.'
I nodded, doing just that and once I was sure I had lined the ball up with my target I threw the ball as hard as I could. It flew through the air, hitting Klaus' forehead before it bounced forward and landed into the cup in front of him. The three of us stood there, frozen in shock. Did that actually just go into the cup? Bekah was first to break the silence, squealing and laughing as she hooked her arm around my shoulders and jumped up and down. That bought Klaus and I out of our shock as I joined in on her laughter. We both laughed even harder when we remembered Klaus' shocked expression when the ball had bounced from his forehead.
'Drink up, brother.' Bekah said brightly, giggling when Nik glared at her, but we both knew it wasn't genuine. He picked up the cup and downed its contents before laying it upside down with the others, a reluctant smile on his face.
'Well, well looks like the big bad Original hybrid sucks at beer pong!' I said as I jumped on to Bekah's back almost causing us both to fall forward seeing as the alcohol had affected her as well but she corrected herself pretty quickly, 'we won!' I cheered, laughing when the crowd behind me cheered back at us.
'I didn't know you were such a soar winner, love.' Klaus said with a smirk as he made his way to stand next to Bekah, me still on her back.
'It's not everyday a human beats an original hybrid, just making the most of it.' I mumbled as I rested my chin on Bekah's head, much to Nik's amusement.
'You're not human, love.' Klaus pointed out.
'True, but my reflexes are completely human.' I pointed out.
'Excuse us, Nik, we're going to use the ladies room,' Bekah said as she gently put me on the floor, linking her arm through mine to keep me steady.
'We are?' I asked, confused; I didn't need to use the bathroom.
'Yes.' Bekah said firmly; I looked over to Klaus' amused expression and I just shrugged, deciding against arguing with her.
'You can lick your wounds while we're gone. Catch you later Nik!' I said, patting his chest as Bekah dragged me around him. I could feel his surprise and I wondered why; it took my drunken brain a while to realise that I had called him Nik and not Klaus. I didn't know why it had just come out, but I brushed it off not giving it much thought.
'This isn't the bathroom,' I said as I looked around, realising we were in the front garden; it was eerily quiet, although I could still hear the music from the house.
'I know that. Here sit down, I need to talk to you.' Bekah murmured as she pulled me to a bench that I wouldn't have been able to see with my human eyes while it was this dark.
'What's up Bekah?' I asked, trying to look into her eyes but it was so dark I couldn't make out any features; I could only see her silhouette.
'I'm having second thoughts about this plan.' She whispered so low that I could barely hear her, 'I know he killed our mother but I know him and he wouldn't have done it unless he was provoked.'
I bit my lip, deciding whether I should do it or not; I could feel her inner struggle and if I showed her this it could go either way. I sighed, deciding to just do it, knowing it wouldn't affect tonight's outcome either way.
'Can I show you something?' I asked, I saw Rebekah nod and reached out, 'give me your hand.' I said softly, she did and I placed it to the side of my face.
I was a little apprehensive; I had never recalled a vision before, but if I could do it with feelings then I could do it with this as well… right?
'What are you-' Rebekah started to ask but she cut off when both of us lost our vision for a moment before images came in front of our brain, taking us somewhere else.
I was standing in a small village; the same one from my vision yesterday, the only difference was Rebekah was with me, her arm linked through mine as she looked around, shocked at what she was seeing. The leaves were on the ground and the wind blew them all around, causing them to circulate around our feet. I looked in front of me and saw Klaus talking to Ester, I started to move us to that direction, pulling Rebekah with me; I could feel her sadness at seeing her mother, but I could see her sorrow when she noticed Nik's expression as well.
'Mother, please.' Klaus said, his voice was pleading, Bekah and I came to a stop where I had yesterday; a step away from being in the middle of them.
'I could never love you, Niklaus.' Ester said her tone completely void of emotion. I heard Rebekah gasp in shock, and when I looked over I saw tears swimming in her eyes as she looked over to Klaus' expression; it was as heartbreaking as it had been the first time; the light in his eyes dimmed as tears pooled in his eyes, spilling over. I saw that Rebekah's tears had also spilled over and I could feel tears falling down my own cheeks again, but I refused to acknowledge them.
'I am your child.' Klaus said, his tone and expression desperate.
'Oh, Nik.' Rebekah said, looking like she wanted to comfort him.
'Niklaus, you are nothing but a reminder of my greatest shame. I will never love you, my child or not. You are nothing but an abomination.' She said, her voice dripping with venom and disdain.
Rebekah looked to her Mother with complete shock on her face before she looked over to Klaus, preparing herself for his reaction.
Klaus' expression dropped in complete sadness before his whole face hardened in anger. So quickly that I may have missed it if I had blinked, he reached forward and ripped her heart from her chest. His Mother fell to her knees, her hands covering the gaping hole in her chest as she attempted to gasp for air with no success. The life faded from her eyes and she fell to her side, dead. Rebekah cried out, falling to her own knees, she went to reach out and touch her Mother, but I stopped her. We looked up to Klaus who was still holding her heart in his hand, the anger now gone and replaced with shock, shame and regret. He dropped the organ from his hand, looking to the crimson substance flowing between his fingers, his tears once again falling down his cheeks as he realized what he had done. Abruptly falling to the floor, he grasped his Mother's corpse as he apologized over and over again, clearly remorseful despite the horrid things she had said to him; things a mother should never say to her child. I looked over to Rebekah and saw her heart breaking for her brother as she took in the scene; I wondered if she thought that Klaus had killed their Mother out of spite.
'He didn't mean to do it.' Rebekah said between her sobs, 'she provoked him; she said things a mother should never say to her child. And now he is going to die because of me.' Her sobs became heavier and harsher as I hugged her to me, comforting her; much like Klaus was with Ester's corpse.
I blinked fast as it seemed to help bring back my vision to the present. Rebekah's eyes opened and her eyes immediately filled with tears.
'Hey, I need you to trust me.' I said, squeezing her hand comfortingly.
'I trust you.' She said and in that moment I knew that she meant it.
'Whatever the plan is that they have put together, it isn't going to work. I know its not, I don't know what's going to go wrong, but either way Klaus is going to be fine.' I assured her.
Her whole expression transformed into one of complete relief, as her tears spilled over onto her cheeks, I wiped them away gently amplifying the comfort I was sending towards her.
'That's why you've been so calm.' Rebekah suddenly realized, looking up to me, I smiled and nodded.
'I think you should go.' I said, squeezing Rebekah's hand when she looked a little hurt at my words.
'If Klaus sees you upset then it might clue him in that the others are up to something and with Mikael running around with a white oak dagger I don't want to risk him trying to kill you when he fails to kill Nik.' I explained, glad when she didn't feel offended anymore; instead her whole expression softened.
'You called him Nik earlier.' She said, surprising me as she stood, 'only family calls him that and the fact that he let you get away with it means that he considers you as such. So do I.' Rebekah said, warming my heart as she hugged me.
'I consider you family, too.' I said honestly; I don't know when it had happened, but I considered her a sister, I pulled back and urgently whispered, 'now get out of here.'
She nodded and in a flash, she was gone. I made my way back up to the party, humming to myself to fight the sense of dread growing in my gut. I knew it was warning me about my own safety and I was trying to remain calm about it. When I made it back to the main house, I decided to go to the bathroom after all, needing a little time to collect myself. Which wasn't a very bright idea, because as I did I saw Mikael standing at the front door, clearly unable to get over the threshold. I noticed a body on the floor and moved over to see if she was all right but when she turned to look at me, I was confused.
'K-' I started to say, but she cut me off with a hard look; clearly this was a part of the plan, Katherine was pretending to be Elena, which was rather brilliant I must say.
'The big bad wolf. You haven't hanged. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. You forget, they may be sired to you, but they are still part vampire and they can be compelled by me.' Mikael said, taking Katherine into his arms when one of Klaus' hybrids picked her up off the floor and shoved her forward.
'Come out and face me, Niklaus. Or she dies.' Mikael said, producing a dagger from his pocket as he moved it rest behind Katherine's back.
'Go ahead, kill her.' Klaus said, his voice unwavering. I heard Katherine gasp in shock and I couldn't help but snort at her surprise, which wasn't my best idea because the hybrid who had passed Katherine over to Mikael caught sight of me and moved me to stand at his side with my back against her chest. Klaus' eyes met mine and though I could feel his alarm, he was hiding it very well.
'No Klaus, he'll do it.' Katherine said, faking her panic brilliantly.
'If she dies, this will be the last of your abominations.' Mikael said, I could fell Klaus' sadness and shame as Mikael spoke and I took it as I responded before he could.
'Abomination's is a very strong word don't you think?' I asked, drawing his icy stare to me. I stopped myself from flinching; I could feel his anger and it was like nothing I had ever felt. I refused to move my eyes from his though.
'Shut up.' Mikael spat, making me angry.
'For someone who is a thousand years old you have no manners.' I shook my head in mock disappointment.
'I'm warning you...' His voice turned ice cold and he actually released Katherine to grab me instead.
'What? Worried that I'm right?' I asked, knowing that I should probably have shut up right about then, but I was just so angry.
'Father, you just let the only one who can create my hybrids go. Interesting tactic I must say.' Klaus smirked as he walked down the staircase he had been sat on, coming to a stop a few feet in front of me; Mikael was holding the dagger to my back.
'Well… you may be rude sometimes but I must say your manners are a thousand times better than his.' I said moving my head back slightly to gesture in Mikael's direction, Klaus smiled at me before his expression hardened when he met Mikael's eyes.
I felt him dig the dagger into my back, only an inch, but it still made me wince.
'She may have gotten away, but rumour is you care quite a bit for this particular human.' Mikael said, his tone taunting.
'Who told you that?' I scoffed, taking Klaus' panic before it could show on his face.
'You know what they say about rumours…' Klaus smirked, but I could feel his concern underneath the mask he was wearing.
'Okay, not just rumours, you got me.' He laughed harshly, 'a trusted witch has informed me about the connection you share. How powerful you two will be once you make your bond official; when you turn her. Let's just say I don't intend to let that happen.' Mikael muttered, his tone one of disgust.
I saw Klaus' eyes widen in shock and confusion and I felt mine do the same.
'What are you blabbering about?' I asked, my tone suggesting he was crazy.
'You have been told you're mates already and your unwillingness to accept it has made you both vulnerable. Once you turn her she will have the strength of an Original, she will have the same one weakness that we have, and I cannot let that happen.' Mikael said simply, I felt the dagger dig further into my back and I sensed that Klaus was also in pain, which made me frown.
'Did anyone tell you that your pain is linked?' Mikael laughed cruelly as he removed the dagger from my back, I prepared myself to take the pain from Klaus, knowing he was going to try and cause him pain through me. He brings the dagger to the back of my thigh and plunges it forward; I groan out as I feel Nik's pain as well as my own. I feel Mikael's confusion and look over to Klaus and see that he is completely pain free.
'Looks like you were mistaken, boy.' I muttered, which I instantly regretted when he stabbed me in the other thigh; once again it was twice as painful for me.
'Motherfucker.' I whispered.
'What the hell is going on? You should be feeling her pain!' Mikael shouted, clearly annoyed, when I looked up to meet Klaus' eyes I could tell that he knew what I was doing.
'Well clearly you were wrong, father.' Klaus said, his arms clasped behind his back as he smugly smirked at Mikael, though I could feel his trepidation.
'No, I'm not.' Mikael insisted.
I groaned when he twisted the dagger he still had stuck in my leg; once again Klaus didn't feel the pain but I sure as hell did.
'Would you pack it in.' I muttered, starting to feel a little light-headed.
'Then you wouldn't mind if I killed her?' Mikael smirked.
I could feel Klaus' rising panic and I took it without hesitation, though I was careful to retain my strength.
'Did I tell you what happens to the remaining person if their mate dies?' Mikael continued, laughing darkly as he harshly pulled the dagger from my leg bringing it in front of me to rest over my abdomen.
'You will forever to be cursed to walk this earth feeling incomplete. You will never feel at peace or whole again like you do whenever she is near. That pain at being a few thousand miles away from her will be nothing compared to that which will come when you are forced to live without her.' Mikael said, his tone becoming more and more smug as he went on. I could feel Nik's dread and I hated him for making him feel that way.
'Stop it. You made your point.' I muttered, acting weaker than I actually was, 'but there is one thing you didn't take into account.' I said moving my hands to my sides turning them so that my palms were facing him as I readied myself for what I would have to do.
'What's that?' Mikael spat, clearly thinking he had won.
'You underestimated me.' I spat back with equal venom as I channelled all of the pain I had taken in once again. I closed my eyes as I allowed myself to focus; I heard the dagger clatter to the floor as he screamed in pain. Though because he had been supporting most of my weight I fell forward as well, and I prepared myself to hit the floor but, thankfully, Klaus caught me before I did.
'Easy love.' Klaus said, I opened my eyes and noticed the gold shield shimmering around the room, much like it had the last time. I looked over to Mikael and saw him clutching his head, on his knees as he screamed in pain, and I found myself unconsciously increasing his agony as my anger towards him increased.
'You need to stop, love before you kill yourself.' Klaus murmured, I moved my eyes back to him and gasped when my focus snapped to how safe I felt in his arms; he stroked my hear comfortingly and leaned down to tenderly kiss my cheek.
'Well, well isn't this touching.' Mikael sneered and I realised that Nik had calmed me enough to stop the pain I had been sending towards him.
Klaus ignored him as he lifted his sleeve and bit into his wrist, I took his offered blood without hesitation, almost moaning in pleasure as I did; I had forgotten how incredible he tasted. I pulled away when the stinging on the back of my legs healed and Klaus moved me over to the staircase, gently moving me to lean against the wall.
'Come outside and end this, boy.' Mikael taunted.
'I'd prefer to watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb.' Klaus smirked as a group of hybrids gathered behind Mikael.
'They can't kill me.'
'True. But it'll make one hell of a party game. All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce.' Klaus said, holding up his thumb and forefinger in demonstration.
Suddenly, Katherine appeared in front of the door, smirking at Klaus and Mikael's surprised expressions before she threw two wolfs bane grenades at the crowd that had congregated at the bottom of the steps. They all winced and moved away, Katherine sent one last smirk before she was gone in a flash. Damon suddenly appeared behind Klaus pinning him to the floor, about to plunge the white oak stake through his heart when Stefan suddenly appeared, throwing Damon off Klaus, the stake clattering to the floor in the process. Klaus threw Damon against the wall, and picked up the stake, moving at vampire speed to plunge it through Mikael's chest. His body and the stake went up in flames instantly; I could feel Klaus' relief as well as my own.
'What did you do?' Damon shouted, still on the floor as he glared at Stefan.
'He earned his freedom,' Klaus smirked walking over to Stefan, forcing him to meet his gaze as he compelled him, 'you no longer have to do as I say. You are free.'
Stefan blinked, and looked over to where Damon was before he met my eyes as he realised he was gone. I gave him a soft smile and he gave me one in return before he also flashed from the house.
'Well… no one can say that your parties lack excitement.' I said sarcastically, drawing Klaus' eyes away from Mikael's body to meet mine. I saw the disbelief shining in his eyes and I stood and walked over him placing my hand to caress the side of his face, my thumb moving back and forth comfortingly.
'He's really gone.' I whispered, his eyes met mine and I saw the vulnerability shining in is beautiful blue orbs, 'he's really gone.' I repeated placing a tender kiss to his lips before I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him. He returned my hug, and I felt liquid flow down my neck as a few relieved tears left him. I went to send him as much comfort as I could, but I apparently didn't need to; he was completely calm. I don't know how long we were stood there for; it could have been hours or minutes, but I refused to be the first to move away knowing that he needed me in that moment.
Eventually, he lifted his face from my neck, moving back to look into my eyes, but kept his body aligned with mine. I couldn't read the look in his eyes but I could feel the uncertainty coming from him.
'Did you know?' He asked, continuing when I frowned in confusion, 'did you know about Mikael?'
I nodded, hating the betrayal I felt coming from him, 'Klaus, I-' I tried to explain, but before I could he was gone. I was left standing alone, looking around though I knew he was already long gone. I knew how Klaus dealt with betrayal and I was worried what that meant for my family, my friends and me.
That's chapter fifteen! I really enjoyed writing this chapter and working Kim into it meant a few things changed, but I hope you liked it regardless. Let me know what you think! :)
Geminigurl89: It was really interesting to see Kim get to explore Klaus's past and his memories. Great idea and another awesome chapter! Thank you so much; I'm glad you liked it :)
XxSunnaxX: I definitely liked the chapter! The connection between Kim and Klaus showed again, which I LOVE. Can't believe that this story hasn't min. 1000 Fav. Followers. BUT they're gonna come! They have to :D Have a nice day! :) xx Thank you, lovely! I'm glad you liked the chapter and you're so sweet for saying that, honestly the numbers don't matter to me, I do this because I enjoy it :) It makes me really happy when readers like you comment saying that you're enjoying it :) Hope you have a nice day too!