Hi,
A story written years ago, that has transformed into a two part stories. This one, and a chapters story that I have to write so, stay in touch !
*Remember that I will delete every mean reviews, and of course I don't own the characters !
New Orleans !
February 14th, 2014 !
At thirty years old, Niklaus Mikaelson, known as Klaus or Nik, had everything to be happy in life. A united family, money, and he was in excellent health. Director of a company that worked more than well, he had succeeded in his professional life. As for his personal life, it had been like a roller coaster for eleven years. No, he wasn't a womanizer, and he wasn't single either. He had only had one love in his life. A love that never faded. A love that is still alive, but that he could only live fully when she deems it appropriate. He and Hayley had made a pact before he left for Princeton University. Or rather, she had imposed this "separation" on him so that he could become someone.
Flashback !
2003 !
Locked up for several hours in his luxurious room, Klaus Mikaelson and his girlfriend Hayley Marshall celebrated the end of high school in their own way. If all their friends celebrated their diplomas by dancing and drinking in trendy clubs in the city or in a party organized in the big family house of the Captain of the football team, they had preferred to get drunk on a completely different way. Naked, entwined under the sheets, they made love with the ardor and passion that characterized them. Together since their first year of high school, they had never left each other. Out of breath and more than satisfied, they lay on their backs.
"Wow !" Hayley breathed, her long brown hair scattering around her. "It's still better than partying."
"I knew you would like my idea !" Klaus said, folding an arm behind his head.
She laughed before throwing off the sheets and getting out of bed, putting on the shirt Klaus had worn for the graduation ceremony.
"Come right back to this bed !" he said to her.
She stuck her tongue out at him and disappeared into his personal bathroom. When she had met Klaus, she had immediately thought that, despite the attraction they felt for each other, she was not made to be with a rich kid like him. But she had been wrong, especially when he insisted on getting to know her. She had been very surprised, and today, four years later, they were still together and in love as on the first day. But today, Hayley had made an important decision that he was not going to like at all. She was not going to break up, and although her life was with him, she had to leave for a while. Returning to the bedroom, Klaus had not moved an inch.
"You should take that shirt off !" he told her with his famous crooked smile.
"Um…" she pretended to think as she walked over to his side of the bed.
"What ? Already tired ?" he amused, ogling at her slender legs.
She didn't answer, and climbed on top of him astride.
"Can you sit down, please ?" she asked.
So he straightened up to sit down and be at her height.
"How are you ?" he asked, noticing that something was wrong with her eyes.
"You're not going to like what I'm about to tell you." she replied, biting her lip.
"Don't tell me you want to break up." he begged her, hands instinctively going to her hips.
"No, I don't want to break up with you, Klaus." she reassured him, cupping his cheeks to kiss him. "I love you, but I can't follow you to college."
"Wh- what but, but I thought you were okay with coming with me." he wondered.
"I know, and I wanted to but, baby, if we stick together while you're in school you'll be constantly distracted by me. And even more so if we move in together. she explained.
He wanted to contradict her but she stopped him with a finger on his lips.
"Listen to me, please !" she said, smiling weakly. "Do not doubt for a moment that I love you, but I have to walk away, because otherwise you will never be able to shine, and become someone important like you are supposed to be."
"I don't care…"
"Ah, don't interrupt me !" she stopped him. "And don't lie to me. I'm not leaving you, our life is together. But I'm stepping away so that you can dedicate yourself body and soul to your studies, and to achieving all your dreams so that we can have a good life together. Don't think I'm abandoning you because I intend to answer every one of your calls and emails, even if it's the middle of the night."
She had to make a superhuman effort not to let the emotion overwhelm her and, swallowing a sob, she slipped her hands into his chestnut curls.
"Promise me to cut them." she joked.
"I don't want to laugh." he said.
"I know, but if I'm not joking I'll start crying." she says. "And if I start crying I might change my mind."
"Don't leave me !" he begged her. "I can't do it without you."
"Yes, you can because you are a fighter." she hammered. "You are a Mikaelson, and you will not fail because the minute you give up I will be back kicking your ass. And I would tear off the head of the first one who will flirt with you."
Klaus sketched a thin smile but that disappeared very quickly.
"What if I promise you instead to devote myself to my studies but you stay with me ?" he offered.
"And deep down I would feel left out, which will lead to fights and I don't want that." she said, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Please darling, accept !"
"You take me by surprise, I was going to ask you something very important, but it's too late !" he said, taking his head in his hands.
"What did you want to ask me ?" she asked.
"Doesn't matter anymore !" he sighed.
"Klaus, tell me !" she insisted.
Seeing her determination, he opened the drawer of his bedside table, reached in and pulled out a small box, which he gave to Hayley. She opened it and immediately put a hand over her mouth.
"Oh my God !" she breathed. "Is that what I think it is ?"
"It doesn't matter, you're leaving !" he said, taking the box back.
But Hayley had not said her last word, and take the box the back.
"Klaus, I'm not leaving forever but only while you build your professional life." she snapped, cupping his chin between her fingers.
She was temperamental, which greatly pleased Klaus. Among other things !
"I told you I would come back, and I would keep my promise." she said, letting go of his chin to put her hand on his cheek. "I love you madly, and my answer to the question you are dying to ask me is yes. Now you stop fooling around. You are going to put this ring on my finger and make love to me every day until you leave for Princeton."
So he slipped the ring on his left ring finger, grabbed her hips and tilted them to lie back under the sheets.
"What if I failed ?" he asked.
"Which will not happen !"
End of flashback !
Sitting at his desk, he remembered having experienced the distance badly. Although they emailed each other, and called each other whenever they had the chance, it had been four years before Hayley returned for the first time in his life, and it was at his graduation from college, where he had finished valedictorian in front of his whole family.
Flashback !
2008 !
Klaus had just finished his speech and, to a round of applause, he let his gaze wander into the crowd and found his entire family proud and smiling. His instinct told him to look up a little higher, around the back row, and he saw her. Radiant and proud. Their eyes met for a moment before snapping back to reality. A few minutes later, during the reception held for the graduates, he was congratulated by each member of his family.
"I am proud of you my son !" Esther told him.
"Thanks Mom !" he said.
"Very nice speech." Mikael told him.
"Thank you dad !" Klaus said, glad he took off that ridiculous toga. "I spent days on it."
"He was very successful." his sister Freya told him.
He smiled, but his mind was elsewhere. He looked all around him.
"Are you looking for someone ?" his mother asked.
"Uh, actually yes !" he answered.
"What you, you haven't met someone else, right ?" warned his father.
"What ? No !" Klaus replied. "I'm still with Hayley."
"Oh, you reassure me." said his father.
"Do you want her to kill him ?" Elijah laughed.
"I still find it strange this agreement you made." confessed Esther.
"It was not my idea." Klaus assured them. "But she was right I, I outdid myself like never before. I nailed it."
"And you can be proud of that." his father assured him.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from Hayley. A message that only included an address and a room number.
"How about we go to dinner ?" Mikael offered, putting a hand on the shoulder of his freshly graduated son. "Don't worry, we won't keep you too long. Something tells me you're on a date."
"Don't start !" Klaus grumbled.
Late that evening, Klaus had reached the address given by Hayley. It was a hotel. He went to the bedroom on the fifth floor and, once in front of the right door, he knocked three times. The door opened to reveal a beaming, scantily dressed Hayley. She was wearing only a silk bathrobe, and Klaus suspected she was naked underneath. Before he could say a word, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
"Hmm, I missed you !" she sighed against his lips.
"How long ?" he asked.
"I'm leaving tomorrow !" she replied.
"When ?" he wanted to know.
"Later baby !" she said, stroking his chest through the fabric. " Make love to me !"
She kissed him fully and he forgot all the questions he had. Later, sitting against the headboard, snuggled together, they enjoyed the closeness to their bodies that they had missed so much for the past four years.
"Your speech was wonderful !" she told him, thus breaking the silence.
"I was hoping you would come, even if it was just for a second." he confessed.
"I needed you to touch me, kiss me and hug me." she says. "Four years is a long time."
"But you're leaving again !" he pointed out.
"You haven't achieved what you wanted yet." she said, turning halfway to place her left hand on his cheek. "Our turn will come, trust me."
"I trust you." he said, kissing the palm of her hand.
He saw the engagement ring on her finger.
"You wear it." he remarked.
"Every day since I said yes." she says.
"I never really asked you." he said.
"It doesn't matter. I wouldn't change my mind." she said, snuggling closer to him. "Do you think you would have the strength to come with me to the airport ?"
"I got it the first time, so why not this time ?" he said looking at her.
And they met at the airport the next day just before noon. Klaus also had to fly with the rest of the family back to New Orleans.
"So where are you going this time ?" he asked.
"Hum, since I have a free ticket, I hesitate between three destinations." she replied.
"Decide quickly !" he advised her.
She walked away to a counter and showed her ticket to a receptionist and chose a destination. Returning to Klaus, she handed him her ticket.
"Excellent choice !" he said.
"I hope that one day we can make these trips together." she says.
"I should hope so." he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "For our honeymoon."
"Yeah, under the coconut trees." she clarified, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Noted !" he smiled as he kissed her. "I love you !"
"I love you !" she breathed.
Her flight was called and she had to do it three times before she could let go of him and get out of the way. A backpack on her shoulder, she headed for her boarding gate and while the hostess checked her ticket and her passport, Hayley turned one last time to Klaus who never took his eyes off her. She blew him a kiss before disappearing to board her plane.
End of flashback !
Klaus was interrupted in his memories by his secretary who entered his office without knocking, as usual.
"Genevieve, how many times am I going to have to tell you to knock before you come into my office ?" he snapped. "Do you want to be fired ?"
"N…" she swallowed hard. "No sir !"
"So think about it next time!" he said to her.
She nodded vigorously.
"What do you want ?" he asked.
"A fax has just arrived for you." she replied, putting the paper down on the desk.
She stood straight as a post, waiting for what was to come, her hands clasped in front of her.
"Do you need an invitation ?" he asked, pointing to the door.
Pursing her lips together, her cheeks flushed, Genevieve left the office without asking anything else. Once alone, Klaus sighed and read the fax. For more than an hour, he immersed himself in the work related to the received fax. When he was finished, he placed an envelope on his secretary's desk, ordering her to be sent as soon as possible by registered mail to the address written on the envelope. He didn't wait for an answer and went back to hiding in his office. He took out the frame containing a photo of Hayley. This photo was his favorite. He had taken it one evening when they were teenagers, alone in his room, and he had taken advantage of a moment of inattention on her part to immortalize it. He began to think back to the last time he had seen the woman he loved.
Flashback !
2012 !
Like every year since they settled their family in New Orleans, Mikael and Esther Mikaelson used to celebrate Mardi Gras with a big masked ball at their house, attracting high dignitaries from the city and surrounding areas for various charities. If the rest of his brothers and sisters enjoyed this kind of event, Klaus was very bored. There would come a time in the evening when he would take advantage of his parents' inattention to slip away with Hayley into the immensity of the family garden. Very few people ventured there because it was very big and it was easy to get lost. Wearing a black silk mask, matching his two-piece tuxedo of the same color, of which only the white of his shirt stood out, he had slipped away on one of the balconies after his parents' annual speech. A glass of champagne in hand, his gaze wandered to the corner he had explored many times with Hayley. There had even recently been built a cabin with a bed, a small fireplace, a small kitchenette and a chest of drawers. He didn't know why his father had built it, but he didn't bother to wonder when a hand touched his shoulder. He turned to an elegantly figured woman in a gold dress and Venetian-colored mask. He recognized his sister Freya.
"I knew I would find you there !" she says.
"You always know where I am." he said. "Where's Rebekah ?"
"She gets hit on by Marcel." she told him.
"If he touches her…"
"Our sister is old enough to take care of herself." Freya cut him off, not hiding a smile. "Besides, Marcel is not a bad boy. He's even your best friend."
Klaus sighed and took a sip of champagne.
"You miss her ?" she asked.
"Every day !" he replied, knowing she was speaking about Hayley.
"Do you know where she is ?" she wanted to know.
"She is visiting Sweden at the moment." he said. "Although I would like her to be with me."
"How much longer are you going to last like this ?" his sister asked.
"As long as it takes." he confessed.
"I don't like seeing you unhappy, and neither do the parents." she told him.
"But I'm not unhappy." he contradicts her. "I miss her, it's true, but i'm okay. I'm focusing on my career and that's fine. In fact, I can't thank you enough for agreeing to work with me."
"Oh, it gave me a change of scenery." she says. "And the pay is better."
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow accompanied by a smirk.
"I'm sure Finn also appreciates the small percentage you pay him when you require his services as a lawyer." she said, smiling back at him.
"What not to do to keep your family with you." he said, before laughing softly.
Freya reached under his arm and snuggled closer to her brother.
"I hope she comes back to see you soon, even if it's only for an hour." she says. "Do you think it would definitely make her come back if I told her in my emails that your secretary has views on your pe…"
"Freya !" he stopped her before she said an inappropriate word.
"What ?" she said. "It's the truth !"
Rolling his eyes, he pulled his phone from the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket and read the following message.
Our favorite spot.
The message was from Hayley. He emptied his glass of champagne in one go, kissed his sister on the forehead and moved away.
"If they look for me…" he said.
"Yes, you are busy !" she says.
She had read the message and took the empty cup from her brother. She watched him walk away thinking how brave her brother was to last all his years without having the woman of his life by his side. Although she did not understand the decisions they had made, she respected them, but was still very protective of her little brother.
Doing his best to avoid anyone who might hold him back, Klaus slipped out of the party and rushed into the garden. As he walked towards the hut, the light dimmed but no matter, he could go there with his eyes closed. He arrived in front of the hut. Heart pounding, he pulled out his phone and found another message telling him to come in. So he entered. The only lighting was the fireplace, which had been lit by this magnificent woman in her splendid silver strapless dress. Closing the door, Klaus took off his mask and dropped it on the floor. Now that she was here, he had no intention of returning to the party.
"Do you like my dress ?" Hayley asked, her glittery gray mask hiding her gaze.
"It's beautiful, but I really want to take her away from you." he answered.
She held out her hands to him and he wasted no time. He walked over to her in just three strides and kissed her. Gently, he took off her mask, put it down and let her hair down so that it cascaded over her shoulders.
"How long ?" he asked.
"How long can you slip away from your comapny ?" she asked.
"As much as I want." he answered. "Freya can take care of managing it by the time I get back."
"Then go with me for a few days." she says. "Take me somewhere where only the two of us will be for a while before I leave."
"All right !" he said. "Anything you want."
They kissed to seal this agreement, and immediately, the desire invaded them and the clothes were found on the ground.
End of flashback !
Klaus had left his company in Freya's hands, and had taken Hayley to the cabin he owned in Aspen for a whole week. He remembered each of those moments perfectly, which he still savored today, thinking about them every day. It was the last time he had seen her in the flesh. Of course, they talked on the phone, sent emails, even took the time to talk to each other by Skype, but Klaus was starting to find the time long.
The day was coming to an end but he stayed at his desk for a while longer. There was a knock on his door and he answered, remaining in his chair. It was Genevieve !
"I'm leaving, sir !" she said, her cheeks flushed.
"Alright !" he said. "Don't be late on Monday. Everything must be ready for the meeting with our investors."
"Yes, sir !" she nodded. "Have a nice week end !"
"You too !" he said nonchalantly.
His gaze fell on the French Quarter that stretched out beyond his office window. Minutes passed when there was another knock on his door.
"Niklaus !"
He turned to see his sister.
"You're ready to leave ?" she asked.
"I'm a big boy, Freya." he replied.
"It's just to keep you from running into all those crazy people in the office who want you for Valentine's Day." she says.
"Yeah !" he breathed. "Give me five minutes !"
Freya nodded and walked out of her brother's office to wait in the secretary's office, which was the first thing anyone coming to see the big boss saw. Looking up from her watch, Freya crossed her arms and faced the woman who had backtracked.
"I thought you left." she says.
"Oh uh, I… uh, I forgot something." Genevieve stammered.
"No, you are lying !" Freya said. "You came back to try your chance with my brother, telling you he can't say no to you on Valentine's Day."
The secretary's cheeks with long red hair turned red.
"Listen to me Genevieve, my brother is not a free man." Freya snapped. She approached the woman and her tone became more threatening, while remaining low. "If you approach my brother in a non-professional context, I'll fire you with just a fingers's snap. Stop having your sights on him right now because he's not for you, or for all the women in this company for that matter, or even in this town. You can spread the message. Stay in your place as an employee. Did I make myself understood ?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" agreed Genevieve.
"Good !" smiled Freya. "You can leave, now !"
The young woman, red with shame, left with her tail between her legs. Satisfied with herself, Freya turned to her brother who had just emerged from his office.
"You couldn't help yourself." he breathed.
"You're lucky it was me who put that bitch in her place. Hayley would have ripped off her horrible red hair." Freya said.
Locking his office, he wrapped an arm around his sister and the two rushed into the elevator. They saluted the night security officers and left the building.
"See you on monday ?" Freya asked.
"You forgot sunday's brunch." he reminded her.
"Oh that's right !" Freya said. "Well, see you on sunday then."
She kissed him on the cheek and got into his car. Klaus walked over to his black SUV and got into it. It was already six o'clock. Before going home, he decided to go for a drink.
Rousseau's !
Arrived at the bar where he used to go some evenings after work, Klaus looked for the only person in this city who did not try to slip into his bed. He saw her blonde hair at the back of the bar. Their eyes locked.
"Hi you !" she smiled, taking him in her arms.
"Hi Camille !" he said as he hugged her back.
"I suspected you would come tonight. I saved your spot for you." she says.
"You are the best !" he said to her.
So he went and sat down at his usual table. Camille came back to him with a glass of Bourbon which she placed in front of him.
"You look depressed !" she remarked.
"I've hated this day for eleven years." he said to her.
"She'll be back, and maybe sooner than you think." she said before walking away.
The small smile she wore intrigued Klaus, but it was typical of Camille. This girl was amazingly kind and positive. She had the ability to see the best in many people, even those who didn't necessarily deserve it. It was partly for this reason that she was studying Psychology. From what Klaus knew, she would soon be getting her doctorat. Chasing away his troubled thoughts, he picked up his glass of Bourbon and took a sip. Seated at the back of the room, facing the exit, he saw everything that was going on in the bar. Who entered, who left, who tried unsuccessfully or successfully to flirt. The bar was decorated for the event, namely Valentine's Day. When he was in high school, he played around and gave Hayley presents, but that hadn't happened in a decade. Sipping a swig of Bourbon, he closed his eyes trying to block out the ambient noise from the bar, when he felt a presence behind him. He couldn't get up until a pair of hands covered his eyes. A warm breath caressed his ear and an all-too-familiar voice tugged a smile on his lips.
"Happy Valentine's Day, my handsome stranger ! Guess who's coming home ?"
"I don't know. My girlfriend has been gone for so long that I forgot her name." he said.
He had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming when she pinched his ear.
"You're lucky we're in a public place." she said before pulling out a chair to sit right next to him, facing him.
"It's never stopped you before." he said before rubbing his ear. "Ouch !"
"Chicken !" laughed Hayley.
Klaus looked up at her, his face hard, but Hayley's smile made him smile back.
"I want to jump on you but I don't want to get kicked out of the bar for disturbing public order." she said, accepting the glass of vodka that Camille put on the table for her.
"We could finish our drink and go to my place." Klaus offered. "Who knows how long you'll stay this time ?"
"I'm not leaving anymore." she answered. "I'm back for good."
"Really ?" he arched his eyebrows. "Eleven years have passed, and in eleven years I have only seen you twice."
"I know." she said, taking a sip of vodka. "But this time it's over. I'm not leaving again. I came back to stay, and be with you."
Actually, she also had something to confess to him, but a bar was not necessarily a place for that.
"Is there anything to cook at home ?" she asked.
"Yes why ?" he replied cautiously.
"I will cook for you." she said, emptying her glass. "Hoping you have chocolate for dessert.
"We can always buy some." he said, draining his own glass.
She stood up and extended her hand to Klaus.
"Why do I feel like you haven't told me everything ?" he sighed, still taking her hand.
"You will find out soon enough." she said, pressing herself against his body. She looked into Klaus' gaze. "I missed you !"
"So do you !" he breathed. "Let's go !"
He paid for the drinks and tipped Camille generously, before luring Hayley out of the bar.
Klaus's apartment !
Klaus lived in a luxurious two-story duplex. A shopping bag in her hands, Hayley entered the vestibule which immediately opened onto a living room larger than the hotel room in which she had slept in a few days ago in London. The space was huge. A large dining table stood in the middle of the room, black and beige whose width was sufficient to accommodate at least ten people around. The chairs looked very comfortable, but what caught Hayley's eye was the pearly white sofa in front of an equally attractive fireplace. The Persian rug on the floor announced long hours of cuddling by the fire.
"The kitchen is over there !" she heard him say.
"Cooking doesn't interest me at all right now." she admitted without taking her eyes off the fireplace.
Klaus smiled and came to stand behind Hayley. He rested his chin on her shoulder, then buried his face in her neck to inhale her scent.
"The sooner we get dinner ready, the sooner we can do what you want, where you want." he said kissing her cheek.
"Why did you buy so big ?" she asked, turning to him. "How many rooms are there ?"
"A lot !" he replied. "Besides, I can afford it. And now you can too, and if you want to redecorate everything to your liking, don't be shy."
He stole a kiss from her and showed her the way to the kitchen. A kitchen just as big as the living room. In the middle of the room, there was the worktop, stools to eat on if desired, and a sink. The dishwasher was opposite. The refrigerator facing the entrance to the kitchen, and hanging cupboards.
"Are you taking inventory ?" Klaus chuckled, putting the shopping bags on the counter.
"No, I'm just thinking that's a lot of space for one person." she answered.
"Some wine ?" he asked.""Or after ?"
"Uh, later." she says. "I'll have a glass of water."
He took out two tall glasses, went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of ice water. This did Hayley good, and she emptied the glass without wincing. Klaus had put away all the groceries. He approached Hayley and pulled her against his body.
"Do you want to cook dinner now ?" he asked.
"I think dinner can wait five minutes." she replied, full of desire.
"Only five ?" Klaus said hoarsely.
She didn't answer. No, she just grabbed the collar of the jacket Klaus was still wearing, and pulled him close for a feverish kiss. He picked her up, forcing her to grab his waist from her legs, and carried her into the living room without breaking the kiss. He stumbled against the couch. He stopped and set Hayley down, who quickly removed her jacket, and her sweater, revealing a fiery red bra. Klaus was shirtless. Drawn to each other like magnets, their mouths soon found each other. Haunted by the secret she had been keeping to herself for almost two years, Hayley clung to Klaus like a lifeline which he noticed. He unhooked the clasp of her bra and took it off completely.
"What's wrong ?" he asked, cupping one of her cheeks. "You're weird."
"Not now, please !" she begged. "Right now, I just need you."
She slammed her mouth against his with force and Klaus responded with equal force and lifted her to lay her on the couch.
"Hold on !" he said, pulling away. "Condoms !"
"I have an implant." she said pointing to a dot on her left arm.
"Oh, ok !" he said before plunging on her mouth again.
They were naked in a few seconds, eager for the contact between their bodies. Too long unfulfilled, this desire that was in them burned them completely. Hayley wrapped herself around him, her hands reaching for every inch of his skin, her hips reaching for his. A moan of relief escaped her lips as he entered her. Frozen above her to get used to the less familiar feeling than when they first times, Klaus lay down fully until there was not a single free space between them, and began to move. his hips. Letting out an appreciative moan, Hayley licked her lips as she let her fingers slide down his back, coming up over his shoulders to cling to. Their lips met. Klaus' hips slammed sensually. It was an orgasm of lightning force that hit them at the same time. Falling back on top of her, he buried his face in his fiancée's neck, which crushed a tear that ran down her cheek. They were both breathless, but fulfilled, and together again. Sharing a tender kiss, they got up from the sofa and, taking her in his arms, Klaus led them to the downstairs bathroom.
Sitting on the stools around the kitchen worktop, Klaus and Hayley were soothing their stomachs with a bacon and mushroom omelet served with small vegetables.
"What do you usually eat ?" Hayley asked, naked under Klaus' white shirt she'd swiped after their shower, her hair still damp.
"I cook when I feel like it." he replied. "Otherwise I order or go to the caterer."
He, had only put his pants back on.
"From tonight, you won't have to worry anymore because I will cook for you every day. I'll even make you your midday snack." she told him, smiling.
"Ah, Freya feeds me with lunch usually." he told her.
"Not anymore !" she said, drinking a swig of white wine. "Hmm, this wine is delicious."
"Elijah gave me this bottle after visiting several vineyards with Gia." Klaus said.
"Your brother has always had good taste." Hayley said, gently pushing her plate away, Klaus imitating her. "Well, how did you find this little dish ?"
"Succulent !" he told her before getting off the stool. "Want some dessert ?"
He picked up the two plates and put them in the sink. Hayley slowly twirled her wine glass in her hand and pretended to think.
"Um, maybe later. It's still early !"
"Good !" he said, leaning on the edge of the sink with both hands. "Perhaps you will tell me what got into you earlier, when you begged me not to ask you about your condition. You were close to crying."
Hayley emptied her glass in one gulp and grabbed the bottle to refill it.
"It's not by getting drunk that you will prevent me from knowing the truth." he warned her.
"I'm not trying to get drunk, but to give myself courage." she corrected, taking another sip. "And don't blame me if I don't look you in the eye."
Exasperated, Klaus joined her and took the glass from her hands to empty it into the sink, ignoring her protests when he took the bottle with him.
"You're going to make yourself sick." he said.
"Won't you give up ?" she asked.
"Not a chance !" he replied. "Why won't you tell me ? What are you afraid of ?"
"Your reaction !" she confessed as she climbed down from the stool.
She was heading for the door when the three words Klaus said made her stop short.
"Did you cheat on me ?"
His heart broke at the thought. Hayley turned to him.
"No, I will never do that to you !" she exclaimed.
"So what's going on with you ?" he snapped. "Why are you so scared to talk to me ?"
"BECAUSE I LOST OUR BABY !" she screamed before clapping a hand over her mouth.
Klaus expected anything but that. A baby ? She had gotten pregnant and she hadn't told him ? When he saw her burst into tears, he walked around the kitchen counter and rushed over to her with long strides and hugged her. She clung to him crying profusely.
"I'm sorry !" she sobbed. "I am so sorry."
He wanted to tell her that everything was fine but he was too upset right now. He just stroked her hair and held her in his arms until her crying stopped. Then he bent his knees and carried her in his arms to the living room. There, he put her down on the sofa where they had made love a little earlier, and left her for a few minutes while he gave her a handkerchief and lit the fireplace. The heat spread almost instantly. Klaus went to sit next to his fiancee, bending one leg under his butt. Hayley was no longer crying, but the sadness and shame hadn't left her face.
"Tell me !" he said, taking her hand in his.
"You're going to hate me." she breathed.
"Impossible !" he said pushing back her dark hair to see her soft face masked in sadness. "I could never hate the woman I love."
"Even though I wasn't strong enough to keep a baby ?" she asked, looking at him.
"Don't blame yourself, please !" he said. "And tell me how you found out."
"That's the problem. I didn't know that until it was too late." she explained.
Silence settled. Klaus waited until she was ready to talk to him.
"After our magical week in Aspen, I went back to London and decided to enroll in university. Everything was going very well. The students were nice, the teachers too. Even my roommate was bearable. A month later, I was leaving the campus library when I felt a stomach cramp. At first I thought it was a sign of my period, so I rushed back to my room but it got worse and worse. It wasn't painful but enough to worry me. I took my papers and went to the hospital. When I arrived, I had blood all over my pants. It was there that a doctor told me that I had had a miscarriage."
She crushed a tear that ran down her cheek and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her.
"Have you thought about calling me ?" he asked, without an ounce of reproach in his voice.
"Every day for the past two years." she confessed. "But I was afraid that you would blame me for leaving, telling me, I don't know, that my place was with you."
"I don't blame you, I'm just disappointed you didn't tell me." he replied.
"What would you have done ?" she wanted to know.
"I would have joined you to face this with you, or I would have given you time to recover on your own if that was what you asked me to do." he answered in a soft voice.
"I'm so sorry." she said, swallowing back another wave of tears.
"Come here !" he said softly, opening his arms.
He leaned back against the sofa, and Hayley came to snuggle up against him. He wrapped his arms around her and caressed her shoulder absently over the fabric of his shirt. Long minutes passed before Hayley was completely calmed down.
"You feel better ?" he asked.
"Your arms are the best comfort there is." she answered.
She was silent for a few seconds before pulling away to kneel on the couch and look at Klaus.
"I want you to know one thing. If I hadn't had this miscarriage, I would have come back to you and I wouldn't have left." she told him. "I could never take our child away from you."
"I know it well." he said, cupping a hand to his cheek. "Stop punishing yourself for what happened. It's the first Valentine's Day we've been able to celebrate together in ten years, so we might as well enjoy it, even if we never really liked this celebration." He forced a chuckle out of her. "Shall I show you around the apartment ?"
"Um, well, let's just say I'd stay here a little longer in front of this fireplace." she said, brushing her lips against his. "How about you lay me down on this carpet to make me forget all this guilt ?"
"You're still so insatiable." he laughed, without however refusing her request.
"We have some catching up to do." she said, once lying on the carpet.
Klaus grabbed a cushion and placed it behind Hayley's head, then, getting on his knees, he undid one by one - and slowly - the buttons of the shirt she was wearing. As he unbuttoned it, her bare skin fueled his desire. When she was naked, Klaus lowered his pants and placed himself between her legs to penetrate her immediately.
"Do you think we can go back to how we used to be ?" she asked, pulling her legs up. "You know those endless hours we spent making love. Unless you're too old."
"You're calling me old ?" he scoffed, but she could clearly see the amusement in his eyes. She shrugged before laughing. "I'll show you old."
He tickled her ribs, making her giggle before capturing her mouth passionately. A kiss she returned with equal passion, caressing his skin, rummaging through his hair, even tugging at his curls. After the orgasm, Klaus stood up and swung her over his shoulder, causing her to cry in surprise before hearing her burst out laughing. He liked to hear her laugh. He liked to make her laugh. Climbing upstairs, he went to the second bathroom and ushered them into the shower. He turned on the water jet and adjusted the temperature, while keeping Hayley on his shoulder. A small cry escaped her when the cold water touched her skin but all was short-lived and the heat gave way to this coldness, and his feet touched the solid ground, or rather the tiles of the shower. She threw back her head to revel in the contact of the water on her body, and Klaus took advantage of this show to stick to her body and kiss her collarbone.
"Again ?" she amused herself, without pushing him away.
"You called me old." he reminded her.
He turned her around so that her back was close to his chest, and brushed her long black hair to the side to have full access to her neck. He kissed, nibbled, sucked her neck while caressing her body, knowing every inch of it. When he put his hands on his belly, he couldn't help thinking about the baby who hadn't been able to grow normally. Hayley turned in his arms and clung to his neck.
"We can make one. There, right away if you want." she says.
Klaus pulled away slightly to look at her.
"Our turn will come." he told her, cupping her face in his hands. "OK ?"
She bit her lip to hold back her tears. Klaus pulled her against him and they remained snuggled together for a few moments under this water which mingled with Hayley's tears.
"Our turn will come." Klaus repeated.
He pulled away, keeping Hayley's face in his hands.
"Where were we ?" he asked, a teasing smile on his face.
She took his hands that were resting on his face, between hers, pulled them away from his face to kiss him, before deviating to his cheek, his neck, his chest. As she bent down to kiss him, Klaus had to hold on to the shower wall, especially when he felt her mouth close to his cock. The last time Hayley had coaxed him like that was still in high school. Besides, the last time he had descended on his whole body, too, was in high school. He came the moment she got up.
"Wow, it's been a while." she said, pleased with his audacity.
He pulled her to him again but pressed her against the glass wall.
"My turn !" he says.
"I'm waiting for it !" she confessed.
Stealing a kiss from her, he moved down her body without bothering to linger on her chest, and placed his mouth directly where she was waiting. One leg lifted over his shoulder, she arched her back and bit her lip under the onslaught of his tongue.
Wrapped in a white bathrobe, Hayley was drying her hair with a hair dryer found in the bathroom cabinets, when Klaus returned to the bathroom, wearing only boxers.
"Are you aware that boxers have a devastating effect on me ?" Hayley asked him.
"Follow me !" he laughed, extending his hand to her.
She unplugged the dryer, put it away, and took Klaus's hand.
"If you take me to your room, I would like to eat something first." she joked, pressing herself against him. "All this sex is exhausting me. We're not sixteen anymore."
"What do you think I did while you were drying your long brown hair ?" he asked, keeping a slow pace.
"Hmm, I don't know." she says. "Think of me ?"
"I think of you every day." he reminded. "I went to turn off the fireplace downstairs, check that everything was closed and I put up a few small things. Why did I tell you to take your time with your hair ?"
"I remember you hated me hanging around the bathroom." she said, as they entered the bedroom.
He sighed at the memory. The room was very large. As big as the living room. A double bed sat enthroned at the back of the bedroom, between two bedside tables, both fitted with a bedside lamp. On one of them was a bottle of champagne and two filled goblets. On the bed, the blanket of which had been skillfully thrown out, was a box of chocolates.
"We played with whipped cream ten years ago." she reminded herself.
"Oh don't worry about that, we have plenty of time to play." he said, coming back to her with the glasses of champagne. "Now that you've come home."
"All of our life." she said, taking her cup.
They clinked glasses and took a sip of the nectar.
"I never proposed to you properly." he remembered.
"Surprise me !" she told him, wrapping her free arm around his neck. "I would say yes, no matter how many times you ask me."
"If I didn't feel like doing things so well, I'd marry you tomorrow." he says.
"But your mother would kill us if we deprived her of the traditional Mikaelson engagement dinner." she replied.
"I don't want to upset her." Klaus said.
"Yeah, me neither !" she grimaced. "Your mother is scary when she wants."
Klaus rolled his eyes and downed his glass of champagne. Hayley followed suit, and her cup disappeared into Klaus's hands. Going to take a chocolate on the bed, she crunched it while embracing the room with her gaze.
"No pictures ?" she wondered.
"They are all in a box." he said, joining her. "I told you, if you want to redecorate, have fun."
"Careful, I might take it seriously." she said, kissing him.
"You move in with me, and you don't go away." he said, resting his forehead against hers.
"Never again !" she breathed. "Your bed looks super comfy. Can we lie down ?"
Smirking, he removed the box of chocolates and placed it on the nightstand.
"Um, although we've already slept naked, I'm really tired." she says. "Can you lend me a t-shirt ?"
"I have better !" he said, disappearing into his dressing room.
He came back carrying a hanger. A hanger on which hung a sumptuous long navy blue babydoll.
"Since when do you have women's lingerie in your closet ?" Hayley wondered.
"Since Freya decided to fill it just for you." Klaus replied. "There's a ton of clothes for you in there. You just have to take a look at it tomorrow."
"Very good idea !" she nodded. "And I would be sure to thank Freya."
Klaus left the room because their phones were down, so Hayley took the opportunity to take off the bathrobe and slip into the nightgown, the fabric of which caressed her skin.
"Gorgeous !" said Klaus, who had returned to the bedroom, both phones in hand. "I had forgotten about them."
Hayley climbed into bed, slipped under the duvet and picked up her phone. No message. Which hardly surprised her because her only family was the Mikaelsons. She turned off the device and lay down on her side, facing Klaus, who had also lain down facing her.
"It was a short evening for a Valentine's Day !" she breathed, before stifling a yawn with her hand.
"We have a year to prepare for the next one." he said, caressing her cheek. "I'm so glad to have you back."
"I am happy to be back." she whispered, closing her eyes.
"I love you !" he breathed.
"I love you too." she muttered.
Slowly, he watched her fall asleep, and sleep for a few minutes before turning off the bedside lamps. Gently so as not to wake her, he pulled the blanket over her, and rested his head on his pillow before thinking of the years that had passed since their "break". It had been hard, but it had been worth it. Despite the ten years apart, they had found each other for good. There were ups and downs for each of them. Hayley's miscarriage, Klaus' car accident that had sent him to the hospital for two long weeks, among other things, without one being there for the other, but they had regained the upper hand and today, they would no longer have to relive the bad sides of life alone. They were reunited again, one Valentine's evening !
To Be Continued...