A/N: Welcome back to 'A Thousand Years'. Glad you've made it this far in the story.
Standard procedure: please review. Hold the flames. Cheers xx
I don't own The Vampire Diaries. All characters (except for Grace) is owned by author L.J Smith.
Enjoy xx
IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE…
"Life asked death, why do people love me, but hate you?
Death responded, because you are a beautiful lie and I'm a painful truth."
~Unknown Author.
~:KLAUS P.O.V:~
I woke up in the forest, feeling a little disoriented at first; especially when I realised that I was naked and lying underneath a tree. But it only takes a few minutes before the memories come rushing back, and I looked up at the sun and smiled. A pile of clothes land in front of me and I turned my head and spot Elijah looking back with a neutral expression on his face.
"You've been busy." Elijah observes. I couldn't help but grin at the memories that continue parading through my mind.
"That was amazing. How long has it been?" I asked curiously, as I reached for the pair of jeans Elijah had supplied for me and began pulling them on.
"Almost two days." Elijah replied, nonchalantly. "Full moon came and went, and you remained a wolf." I buttoned my fly and reached down for a t-shirt, pulling it on, and stooping to pull on my socks and boots.
"I can change at will, then." I observed. "It's good to know. I remember every single kill." I told him, smirking. Elijah makes a face.
"Yes, I've been cleaning up your little mess along the way … well after attending to Grace, of course." He commented. I froze, kicking myself for forgetting the most important person in my existence. I looked at Elijah, suddenly alert and serious.
"How is she?" I demanded, urgently.
"Resting comfortably in her apartment I suspect." Elijah replied, calmly. "The second you ran off into the woods, I took her home and fed her my blood. It should be gone from her system by tonight at the latest." He reported back, automatically.
I relaxed.
"Just like old times, brother." I stated, referring back both to our childhood, when Elijah (and occasionally Finn) would help protect the rest of us, and the times he and I backed each other up on our hunts during our early days as newborn vampires.
"Indeed." Elijah drawled, before frowning again. "You've had your fun. I believe we have a bargain." He reminded me, and I groaned inwardly.
Typical bloody buzzkill, as usual.
"That's right. Now, what was it again?" I pretended to really give it some thought, as I was mostly more interested in visiting Grace to make sure she was as healthy as Elijah made her out to be … then intended on berating her for intentionally putting herself in harm's way when I specifically requested her not to do that for me again. "Oh, yeah. Wait. I remember. That's it." I turned towards my already irritated looking brother. "You wish to be reunited with our family." I stated.
"You gave me your word, brother." Elijah reminded me, sternly. I offered him a deceptively kind smile.
"What kind of brother would break his bond?" I asked him. "Even though you did try to kill me." Elijah waved a dismissive hand.
"I could have. But I didn't." He said, grabbing my jacket and helping me put it on.
I smirked. "And now no one can, not even you." Elijah stiffened at my words and I chuckled at the reaction. "Relax, Elijah. All is forgiven." I told him, light-heartedly. Elijah didn't look amused.
"Where are they?" He demanded. I frowned at his impatience; this was not like my normally composed and self-righteous older brother.
"You need to lighten up. I'll bring you to them soon enough." I promised him, clapping a hand on his shoulder and continuing to stride out of the forest in search for civilisation.
~:GRACE P.O.V:~
Two days ago, I had just saved Nik from his curse and had nearly died in the process. I was still waiting for him to return from his joyful romp through the woods. Or at least, that's how Elijah had described it to me when he finished feeding me his blood, and making sure that I wasn't about to drop off my perch unexpectedly.
Henrik wouldn't leave my side for the two days I spent in this bedroom, sleeping like the dead (no pun intended) and just generally avoiding any contact with anyone; except for Elijah who returned periodically after heading back and forth from the forest, cleaning up after Nik's rampant killing spree and checking up on me.
Pretty much like he used to a thousand years ago, when any of us were sick, injured or feeling crappy for whatever reason at the time … most of the time it usually involved Mikael being the reason for the crappy mood. I knew that the very second I stepped out of this apartment, that I would be ambushed by Elena's friends wanting an explanation about why I had been at the ritual in the first place.
A conversation I had no interest in even participating in, because of the fact that I had been the surprise key ingredient; and that poor little Elena Gilbert wasn't 'the star' or as important as the ritual had made her out to be. She and I had unfortunately been tied for the same position, against our will. If the little bitch had lived, she would probably be seething at the thought that she wasn't the main attraction with Nik in this whole shindig.
The only souvenir I got from this whole exercise was a bandage wrapped around my hand as a precaution; (vampire blood can only do so much, and sometimes just drinking it isn't enough) and the thought that I had given my boyfriend the chance to experience his existence as he should've, if his parents hadn't been selfish pricks.
I groan when I hear my phone start buzzing, and I sit up slowly feeling slightly dizzy before groping for my phone and seeing who the caller was: Stefan. I frowned and accepted the call.
"Stefan? What's up?" I answered, curiously. I immediately yawned.
"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Stefan inquired.
"Not exactly. I needed to get up anyway." I stated, as I peeled back my duvet and flipped my legs over the side, sitting up. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked as I got up from my bed and padded out to the kitchen part of my apartment and clicked on my kettle, pulling down a mug for some tea.
"Are you able to meet me at the Grill? There's something I need to tell you and Alaric." He requests. I blinked in astonishment and I popped a teabag into my cup as I mulled over the request.
"Sure. Hope it's nothing serious—"
"It's serious." Stefan interjected, sounding rather urgent. My eyes widened in surprise. "Meet me there in half an hour?" Stefan asked, sounding a little stressed. I glanced at my wall clock; that gave me enough time to have my tea before getting dressed and heading downstairs to the restaurant.
"Yeah. Of course." I replied, promptly.
"Thanks, Grace." Stefan sounded relieved as he quickly hung up and I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at it in astonishment. The kettle clicked off just as Henrik walked into the room and leaned against the island bench, frowning. He had obviously overheard the conversation I had just had with Stefan.
"Everything okay?" He asked, concerned. I locked my phone and set it down as I reached into the fridge to retrieve the milk.
"Dunno. But he obviously needs to talk to somebody about it." I responded. "Not sure if I should be touched or suspicious." Henrik straightened up from his slouch.
"Considering that it is Stefan Salvatore, I think that you should err on the side of caution." He suggested, as I finished preparing my tea and carried it with me to my bedroom.
"I think that would be smart." I agreed, as I quickly closed the door and Henrik slouched against the wall beside it so we could continue our conversation while I got dressed.
"So are you excited that Niklaus is back?" He asked, sounding like a kid at Christmas. I grinned and rolled my eyes as I peeled off my pyjama top and picked out a bra and panty set to wear today.
"Do I need to dignify that question with an answer?" I threw back at him, as I selected a black button-up shirt with ¾ length sleeves and a slight plunge neckline, matched it with a black, red and yellow tartan pleated miniskirt, black sheer tights and some black lace-up oxford booties with chunky heels.
"No." Henrik chuckled, as I ducked into the shower and proceeded to scrape the grime I had accumulated over two days while I was re-cooperating from bleeding for the ritual, and because (apparently according to Elijah) I seriously needed some sleep. Which was odd, because I thought I had my sleep habits under control. I immerged from the room fully dressed; complete with Nik's wolf-tooth necklace and my vervain/wolfsbane bracelet.
"Right answer." I winked at him. "Although, I'd like to know where he'd run off to after breaking his curse." I added, feeling a little annoyed by the lack of information. "Huh. I guess I'll find out eventually." I theorized before grabbing my purse, keys and aviator sunglasses and headed for the front door.
"I'm gonna go hang out at Alaric's apartment, and wait and see if Niklaus shows up there." Henrik declared and I smiled.
"Good plan. I'll see you later." I said, blowing him a kiss and closing the door behind me.
By the time I got to the Grill, only about half an hour had passed in between getting the phone call, having a quick (but refreshing) cuppa tea, and getting ready for the day. Or to be more precise – as I glanced down at my phone – early afternoon.
I had slept in for the entire morning.
I debated whether or not I should go into the Grill and wait for Stefan in there. Alaric was most likely already in there, drowning his sorrows – literally – because of what happened to Jenna. In the end, I shrugged and decided to sit on one of the park benches nearby the war memorial and do some sketching, since it had been awhile since I had the chance or inclination to do so; which for me was a first, as I nearly always had a spare moment to take a load off and just lose myself in a drawing.
But resent events had forced me to make priorities.
As I set aside my purse and opened up my sketchbook to a fresh page, I paused trying to decide what to actually sketch. The sound of a dog barking caught my attention and I craned my head in the direction of a girl roughly the same age as me walking her black German Shepherd. I smiled as I watched them playing around with a ball and a tugging toy, and laughed when the dog tackled its owner and started licking her face while she giggled and shouted as she attempted to fend off her dog. I jumped when a black American Crow swoops down and perches on the backrest of the park bench I was sitting on. It looks at me curiously, and for a second I thought that it was Damon. But on closer inspection, the crow's eyes were black, not blue.
As the bird flew away – towards the girl and the German Shepherd, which barked and tried to snap at the bird; much to its owner's objections – I suddenly was inspired. I sat sideways on the bench, and pulled my legs up against my chest so I could rest my sketchbook horizontally on my knees; then when I put my pencil to paper, I was oblivious to the world … at least for the next twenty or so minutes before Stefan eventually arrived. I had just finished shading the last part of my sketch when a shadow descended behind me.
"That's really good." The person behind me critiqued. I looked over my shoulder and saw Stefan standing there looking both worried and stressed, but also stubbornly attempting to hide the fact that he was, with a friendly smile.
"Thanks, Stef." I replied, before signing the bottom of the sketch. I had chosen to sketch a picture of myself sitting in the grass – much like the girl had done with her dog – with a large black wolf; resting his head in my lap, and a larger than normal black crow sitting on my shoulder, fluffing itself up and nuzzling my cheek.
Bonus points if anyone can guess who those who animals represented.
"Ready to go?" Stefan asked, sounding somewhat impatient. I nodded, closing my sketchbook and stowing it back into my purse as I got to my feet.
"Lead the way." I agreed and walked side-by-side with Stefan towards the Grill across the road from the park. I studied Stefan curiously. "What's going on, Stefan?" I asked, frowning contemplatively. Stefan grimaced, furthering my suspicions.
"Nothing good." He replied vaguely. "I'll explain more when we find Alaric." He added. I nodded, and thanked him when Stefan opened the main doors and stepped back to let me pass. "How's your hand?" Stefan asked randomly, and I looked down at my bandaged hand and flexed it gingerly.
"Better than it was." I admitted, sheepishly. Stefan raised an eyebrow. "I was a little overzealous when I made the cut." I explained. "Lost a little too much blood." Stefan shook his head, but I caught a hint of a smile on his face. We made our way through to the bar area and caught a glimpse of Alaric sitting at his usual stool. As we watched, Alaric took a bottle of bourbon from a waitress' outstretched hand and poured himself a drink. She frowned and attempted to take the bottle back from him, but he refused to budge. It was becoming clear that he had been here for a while, because it looked like he was already quite intoxicated.
Stefan and I exchanged worried glances between the two of us before we both sighed and walked over to him. I took a seat beside the obviously depressed man, with Stefan standing at my shoulder.
"Hey, Alaric." I greeted him, gently. He looks at the both of us absently, before turning away and pouring yet another glass.
"Sorry, you've reached somebody who's currently not operating." He joked without humour. I grimaced.
"I need your help." Stefan stated. "Actually, I need both of your help." He amended what he said, causing me to blink at him. Alaric gave a scathing snort.
"Well, you must have me confused with somebody else. You see, I'm not allowed to help." He sounded bitter; which made me question what the hell had gone down while I had been knocked unconscious by Esther. "I just idly sat by while my girlfriend gets changed into a vampire against her will, then almost gets sacrificed on an altar of blood." He knocks back the drink and notices the bandage on my hand. "What happened to you?" He asked, curiously.
"I was used in the ritual too." I explained. Alaric's eyes widened a fraction. "Yeah, I know. It was a shock for me as well when I found out. It turned out that I was required to cut my hand and bleed over the flames in the ceremonial bowl, and feed Nik my blood as well in order to break the curse. Elena wasn't the final ingredient after all." Then I hesitated before continuing. "I nearly bled to death though, because I sliced my hand a little too deeply." Alaric's hazel eyes darkened with anger when he heard that, but before he could open his mouth to speak; Stefan jumped in to spring a bombshell on us.
"Damon's dying." Both Alaric and I snapped to attention when we heard this. I immediately felt the blood drain from my face, and heard my heart thudding in my ears.
"What?" Alaric sobered instantly.
"How?" I whispered, fearfully. Stefan hesitated before responding; knowing that none of us were going to like the answer.
"Tyler Lockwood bit him. We don't have much time." Stefan confirmed, grimly.
My hands clenched.
"Son-of-a-bitch!" I muttered underneath my breath, despairing, and I felt Alaric taking my hand; presumably to stop me from doing something reckless. But this was my best friend we were talking about here. I needed to do something, and I cannot let him die like that!
That is not acceptable!
"What do you need?" Alaric demanded, sounding equally as determined as I did. Stefan seemed to sag with relief before just as quickly getting serious.
"We need to talk to the witches at the Old Witch House. One of them is bound to know a cure for werewolf bites." Stefan suggested. I immediately got to my feet and made a beeline for the main entrance.
"I'll drive. Somebody navigate." I ordered.
Neither Alaric nor Stefan seemed to think that my actions were objectionable, because they followed without question. The first thing that came to my mind was: 'maybe Nik might have the answer to our problem.' But then I hesitated when I remembered that neither Nik nor Damon particularly liked each other, and Nik was more likely to just let Damon die than give up the cure, if there was one out there somewhere.
But I didn't immediately dismiss the idea. It could be a potential backup plan if Stefan's plan with the witches backfired or they didn't come to the party. Stefan hopped into the car … alone. "Where's Alaric?" I asked, confused. Stefan hastily closed the car door behind him.
"He's going to the Boarding House to check up on Damon. I locked him in the basement for his own protection, and ours." He explained. I bit my bottom lip.
"What did he do?" I whispered, feeling the worry growing roots. Stefan hesitated.
"I caught him trying to burn himself in direct sunlight from the large window in the living room … without his ring on." Stefan replied. I gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white.
"Dammit, Damon…" I muttered, reflecting back on when it had been Rose suffering through this infliction, and how utterly scared and in pain she was. Damon had looked desperate and helpless at the time, and I despised the idea that I could potentially be that position; watching and anticipating death. Only this time, Stefan would be travelling down the same path as me.
No dice, bub.
You're not taking away my best friend and depriving a man of his older brother when there is every chance that they can still reconcile and be the former best friends that they used to be before Katherine had changed them both physically and emotionally 146-years before.
Not negotiable.
"We'll save him, Grace. Somehow." Stefan promised me, sincerely and with an equal determination in his voice. I turned over the engine and pulled out of my parking space.
"Where to, Stef?" I ordered, and Stefan sat back in his seat.
"Make a right here." He said when we reached the first indicection on the main street. "There's something else we need to pick up for this to work." He explained. I nodded, not bothering to ask unnecessary questions and followed his directions. It turned out that we were picking up Bonnie; which made sense, considering that we were dealing with some extremely volatile and unreasonable decade-old witches who had personal grudges against Damon.
She and they had a lot in common.
The second Bonnie clapped eyes on me, she scowled angrily at Stefan, demanding an explanation.
"What's she doing here?" Bonnie demanded. Stefan glared at the little witch bitch, where I merely ignored her and took off the second the car door closed.
"Take a left when you get to the next indicection." Stefan instructed me, before turning in his seat to address Bonnie. "Helping." Stefan responded, bluntly.
"I don't trust her. She helped Klaus complete his ritual; how do you know she won't turn on us and let Damon die anyway?" Bonnie argued. Stefan sighed, exasperatedly. It seemed like this conversation was an old, already discussed topic.
"Bonnie, Grace is Damon's best friend. The first one he ever officially made." Stefan reminded her.
"Doesn't excuse the fact that she willingly helped Klaus. She was supposed to be on our side when everything went down." Bonnie stubbornly insisted.
"Never said I was on anyone's side, Bonnie. I'm neutral in all of this. I only step in to referee when the situation seems dire." I corrected her.
"And yet you chose to donate some of your blood to Klaus' ritual and doomed us all." Bonnie sniped.
"Because I love him, Bonnie." Both Bonnie and Stefan fell silent at the admission. "I was there when he was first cursed, and I died trying to save him; even when it was obvious that the odds of me actually succeeding were against me." I shut her down. "Besides, you would do the same thing for Jeremy, and you know it as well as I do. The same way that we already know that Stefan would sacrifice everything for Elena, like he tried to do during the ritual." Stefan smiled a little, agreeing with me. "So get off your bloody soap box, and get with the program." I snapped, irritably. My emotions surrounding whether or not Damon was going to survive were fraying rapidly.
Bonnie's eyes flashed. "You two-faced bitch!" She snarled at the back of my head.
"Bonnie…" Stefan attempted to smooth things over. But I'd had enough of her.
"Keep it up, Bennett, and I'll murder you in your sleep." I warned, darkly.
"Enough! Both of you!" Stefan snapped, angrily. "We don't have time for this! Damon's life is at stake!" He reminded us, then looked at me with an odd mixture of amusement and trepidation. "You really are Damon's best friend…" He muttered underneath his breath. None of us spoke for the rest of the trip, except for Stefan's directions which he told me. Finally we arrived at the old dilapidated house.
Inside, the witches once again surrounded us. I was surprised to see two different sets of emotions directed towards me as I walked into the house with Bonnie and Stefan. Most of the witches were looking at me with pity and concern; especially when they saw the bandage wrapped around my hand. While the other – decidedly larger amount of – witches were looking at me with condemnation and mistrust. I ignored them and Bonnie, who knew that I could see them because of my confession to both her and Jeremy that I was a medium.
We set up the area per Bonnie's instruction, before the inexperienced witch lit a candle with a match.
"I'm not sure this is going to work." Bonnie told Stefan. He frowned.
"You've done a séance before, right? Contacted Emily Bennett. Maybe one of the witches might know how to help Damon." Stefan hoped. I wouldn't put it past Esther to have a knowledge of what the cure would be; but considering that I did not trust the bitch as far as I could throw her; I quickly stomped down on the idea. Bonnie shrugged, looking unconvinced.
"Let's just hope they want to." She suggested. Stefan and I stood close together as Bonnie casts her summoning spell. The candles in the room suddenly started burning all at once, and I watched as the witches surrounding us started whispering amongst themselves.
"Bonnie? Bonnie?" Stefan looked alarmed the very second the voices started whispering. I noticed one of the witches striding with a determination through the parting crowd of witches and crouched down beside Bonnie, resting a hand on her shoulder. Bonnie's eyes opened, sensing the witch's presence beside her.
"Emily." Bonnie spoke. Then as one, both 'Emily' and Bonnie spoke directly to Stefan. It was rather freaky to witness.
"Why have you come here, Stefan?" 'Emily' demanded Stefan using Bonnie as her vessel. Stefan's face hardened with a determination.
"I need your help. I need to know if there's a spell that can heal a werewolf bite." He asked, respectfully. 'Emily's' eyes narrowed at the request.
"No. Nature ensures a balance to everything." 'Emily' rejected his request. However, both Stefan and I suspected it was more than just a balance thing that was stopping these judgemental bitches from acting.
"Is that true … or are you just saying 'no' because it's Damon?" Stefan challenged her.
"Perhaps it is his time to die." 'Emily' suggested. Both Stefan and I bristled at this flippant response.
"Like hell it is!" I spat, glaring angrily at 'Emily' who eyed me with distaste. She was one of the few witches who had eyed me with mistrust and condemnation.
"I agree with Grace. That is not balance. That's punishment." Stefan insisted. 'Emily's' eyes hardened unyieldingly.
"I will not give you what you want." Emily stubbornly persisted. But both Stefan and I picked up on the hint that there was a cure and we lunged on it.
"So, there is a cure?" I asked, hopeful.
"Please, if you know something, just tell me." Stefan pleaded. "Help me save my brother." 'Emily' abruptly releases Bonnie's shoulder from her grip and as one, all of the witches in the room began to chant or whisper. This causes Bonnie to suddenly hold her ears and start screaming in pain. She falls to the floor. "Bonnie." Stefan goes to her side, while I glared Black Death at each and every one of them.
"They don't want us here." Bonnie whimpered. "They think I'm abusing their power." She explained.
"They definitely know something." I insisted. Again, Stefan agreed.
"There's an answer. They just don't want to tell us." Bonnie raised her head, just as the witches all disappeared from the room. I looked at her, curiously, wondering what they had just told her.
"I heard them say a name." Bonnie relayed. Stefan moved so that he was looking Bonnie in the eyes.
"What was it?" Stefan asked. Bonnie looked directly at me before responding.
"Klaus."
I groaned. Naturally, my first instinct would be correct. However, it would be difficult to tell if Nik would be co-operative or the same stubborn arse I know him to be when he has leverage and doesn't want to help.
We all piled into my car and drove back into town, dropping Bonnie off where she needed to go along the way. Once Stefan and I got back to the Town's Square, I drove back into my parking spot and turned off the ignition. There seemed to be an outdoor cinema playing Gone with the Wind right then, but frankly I didn't give a damn at that point and was more interested in saving Damon from suffering a horrible death. Something caught Stefan's eye and he turned towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You go on ahead, I need to do something quickly." Stefan told me. I raised an eyebrow.
"Does it have anything to do with Damon?" I asked, trying not to be rude and probably failing. But thankfully if I was, Stefan didn't seem to notice.
"Yeah, it does. I'll be right back." Stefan promised with a small, reassuring smile before jogging across the road towards the outdoor cinema. I turned and headed for the apartment block, quickly jogging through the vestibule and up the stairs towards Alaric's apartment where according to Stefan, Nik had been using it as temporary hideout since he first arrived in Mystic Falls a couple of days ago.
Unexpectedly 'bumped' into Henrik along the way.
"Henrik! Is Nik in there?" I asked, frantically. Henrik frowned in confusion.
"No, should he be? I haven't seen him all day." Henrik admitted. I cursed underneath my breath. "What's wrong?" He added, looking concerned.
"Damon has been bitten by a werewolf; Tyler Lockwood to be exact." I explained. Henrik's eyes widened in horror.
"Oh, shit!" He yelled.
"My sentiments exactly. Apparently, Nik knows about the cure, and if we don't find him and hope that he's in a generous mood; Damon's gonna die, and I can't let that happen." I stated, feeling anxious and desperate. Henrik nodded in agreement and together we jogged over to Alaric's apartment to try and figure out a way to bust inside so we could wait for Nik to return. Fortunately, Stefan appeared in the nick of time.
"Grace?" Stefan questioned me. I looked at him, feeling stricken.
"Stefan, Nik isn't here." I told him. Stefan was about to raise his foot to kick down the door when another voice called out.
"Somebody calling me?" The three of us turned and saw both Nik and Elijah striding up the staircase and calmly walking towards us. Nik was all smiles, while Elijah looked serious. I sagged with relief, and Henrik jogged over to stand next to Elijah; overjoyed to see both his older brothers again, despite the fact that neither of them could see him.
That broke my heart.
"Nik…" I ran towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck as he crushed me to his chest and kissed my temple.
"Hello, sweetheart." He murmured into my ear, enjoying my reaction to his reappearance, and I looked over Nik's shoulder and reached out my unbandaged hand to Elijah who smiled slightly and took it, squeezing it gently with affection. Nik stepped back, not completely breaking contact with me and took my other hand, looking down at it with deep concern on his face. "How is your hand?" He enquired.
I glanced down at it, and grimaced.
"It still throbs every now and then. But it's better than it was." I admitted. Elijah nodded in understanding.
"Understandable. You did cause a bit of damage to it, in your bid to do your part for Niklaus' ritual." Elijah sounded quite bitter about that.
"Nik, we need your help." I got right to the point.
"We?" He glanced up and noticed Stefan, standing in front of Alaric's apartment watching Nik and Elijah mistrustfully. He smirked. "Oh, I see." He said. Nik took my hand in his and lead me towards the apartment, with Elijah following behind. Henrik trotted behind Elijah looking like a little puppy. "You just keep popping up, don't you?" Nik addressed Stefan. I scowled at him.
"Nik!" I admonished him. He ignored me.
"It's like Grace said, 'we' need your help … for my brother." Stefan explained. I didn't miss how Nik bristled, or the slight tightening of his grip on my hand the second Damon was mentioned.
"Well, whatever it is, it's gonna have to wait a tick." Nik replied a little dismissively. I wasn't surprised. "You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention." Nik explained, leading me over to a nearby couch and encouraging me to take a seat upon it. I obeyed, feeling a little suspicious about what this 'obligation' to Elijah was. Henrik sits next to me, also looking guarded.
"I'm very pleased that Grace seems to remember how important family is." Elijah smiled proudly at me, and I offered a sheepish smile back. "And clearly you understand too, or you wouldn't be here." He said to Stefan, who nodded fiercely. "My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own." I glanced over at Nik and noticed something silver and shiny in his hands, and my eyes widened in horror when I realised what his intentions were.
"And so I shall." Nik agreed, sounding sinister and swiftly stabs a dagger through Elijah's heart, killing him. This would be the third time this has happened to poor Elijah. I immediately launched myself off the couch and caught Elijah as he toppled backwards, gently lowering his heavy body to the wooden floor. I glanced up as Nik pushes Stefan up against the wall.
"Nik, stop! What are you doing!?" I cried out in horror. He once again ignores me, focusing upon Stefan.
"Now, what am I gonna do with you?" Nik muses thoughtfully, before ramming a stake through Stefan. I swore and got to my feet, abandoning Elijah's body to a horrified Henrik as I dashed over to them. Stefan groaned and buckled forward, but Nik holds him up.
"NIK! Enough!" I growled, angrily.
"Do you feel that?" Nik questioned Stefan. "It's scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement and you're dead." He warned him. I picked up the nearest heavy object and hurled it to the wall next to them. It shatters on impact, drawing Nik's attention. He looked shocked, so did Stefan.
"Grace…" Henrik whispered in disbelief.
"I said that's enough, Niklaus. Don't ignore me." I warned him. Nik recovered from his shock and narrowed his eyes dangerously at me. It read: watch yourself, madam. "Stefan is only trying to save his brother." I told him, speaking with a low, dangerous tone of my own and enunciating every syllable. "Damon is also my best friend. He and Stefan took it upon themselves to protect me from the day I first set foot back in this miserable little town, and to repay them for their kindness; I intend to help them in any way I can." I stated, firmly.
Nik cocked an eyebrow. His temper hadn't simmered down just yet. "Is that so?" He looked at Stefan for confirmation.
"Damon also reminds me of you, Nik." I confessed, and he looked at me with scepticism. "Agree or not, you both are a lot alike; and it's that knowledge (and the fact that I actually like him) that has helped me not lose faith that you'd be coming back to me someday." I told him. Nik's eyes narrowed further.
"You have feelings for him?" He demanded, and it felt like he had struck me across the face. Even Stefan glowered at Nik for his accusation.
"You're seriously doubting my feelings for you? Even after I did this!?" I raised my bandaged hand up as evidence. Nik's eyes zeroed in on it, and for a moment he looked remorseful. "How dare you!" I whispered, coldly.
"Grace's feelings for my brother are strictly platonic, Klaus." Stefan groaned. "She only views him as an older brother, like she does for Elijah. I can vouch for that." Stefan insisted.
"Don't ever doubt my feelings for you, Niklaus. I love you, always and forever." I whispered, brokenly, before turning and walking back over to the couch I had abandoned and sank down upon it, trying hard not to cry and failing as tears fell unheeded down my cheeks.
"The witches said you had a cure. Make me a deal. Just give me the cure, and I'll do whatever you want." Stefan pledged himself to Nik, who I could feel staring at me. I glanced up to see him taking out the stake, and Stefan falling to the floor. Nik walks over to the kitchen counter, places the slightly bloodied stake upon it, and poured himself a glass of blood.
"Trouble is, I don't know if you'd be any good to me the way you are now." Nik eyes Stefan, who is struggling to get to his feet. "You are just shy of useless." Stefan continued grimacing from the pain, and I studied Nik from the couch; repeatedly cursing Mikael and Esther over and over in my head for what they had done to this formerly sweet, shy and compassionate man, who was currently pacing in front of Stefan and sipping at his glass of blood, casting him thoughtful looks.
"Are you okay, Grace?" Henrik asked from where he was sitting beside me on Alaric's couch. I refused to take my eyes off my boyfriend as I shook my head in response.
"I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades." Nik stated whimsically. "When he was off, he was magnificent. 1917, he went into Monterrey and wiped out an entire migrant village … a true ripper." I shuddered at the image, as Nik looked and sounded positively gleeful. Like a father boasting about his talented child's achievements; and Stefan, surprisingly, looked rather ashamed. "Sound familiar?" Nik hinted towards Stefan. I shook my head at his behaviour, and stood up from the couch. I needed a drink that didn't come from somebody's veins, so I headed for Alaric's wet bar and grabbed an old-fashioned glass, helping myself a generous amount of scotch.
I didn't have to turn to know that Nik was watching my every move. Stefan scowled resentfully at Nik for making him relive what was obviously an embarrassing or shameful past.
"I haven't been that way in a very long time." Stefan insisted. Nik smiled and shrugged off his words as he threw back his blood, before responding.
"Well, that's the vampire I can make a deal with. That is the kind of talent I can use when I leave this town." Nik stated, setting down his glass. I jerked my head up at this, and immediately started to panic as Stefan got to his feet.
"You're leaving?" I spoke up, setting down my glass too. Nik turns to me with that matter-of-fact smile on his handsome face. But it fell a little when he sees how opposed to the idea I was. His serious, focused blue-green eyes softened.
"Temporarily, darling. I'm not through with this town just yet." Nik reassures me. That didn't make me feel any better. I only just got him back, and despite the fact that he had been a complete arse a few minutes ago, I wasn't really ready for him to leave. "As for the cure you're both seeking…" Without warning, Nik's eyes suddenly turned yellow and he bites Stefan on the arm. Stefan yells out in both pain and horror, and clutches at his bleeding arm. I gaped at him.
"You son-of-a-bitch!" Stefan yelled. Ignoring him, Nik simply bites down on his wrist and makes Stefan drink his blood. Before our eyes, Stefan's wound heals completely. Nik looks at Stefan and me. I blinked, not believing what I had just seen.
"So that's what those bloody witches meant?" I cried out in both amazement and disbelief.
"You want the cure? There it is." Nik tells us both.
"Your blood is the cure." Stefan stated, causing Nik to roll his eyes.
"Gotta love Mother Nature." He stated, sardonically. Then puts his hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Now … let's talk, the three of us." He suggested. Stefan frowned in suspicion, while I widened my eyes in surprise.
"The three of us?" I echoed him. Nik looked at me dubiously.
"You're not seriously thinking that I'm just going to skip town without you being by my side, honey?" Nik questions me. Well, actually … I did, to be perfectly honest. "After I spent a thousand years searching for you? Not a chance." Nik actually looked a little insulted at the idea. Bugger him, I should be the one who feels insulted. He accuses me of being unfaithful to him, and just expects that I'm just going to drop everything and traipse around the United States of America with him?
I sat down on the couch, and gave him my full attention. This I gotta hear.
Nik heads into the kitchen and returns with a knife and a vial. Then looking deliberately at me, squeezes the knife blade tightly, letting his blood pour from his hand into the vial. I winced, already knowing how much that hurts, and was a little annoyed how little he flinched when cutting his hand. Stefan looks at him nervously.
"There it is. You want to save your brother? How 'bout a decade-long bender? And I have big plans for you when we leave this town." Nik says to Stefan, who shakes his head frantically; a wild, horrified look on his face.
"I'm not like that anymore." Stefan insisted. Nik smirked, and shrugged.
"Well, that's too bad. You would have made a hell of a wingman." He said, a little too innocently. Then he tilts the vial of his blood over the sink so that his blood drips slowly down the drain. I got to my feet, and was about to open my mouth to object when Stefan unexpectedly spoke up.
"Wait." Nik pauses, and stops pouring away his blood. Then he smiled, triumphantly.
"Now that's more like it." He said. "I want you to join me for a drink." I knew that Nik did not mean a beer or spirit straight up, and I paled when Nik threw Stefan a chilled blood bag. Stefan reluctantly takes it, and looks at me with worry. I was human, and blood plus Stefan plus human with hot, sticky blood running through their veins equals potential, if not imminent disaster. Nik watched Stefan as he takes a sip from a fresh glass of blood, and Stefan slowly stabs a plastic straw through the top of the blood bag and takes a tentative sip.
Oh, God… I cursed, feeling the anxiety mounting as Stefan sipped and seemed to be enjoying every morsel; much to both of our disgust. "Finish it. All of it." Nik instructs, sternly. "You do everything I say, and I save your brother. That's the deal." Stefan finishes the entire blood bag, and my eyes widened when he suddenly takes an interest in me.
I was in so much danger it was not funny.
Nik throws Stefan another blood bag. "Again." Stefan immediately rips into the bag and sucks down the contents like a juice box. "And if you even think of taking a single step towards Grace while doing this, I won't hesitate for a second killing you." Nik warns him, darkly. Stefan snaps out of the blood frenzy for a split second to throw me an apologetic grimace, which I respond to with a weak smile, before the frenzy takes over again, and Stefan gives in to the bloodlust.
Pretty soon, Stefan has polished off four blood bags; and I had taken refuge close by the front door, keeping a sharp eye on Stefan; whose attention never strays from me for a second. Stefan has shifted to the floor, finishing drinking a blood bag. He grunted, and looked up at Nik who stands between Stefan and me for protection.
"Okay, Nik. You've proven your point. Stefan is obeying everything you say. Please stop feeding him more blood bags." I pleaded. Nik shakes his head at the request.
"I'm not convinced he's ready yet, love." Nik responded. He throws another blood bag on the floor next to Stefan, but thankfully, Stefan refuses.
"No more. Not until you give us the cure." Stefan insisted. Nik shook his head, determined as it seemed to get his own way.
"Not until we make a deal." Nik retorted, getting annoyed. "It's your choice, Stefan. You can either remain here living your life in Mystic Falls, or you can embrace what you truly are, leave town with me, and save your brother's life." Nik crouches down in front of Stefan, picks up the blood bag and offers it to him; waiting to see what Stefan's response is. Stefan snatches it from him and drinks down the blood vigorously. Nik smirks, and I shudder with horror. "That's the spirit." Stefan continues drinking down his 'treat' while Nik walks over to me and hands me the vial with his blood in it.
I take it, looking at him in stunned surprise.
"Nik?" I mumbled. He smiles at me tenderly, and I frowned slightly; still angry at the fact that he didn't entirely trust me. He sighed; obviously realising he had some serious grovelling to do.
"Take that to Damon. You don't have much time." He tells me. I frowned deeper.
"You want me to leave?" I clarified. Stefan stops mid-sip when he hears me say this. His eyes widen in horror.
"No!" He yells. Both of us ignored him.
"I'm not keeping you prisoner. You could've left whenever you wished." Nik reminded me, and I flushed in embarrassment. "But in this case, I'd like you to come back." He urged, looking vulnerable for a split second.
"Fine. I'll be back soon." I said, and turned to leave. However, Nik held the door shut with one hand. "Nik…" I muttered.
"What I said before, Grace—" But I cut him off mid-sentence.
"Could we not discuss this right now, Nik? Damon's life is hanging by a thread, and I'd rather save my best friend's life first before we do anything else." I responded, curtly. Nik sighed and removed his hand from the door so I could leave.
"Be careful." Nik warned me. I nodded, not saying a word and quickly left. I flinched when I heard Nik snarl underneath his breath and throws something against the wall, where it shatters into small pieces. But I found it difficult to care at the moment.
I had a best friend to save.
It doesn't take me too long to get the Salvatore Boarding House. I have made trips to and from this place so often, it was practically a second home for me. I sped up the driveway, and let myself into the Estate, and found Alaric sitting in the living room on the coffee table and staring into the flames in the fireplace, nursing a bourbon.
"Hey! I got the cure, where is Damon?" I demanded, bringing Alaric out of his funk and watching him sag with obvious relief.
"He's upstairs in his bedroom." He responded.
"Thanks." I practically sprinted upstairs, and just turned the corner in the corridor leading towards his bedroom door when I heard him speaking to somebody.
"This is even more pitiful than I thought." Damon slurred, groggily. My heart clenched. I was cutting it pretty close. Then I froze when I heard the last voice I expected to hear.
"There's still hope." It was Elena.
I was shocked; she was alive, but not a vampire. How was this possible? The last time I had seen her alive was when Damon had force fed her his blood, so that she would return from the dead after being sacrificed by Nik. The downside, however, would be that she'd become a vampire. I definitely needed an explanation, once Damon was cured. I listened intently to their conversation, trying to find an appropriate moment to make an entrance. It was clear that the both of them were having a moment.
"I've made a lot of choices that have gotten me here. I deserve this. I deserve to die." Damon insisted, sounding rather pathetic.
"No. You don't." Elena argued.
I agree. You don't deserve to die because of somebody else's selfishness… I added, silently.
"I do, Elena. It's okay." Damon insisted stubbornly. "I'm so sorry. Done so many things to hurt you." His voice broke, and it sounded like he was crying.
"It's okay. I forgive you." And Elena was too. I tried to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. I knew that Damon would be okay when I gave him the vial, but it still hurt that he was suffering so cruelly.
"Take care of Stefan. He's gonna need you when this is over." Damon requested.
"I will." Elena promised. Damon laughed, humourlessly.
"You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me." Damon insisted.
"I like you now. Just the way you are." Elena told him, and I let it slide; knowing that Damon was dying and this was probably making him feel better. There was silence for a few seconds.
"Thank you." I heard Damon slur, sounding a bit confused.
"You're welcome." Elena told him. I frowned, confused, and decided to make my entrance.
"Damon?" Both Elena and Damon turned their attention to the bedroom door, and almost instantly Damon lit up like a torch; while Elena scowled.
"Where the hell have you been?" Elena demanded.
"I thought you were dead." I retorted.
"I was."
"Can't wait to hear that story." I said dryly, as I came over and perched on the other side of Damon, and smoothed back his hair from his sweaty forehead. "Hey, sweetheart." I greeted Damon, who grinned and reached for my hand, bringing it to his mouth to kiss it.
I ignored the blood smear that resulted from that.
"You still haven't answered my question." Elena demanded once again. I rolled my eyes and raised the vial of Nik's blood into eye view.
"Bargaining with Nik for this." I replied.
"What is that?" Damon croaked.
"The cure." I replied, before supporting his head as I tipped the entire vial into Damon's mouth. Almost immediately, Damon started looking better. Elena and I sighed with relief.
"Where's Stefan?" Elena asked, probably expecting him to walk through the doorway. I glanced up at her with distaste.
"Sure you give a shit?" I challenged her.
"Where is he?" Elena asked again.
"Paying for this." I held up the empty vial, and Elena's eyes widened with fear. "I had to tag team with Stefan to get Nik to even consider donating some of his blood." I explained. "Stefan gave himself over to Nik, so I wouldn't expect him anytime soon … or me for that matter." I said, reluctantly.
Damon immediately sat up looking at me anxiously.
"What do you mean?" He demanded.
"Stefan sacrificed everything to save you, Damon. Including Elena." I explained. "And Nik is skipping town, and he's taking both Stefan and me with him too." Damon despaired, and I immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry. Hopefully, I'll see you again soon, Damon." I leaned over to kiss him on the forehead, and then pulled back a little to whisper in his ear. "You have a permanent place in my heart, Damon. I just wanted you to understand that." I murmured before I hopped off the bed, taking advantage of Damon's still weakened state and immediately left before either Damon or Elena could do or say anything.
I drove back to the apartment block, with the intention of heading back to my apartment and pretending that this was all a very confusing dream. But instead of turning at the top of the stairs and walking to my apartment door, I continued straight ahead back to Alaric's apartment. There was a note taped to the door in Nik's old-fashioned, slightly spiky handwriting:
'Make yourself at home. I'll be back soon.
– Nik. X'
I sighed, removing the hastily scribbled note, and turned the doorknob which was open. Nik had obviously and correctly assumed that I would return to this apartment, and had acted accordingly. I was still angry with him for his outrageous accusations, but at the same time I didn't want to be apart from him. I hesitated on the threshold, feeling like I was trespassing and overstepping the mark, big time. But it didn't stop me from closing the door and walking over to Alaric's oversized couch.
I dumped my purse on Alaric's coffee table and sank down on the couch, glancing around the slightly messy studio apartment which practically screamed 'bachelor pad'. Elijah's body had been removed from where I had gently laid him down, after Nik had tricked and daggered him. Presumably, Nik and Stefan had disappeared off to hide Elijah's body when Nik had sent me on my little errand. Sighing, feeling completely overwhelmed and fed up with this day; I toed off my booties and made to curl up on the couch and sleep, when I touched something soft and silky underneath my fingertips.
I jerked my hand away from my hand and turned towards the source: a wine-red button up shirt had been carelessly discarded over the couch. It was the same shirt that Nik had been wearing for the ritual and I picked it up for a closer look. I smiled, bringing the shirt up to my face so I could inhale Nik's cologne and signature scent. Melancholy tears started to well up in my eyes.
"Why, Nik?" I whispered out loud.
The tears fell down my cheeks as I pulled his shirt on and curled up on the couch, burying my face into a cushion, and crying myself into a restless sleep surrounded by Nik's scent.
(DREAM)
The next thing I know, I'm waking up in a beautiful, sunny meadow.
I groaned. "Oh, not again…"
I should've been used to this by now since I learned that I was a medium. But I wasn't. It was still really freaky to wake up in a dream that wasn't a dream … only, I don't recognise the memory. I sat up, and immediately feel the weight of the dress I am wearing and glanced down to see that I'm wearing a blood red Viking dress, with a brown belt around my waist and my hair tied back in a thick braid and decorated with daisies, lilacs and lavender. I was also wearing well-worn, and slightly scuffed brown travelling boots on my feet.
"Hello, love." A very warm and familiar sounding voice spoke up.
I jerked my head up and saw Nik striding up the endless grassy hillside towards me with a sad, remorseful smile on his face. He looked like he had stepped forward from the past: a white poet's shirt and dark trousers and travelling boots, with a black and burgundy coloured tunic over the poet's shirt, a black belt around his waist and leather wrist cuffs. His dirty-blonde hair was shoulder-length again and partially pulled back to avoid his hair falling into his eyes.
"What's with the blast from the past?" I asked him, gesturing between us and our separate appearances. He shrugged and took a seat beside me on the grass.
"I figured you'd enjoy being in a familiar setting while we talked." Nik admitted, taking one of my hands and idly playing with my fingers: just weaving them in and out of his. That gesture rang a bell, and I realised what he was doing; and was annoyed that he had ambushed me in my dreams of all places.
Damn vampires with their dream manipulation skills!
I sighed out of frustration. Nik was definitely being stubborn once again. Bloody determined to set things right between us, and wasn't going to give in until I accepted his apology. He smiled at me, with a calm and serene expression on his face. I automatically looked down at his right index finger.
"What happened to your sun ring?" I asked, holding up his hand like I did a thousand years before. Nik chuckled, obviously remembering that day as well.
"I don't burn in the sun anymore. Perks of being the Original Hybrid." He explained.
"Oh." I responded.
It made sense. Werewolves didn't burn in the sun and Nik was part wolf, therefore Nik was less likely to cremate in the sunlight. An awkward silence fell between us, and after a few minutes, I found myself absently picking daisies and creating chains like I remembered Rebekah and I used to love doing, on those rare occasions where it was sunny and we had absolutely nothing to do but laze around in the sunshine and daydream our lives away. I could feel Nik's sharp eyes observing me and I initially felt a little uncomfortable, just waiting for one of us to break the ice and eliminating the tension between us.
"Maddox told me that you've got some talent and skill with a blade." Nik suddenly blurted out of the blue. I looked at him with surprise, before smiling. I was slightly thrown by the unusual interest in the topic; but desperate to stop the silence, I went along with it; rolling my eyes with exasperated fondness.
"He did, huh? Did he also tell you that I'm an expert in martial arts?" I asked. Nik looked pleasantly surprised, and I got to my feet to stretch out my legs; which were becoming numb from sitting in the same position for so long. I reached out a hand to Nik to help him to his feet and he smiled and accepted it.
"I guess it slipped his mind." Nik replied, pleased that I had taken the conversation he started and ran with it. I laughed, and we both decided to take a walk through the meadow. "What on earth inspired you to pursue what is technically a man's profession?" He asked, and I bristled a little. Thank god women had come a long way in a thousand years. I had always hated how Rebekah, Esther and I had always been treated like chattel back then.
"Uh, the idea was sparked when I discovered that I had a birthmark. Which encouraged me to ask my mother why I had it; and when that failed, I did some research." I explained.
Nik frowned curiously.
"What was it that you discovered in your research?" He asked.
"Only that different cultures and religions had differing views of what a birthmark is. But the one answer that seemed to make sense was that in American folklore, it was believed that birthmarks were the site of traumatic injuries in a past life." Nik stopped walking and paled drastically, looking away. I grimaced. "Still can't believe that a simple act of violence would be a contributing factor on the ritual's outcome." I commented. Nik cleared his throat uncomfortably and resumed walking.
"What happened next?" He asked, quietly, looking a little pissed.
"After learning that, I started having dreams and then nightmares of my past life. It scared the hell out of me, especially when I remembered my final moments." I admitted. "I remembered one night when I was twelve – two years after I moved to America – how completely helpless and frightened I had felt when I continued dreaming about being killed; and I decided that I never wanted to feel like that again. So the next morning, I expressed a desire to my parents to learn how to defend myself." I told him.
"Obviously, your parents granted your request." Nik stated.
I nodded. "They did some searching and eventually found what they deemed as an adequate Karate school to teach me what I needed." I confirmed. "I made it all the way to Black Belt; even got a casual job as a Sensei's Sempai for a while." Nik looked both proud and extremely impressed.
"And when did you become an expert in sword-fighting?" Nik looked sly when he asked that particular question. I blushed, which made him smirk. "What?" He teased. Before I could answer, we came across a rushing stream that had icy cold mountain water. Nik stepped out first on the slippery rocks and like he used to a thousand years before, took my hand to lend me some extra support while we walked across.
"One night, I had had a particularly rotten day and I decided to cheer myself by watching a movie. I chose Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, because I was (and still am) a fan of Kevin Costner." Nik rolled his eyes at this admission. "I fell asleep on the couch when he and Alan Rickman started duelling for Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio towards the end of the movie." I paused for a moment, as I watched Nik scale down a particularly tricky part of the trail and then turned to help me down.
Now normally, I would've been able to do this myself; but I was wearing a heavy woollen Viking dress, and it was an accident waiting to happen if I even thought of attempting to scale down by myself. So I swallowed back my feminist instincts and just accepted the help. I ended up tripping anyway and was caught easily by Nik who wrapped both arms around me.
"Gotcha." He smirked, before he set me back down on my feet. I flushed with embarrassment.
"Thanks." I responded.
"Always." Nik didn't let go of my hand. "Please continue with your story." He requested, politely. I nodded, and tried to remember where I left off.
"I was inspired to become a swordswoman by a memory. It had both you and Elijah in it." I explained. Nik paused and turned to look at me, surprised and curious.
"Which one?" He asked.
"The day you and Elijah were practicing your sword-fighting, and I broke the rules by volunteering to spar with you." Nik's face clouded and I knew it was because he was remembering what came next. "Elijah was stunned when he saw my arsenal collection. Even called me skjoldmø." I giggled. Nik rolled his eyes.
"I think I prefer Valkyrie." He scoffed, but not unkindly. Then he developed a mischievous glint in his eye that made me wary.
"What?" I asked.
"Fancy a rematch?" He asked, slyly. I was taken aback.
"What here?" I gestured at the surrounding trees, looking sceptical. "We don't have any swords." I pointed out. The very second I said that, two swords materialised out of nowhere.
I rolled my eyes.
Nik sauntered over to the two swords and took his pick, testing its weight in his hand by slicing through the air and executing some fancy hand tricks. I mimicked him and pretended that the sword was too heavy by stumbling like I did that day long ago. Nik snorted with laughter, then froze when I winked at him and expertly tested its weight and did basically the same warm up exercises as he did, with a couple of my own thrown in for good measure. Think what Éowyn from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers did before Aragorn blocked her with his bowie knife.
"En garde." I said, honouring him with the sword and smirking at the crafty grin on Nik's face.
(Reality)
I stirred and opened my eyes, registering the stillness of Alaric's apartment. It was then that I realised that Nik's scent was now much stronger than before I went to sleep. I turned my head slightly and saw Nik's peaceful sleeping face just inches away from mine.
He was snoring softly, probably unaware that I was observing him. Just in peaceful, unsuspecting slumber. He must've returned to the apartment, probably not expecting to see me here; and decided to take some rest himself and curled up behind me on the couch, acting like the big spoon. His arms were wrapped around me, and cradling me in them.
I smiled and shuffled closer, resting my head on his chest and making myself comfortable. On instinct, Nik tightened his hold and went back to sleep, and I followed his example, returning to sleep; safe and secure in his arms.
A/N: Sorry again for the late update. It's almost Easter, and I've been very busy. Hope this makes up for it, and don't hate Klaus too much for what happened. Their relationship will improve better in the future.
TTFN, and please review! xx