descent | 𝐊𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐒 [HIATUS]

𝟏𝟎

   "Hello?" Rory calls out. "Hey, what the hell is going on?"

   To her surprise, it's not Sam or Dean that comes into the room. It's Klaus. He purses his lips in a grim fashion, closing the door behind him. "You're awake," he says. "Good."

   "You want to tell me why I'm strapped to a chair?" Rory asks, attempting to brush aside the fact that she was starting to feel a prickle of familiarity. The position she finds herself in brings her back to Mystic Falls, when she found herself weakened and half-starved.

   "Because you tried to attack your boyfriend," Klaus states. Rory's mind immediately blanks. She blinks at him, her lips parting in surprise. Klaus doesn't seem surprised that she's shocked. "Correction—you did attack your boyfriend. Luckily, Sam was there before you could do any serious damage."

   "No," Rory says. "No. I wouldn't."

   Klaus sighs as he crouches in front of her. "We don't exactly know the extent of Finn's hex, but it's clear that he has somewhat of a hold on you. Kol thinks that he's able to take control of your mind, just for a while, with that little mark on your neck,"

   "I hurt... I hurt Dean?" Rory stammers. "I hurt him?"

   "You weren't in the right mind, lovely. Quite literally," Klaus says quietly. "It's alright. He's not angry with you."

   "If he's not angry with me, where is he?" Rory asks. Klaus sighs in response. "He's scared of me, isn't he?" Rory inquires softly. Her bottom lip trembles as she slouches in her chair. "He's terrified of me. I almost killed him."

   "But you didn't. Yes, he is a little... shaken, but that's a given. Everything will be alright. I've explained the situation to both him and Sam; they don't hold it against you," Klaus responds. "Everything is going to be alright, Rory. I promise you."

   Klaus reaches forward to undo the straps around her wrists, but Rory speaks out. "Don't," she interjects. "Don't... don't take off my restraints. I don't trust myself. I don't trust Finn," Rory whispers. "I don't want to hurt people anymore."

   "I don't want to leave you here," Klaus argues.

   "You don't have a choice," Rory says. "You don't understand, Klaus. In that moment, I just... I just blanked. It felt like I was a ripper again, except everything felt multiplied. I was ravenous. I couldn't think—I couldn't even comprehend..." Rory trails off, looking down at her lap. "I didn't even realise who was sitting in front of me. All I could smell was his blood."

   "This isn't you. This is Finn. This is my brother—"

   "—No, Klaus, it's me," Rory intervenes. "I never... I never really got better," she swallows thickly. "I never found my happy medium. In those two years, I almost fell back into my old ways. But when Sam turned... god, Sam is the vampire I wish I was. He helped me ration my blood. The only reason I didn't go on a full-blown binge is because of Sam. He was a hunter before he got turned so he knew exactly how to wrangle vampires. Now that Finn has amplified that, I don't know... I don't know what this could mean."

   "You wouldn't hurt them, Rory," Klaus says after a moment of silence.

   "But I did," Rory whispers. "I was going to put a stake through Sam's heart and I almost tore out Dean's throat."

   "But it wasn't your will. You didn't want to do it. You wouldn't hurt the people you love. I know this. I know you. I know your heart," Klaus reaches forward, tucking a hair behind her ear. "If you wish to be kept here, if you think that's what's best, then I'll respect that decision. But don't you ever for a second think that this is your fault."