descent | 𝐊𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐒 [HIATUS]

𝟎𝟕

Rory laughs tearily, sniffling. "Yeah," she whispers. "I guess I'm just that great."

"You are," Klaus pulls away, tucking a hair behind her ear. "You are," he traces his thumb against her bottom lip. "The greatest woman I've ever met. The greatest person. I'm positively hypnotised."

Rory giggles quietly. "Maybe it's that Petrova allure everyone keeps mentioning,"

"No," Klaus declines. "I think it's just you."

He leans forward, pressing his lips against hers. Rory returns the kiss, her hand cupping the back of his neck. It's soft and sweet, Klaus pulling away after a few seconds.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Aurora," he murmurs gently. "Quite truthfully... I never found her worth mentioning again," Klaus brushes his finger under Rory's chin. "In the place of you, nobody can compare."

"God, you are sinfully good at sweet-talking," despite Rory's words, her cheeks are flushed pink.

"I mean what I say," Klaus replies seriously. "There is nobody that can compare to you."

Rory sighs, sagging in his grip. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for acting like such an ass these few days," she mumbles quietly. She fiddles with her fingers, placing her hands against her lap. "I was just jealous and insecure. It's an ugly side of me that I never want others to see—"

"It was my fault," Klaus interjects. Rory looks up at him in surprise. Klaus is never the type to admit his mistakes. "I should've told you about her. And I shouldn't have underestimated the levels of Aurora's anger. When I told her that my heart belonged to another, I had never seen her so angry. I never knew that she would sink to such levels."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Rory replies.

"Why would you disapprove killing her?" Klaus frowns. "If you're worried about me, I wouldn't have any issues—"

"I have so much blood on my hands, Nik," Rory wrings her fingers. "So much. And truthfully... I-I don't want to play God. Since I got turned into a vampire, it feels like my humanity just slips away bit by bit. And it doesn't help that I'm the worst kind of vampire—the type that kills without thinking; the type that acts on pure animalistic instinct. I don't even realise what I'm doing until it happens," Rory releases her fingers, looking down at her hands.

If she focuses hard enough, she can see the blood that soaks her palms.

"I don't want another death on my hands," Rory whispers. "At least one that I have to acknowledge. Aurora is... a horrible bitch for doing that to me, but she's functioning on nine centuries of heartbreak and revenge. I think that was what Hayley was talking about when I was looking for Katherine. And I don't want to kill someone for that."

"Well, what do you propose we do?" Klaus asks.

"You can do whatever you want with her," Rory sighs. "I don't care. But I just don't want another death on my conscience."

"Whatever you want," Klaus kisses the side of Rory's head. He looks down at her thigh. "Do you realise that you have a piece of furniture stuck through your leg?"

"Oh," Rory looks down in slight surprise. "No. I think that vervain kind of numbed me out."

Klaus clenches his jaw. "Are you sure I can't kill her—"

"—No," Rory interjects, narrowing her eyes at him.

"But—"

"Can you just pull this fucking wooden leg out of me so I can go home and take a nap?!"