darling - n.mikaelson

11

He wrapped his arms back around her, his fingers stroked her hair softly as he listened to her heart rate slow, falling back to sleep.

This time she was the first to wake. Slipping from Klaus' arms was no easy feat but she slid away, sorry to lose the warmth of his skin. Making her way to the pile on the table, she gathered her clothes before returning to her own room to shower. 

She dressed quickly, pulling her things together neatly by the door for when they left, before nervously making her way to her brothers room.

Stefan was well awake, he'd been awake for the three hours dwelling over his sister in Klaus' bed. He'd stopped out for a snack, walking aimlessly as he tried to distract himself before eventually returning, sitting on his bed unsure of how to fix things. 

Stefan felt horrible that he hadn't been there when Charlotte had been attacked. That he'd been there and too distracted by his ripper urges to focus on his sister, drunk for the first time in the modern world. Guilt was Stefans biggest vice by far, he couldn't believe he was so unfocused that it was Klaus who'd had to save his sister not him. He felt like Charlotte laying in bed with Klaus was his fault.

The knock on the door drew him from his thoughts and he quickly stood to let his sister in. Her face mirrored his with guilt and Stefan felt worse. He couldn't get the image from his head from the night before when he'd pulled back from the girl he was feeding on to see Charlotte gone and nowhere to be found. He hated that he hadn't been there for her and he hated just as much that Klaus had to. 

"Nothing happened with Klaus, Stef," Charlotte broke the silence. 

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"Its ok."

"It's not."

Charlotte grabbed his hand, trying to ground him and convince him to hear her words, "I'm fine, Stef."

"It should've been me there" Stefan snapped as he snatched his hands from hers in fury, "I should've helped you. Not Klaus." 

He really spat the name out.

Charlotte stayed silent, she didn't know what to say, normally so quick to snap back, instead she looked down at her hands fidgeting.

Stefan softened, "Charlie," his hand landed on hers, stilling them and causing her to look up at him, "You can't trust him, he's not a good person."

Charlotte scoffed, ripping her hands away, crossing them around her, "Don't treat me like a child Stefan, I'm older than you. I'm not an idiot I know who he is."

"Charlie," he spoke like a teacher now, he knew best. "I have a hundred years of life on you."

"I haven't fallen in love with him. I was scared and hurt last night so we slept in a bed together so I wasn't alone. Grow the fuck up." 

She turned and stood from the bed, marching furiously to the door. Stefan sped around her, appearing against the door just as she reached for the handle, blocking her in. His arms crossed against his chest, expression stern as he looked down at her. 

"I won't let you get hurt."

God he sounded like their father or Damon.

"Fantastic," she shot back, her tone venomous.

Stefan rolled his eyes and she reached behind him, grabbing for the door handle, tugging it with all her strength so the door banged harshly against his back. He moved reluctantly and she shoved past him, storming from the room. Her fist banged on Klaus' door but she turned away before he'd even opened it, grabbing her bag from her room, returning to the corridor to see Klaus' amused smirk and Stefans angry glower.

"Can we leave?" 

Before either could reply she'd already turned on her heel, storming away.

Klaus was doing his best to contain his laughter at the two siblings, both with anger radiating off themselves in waves. Charlotte hadn't even looked at either of them as she'd stalked down to the lobby and waited with her foot tapping angrily against the front of the building. 

He pulled the car around and Charlotte tugged the back door open before Stefan could, sliding in and slamming it behind her. Stefan rolled his eyes at her antics as he walked around to the passenger side. Nobody in the car spoke, Klaus had opened his mouth at one point to make a joke about the situation but the death glare Charlotte gave him as he glanced at her in the mirror caused him to close it quickly.

Charlotte wasn't sleeping, she was just over watching Klaus and Stefan flicker their eyes over to her with worry so she tucked her knees to her chest and closed her eyes as she leaned on the window. Klaus would glance at her every so often, her face was calm when she slept or at least pretended to.

He could hear her heart and he knew how it sounded as she slept now, he knew that she was only pretending but he didn't say anything to expose her act.

Klaus missed the feeling he'd had that morning. Missed the feeling of her in his arms as he pulled her in tighter and tighter, the feeling of her hair tickling his chest as her breath softly blew it against him. 

He felt an unusual wave of guilt pass over him as his eyes trailed over to the bruise on her neck.

The hickey.

When Charlotte had called his name in the bar, desperation seeping through he'd seen red. He was honestly a little surprised that he'd not done more to punish the man pinning her to the wall but the moment he'd heard the whimper come from her lips he couldn't think about the man anymore. Normally anybody that crossed him would be torn limb from limb but as he heard her cry out all Klaus cared about was taking her away and getting her safe.

Klaus didn't often feel that way for anyone, he enjoyed violence, committing or witnessing it was always fun but he didn't like violence with Charlotte. He didn't like the way her eyes turned sad and reproachful as she watched him or her brother hurt people. 

He didn't know why but he didn't want anyone hurting her either. The man in the alley had been bad enough, thinking he could grab at her without her consent but the man pinning her by the bathroom was so much worse. Klaus didn't want to hear her whimper in fear again, he didn't want anyone to hurt her, he wouldn't let anyone touch her.

An hour into their drive Stefan finally snapped when he saw Klaus watching Charlotte in the mirror with fondness in his eyes. 

"Keep your eyes on the road." 

 Klaus was particularly amused at Stefans attempt to tell him what to do, his ever-present smirk returning as he looked at Stefan.

"On the road or off your sister?"

"Both. Please Klaus, let her leave," his voice turned from angry to desperate, "you've made your point. Let her go home she doesn't need to be part of this."

"I happen to enjoy her company," Klaus snapped, no longer finding amusement in Stefans jealousy, "It will do you well to remember which one of us is in charge here Stefan."

There was silence in the car again. When they stopped for gas, Stefan shook Charlotte, pulling her from the car and sliding in her place to the back seat. 

a.n. little filler but its ok u gotta have some slow points in life for the big bits to even out