"Have you finished wishing on stars?" Klaus mocks us playfully when we make it back inside.
The sight of him makes my heart skip a beat and I'm sure he notices because his hand reaches out to me as soon as it does. Grasping it tightly, I allow him to pull me towards him.
"I'm already content," I reply, but something nags at me the second I say it. "Except..."
Klaus nods once when my eyes travel to the far wall, "Yes, I noticed the extra witch. While this may also be your home, I must ask, is the extra company really necessary?"
"I heard that," Georgina scolds him as she enters the entryway.
"You were meant to."
"Is there something we can do for you, Georgina?" Adalynn asks, "I think we were all just headed off to bed. It's been a long day."
She looks around at the three of us, contemplating her response. Her pink and black matching pajama set—paired with a leopard print eye mask that is currently hanging around her beefy neck—sticks out like a sore thumb beside the elegant marble staircase she is leaning on. I want to comment about the overly grumpy look on her face, but she's already well on her way to criticize before I can think of anything to say.
"I've just come to let you know that we need to begin working soon if you expect me to stick around... in a vampire-infested house," she shoots a dangerous glance at Klaus as she says this. "I'll need access to a few things as well, but I'm sure it's all within your grasp."
She glances around at the elegant walls to insinuate our wealth. After everything that has happened in the last week, I want to scream at her about needing time away from all of this before we begin the spells, but it seems that Adalynn would rather avoid such confrontation.
"My mother has done more than enough for the time being, we'll allow her a decent night's rest for now," she sighs, shooting me a discrete look that warns me to control my anger. "Shall we?"
She gestures to the hallway leading back to Georgina's room and Adalynn continues distracting her as they go. I can see Klaus looking at me out of the corner of my eye but acknowledging my racing heart and completely understandable anger towards the bitchy witch would drain me of the little energy I have left.
"Shall we?" I ask instead, pulling him by our entwined hands towards his foyer.
His skepticism has not been completely forgotten, but he at least plays along. After everything, he owes me that much.
The fireplace has grown darker than preferred, so I spell a couple of logs to pile themselves on top of the coals. Moving to sit on the couch, I have to brush off a few pieces of broken glass from the cushion before I am able to sit.
Instead of sitting beside me like I had intended him to do, he grabs the case that sits on the table and casually starts packing it up. I don't notice his secrecy until I lean forward to reach for him, and he instinctively shifts his body to block what he's doing. Within seconds, my idea for a peaceful moment with him in a private place has been forgotten.
"Hiding things now, are we?" I question him, more sarcastic than anything.
"Ignorance is bliss." He replies, unintentionally capturing my attention.
"Niklaus."
"Claramay."
"I know better than to think that you use idioms for the fun of them."
He takes the case and places it on the taller table by the fire, "I guess I've forgotten who I'm talking to. If you must know..."
I'm up and standing beside him before he can change his mind about showing me. As the briefcase clicks open, I feel the entirety of him still next to me in anticipation for my reaction.
"You have a case full of blood." I realize, staring at the bags, "If this is from who I think it is... You want to make more hybrids?"
Unsurprisingly, he begins defending himself instantly, "For our family's protection. With white oak still in existence—"
I interrupt him, "I understand your reasoning, Klaus, I just don't like your tactics. And I think you underestimate how powerful your family already is without these... creations."
As if on cue, the newly laid logs split in the fire which causes a mini uproar from the flames. Klaus looks to it, his face riddled with argument.
"I know that you understand what it feels like to lose someone you care for," he whispers. When his eyes meet mine again, I feel a slightly wave of emotion hit me when I recognize the pain on his face. "Just the mere idea of losing you again... it haunts me more than you will ever know."
The memory of me getting magically stabbed in the Mystic Falls town square plays behind my eyes. He lost himself in his own thoughts that night, and I remember it in a frightening light.
"I guess I understand," I say under my breath.
He looks at the floor. For a moment, I think he must be composing himself as he doesn't say anything, but when Rebekah enters the room, I realize that he must have been preparing for that argument instead.
"How dare you save Caroline over me!"
Klaus immediately rolls his eyes and moves to stand behind me, "Hello brother. Thought you were dead. So pleased you're not!"
Klaus's hands find their way onto my shoulders and I feel him push me slightly forward. The sudden barrier that I have become between them is relatively obvious and a bit comical.
"You left me!" Rebekah screams, "You both did, actually!"
"I only had time to save one of you and you can't be killed," he replies defensively. "Rest assured, I had a worse day than you. I think it's time for us to move on; find some more werewolves."
Rebekah does not like this news whatsoever, and I definitely don't need Adalynn's power to alert me of that, "So you can create your hybrid family? You don't know anything about family!"
He pushes me aside rather forcefully, "Well, I know how easily they can be silenced with a dagger."
"That's enough!" I yell and they both look at me. "Klaus, don't ever let me hear those words come out of your mouth in my presence again!"
"She—"
"She is right about a lot of things. You both are," I fume, pushing his hand away when he reaches towards me. "We both mourned you, Nik. I don't think you understand how real it was."
"Well, it's obviously not bloody true—"
I silence him with a look.
"We were just talking about that pain. I know you understand it. Give her a freaking break."
"Thank you, Claramay," Rebekah says, gesturing to me. "Finally, we're on the same page."
Klaus looks between us, infuriated, "Consider me in a whole other chapter then. Clara and I are leaving to make more hybrids and to begin a new life together. Whether you join us is up to me and the dagger."
My reaction, though slightly unsurprised, results in an exaggerated huff. Rebekah, on the other hand, flashes out of my direct line of sight and reappears with two of the stashed blood bags in her hands. In the same moment, there's a hard thud and splat sound behind me and I turn to see the remains of the rest of the bags that she threw at the wall.
"You two are more similar than you realize," I mumble, taking a defeated seat on the couch again.
"Drop them," Klaus demands of her.
Rebekah's face is streaked with tears now, so it takes everything in me to not stop her on Klaus's behalf, "I mourned you! My heart broke thinking I'd never see you again!"
"Put the blood down, Rebekah. There's a good girl." Klaus barks before looking down at my bored self, "Clara!"
"It's always been me! Not Finn, not Elijah, not Kol, not even Clara! Me! I loved you through everything and you don't even care!"
"Drop it!"
"You want your family?" Her fingers visible tighten on the bags and I jump out of my seat to avoid getting splashed by the blood, "Here's your family!"
The last of Elena's human blood drains from the bags as Rebekah's manicured nails poke devastating holes in them. Klaus launches towards her violently, but I hold him back the best I can with a spell.
"You know something, Rebekah, you're right!" He screams, tearing through my spells bit by bit as they're not as powerful without a binding agent, "I don't care! From this moment on, you're not my family, you're not my sister, you are nothing!"
He grabs her by the neck in her shocked stake and snaps it instantly. Then, he turns to me, the fire in his eyes still not swelled.
"You fueled that, Clara, and you did nothing to stop it."
I sigh, "Yeah, I guess I did."
My nonchalant tone shocks him for a moment. I no longer fight him with baby shield spells and instead allow him to stand directly before me. The anger is radiating off of him, even now as he gazes down into my brown eyes.
"You had just said you understood why I wanted to make hybrids."
"Niklaus, I can't always be your magical shield, especially against Rebekah. I think I deserve more than that."
"And yet, you decided to side with her against me. After everything that's just happened."
He sits in the seat opposite of me and I feel my heart sink a bit at the distance. I didn't mean to cause trouble. That's actually the last thing I wanted; we've been through enough.
Yet, I can't help but feel slightly used all over again. It seems to be a consistent turn in my relationships recently. At this point, I think I've come to struggle with justifying everyone's actions as they have usually led to more bad things for me. Damon, for example, nearly ruined my chance at happiness out of fear and a lack of trust in me, when I could help him if he had just talked to me. Once again though, I was forgotten, and Elena died as a result.
Slipping my dead phone from my pocket, it turns back on with a determined thought. I type Elijah's name into the message bar and send him a short explanation of what's happened since he's gone, followed by an urgent sentence about needing to meet.
Klaus, who had used the silent moment to remove Rebekah's body from the room, sits down next do me again. I gaze at him, my analytical brain poking past the anger and willing the man I once mourned to reappear before me.
"I'm still angry with you."
His words fill the silence like a spark. His ability to read me is uncanny. Even now, with this new version of myself, he still understands.
"I think I'm angry with you too," I mumble, honestly.
His eyes flicker to mine and I feel like my whole-body melts underneath his gaze. I know how I feel about him, and I know that there's more agitation than love to be had for his behavior, but it's hard to care when he's looking at me like he is now.
Blame the fire, my subconscious hums.
Ravishing. I'm not sure where this word comes from, but it suddenly appears in my mind.
Enticing, as well, which comes to me as I put in a bit more effort to collect my thoughts.
He moves out of the chair to cross to me, and my hand is suddenly pressed to his cheek.
Illuminating.
He swiftly tucks pieces of my hair behind my ear that I had neglected to pull back. His hands are cold as they make contact with my neck, but that's not why I shiver.
Temptation.
With a quick flash, he's taken my seat on the couch and I'm suddenly sitting on his lap. I know what he's doing, and I know where this is headed, but every touch still feels like an untamed fire.
Running my hands through his hair, his fingers dance over me as if searching for something. He finds the dark shades of bruises that haven't entirely healed and a small scar on my wrist that I have no recollection of getting. The way his eyes light up with each one is intoxicating.
Yes, intoxicating.
And when I can barely stand his wonderment any longer, his hands find their way back to my neck.
"I'm not going to apologize," I whisper as a new types of silence floats between us.
"I know," he trails small kisses from my hand up to my wrist. "You shouldn't expect me to either."
"I know," I mock him.
When he releases my hand, my fingers give a gentle snap, and the door suddenly closes by itself from across the room.
*******
Chapter 43: 3/15/21 -- 12:38 am
Long time no update!
I'm gonna start dedicating chapters to a top comment that is posted in between my chapters because I have been blessed with so many wonderful messages recently, and I'd really love to show you all my appreciation.
I'll comment: "Top Comment 👑" underneath it and then look out for your dedicated chapter! Even if it's not you, please know that I read every single comment and I cannot even begin to express my thanks to all of you!
First up: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Madelineevenore. Thank you for reading and motivating me to update (even though it's been a while since I promised you a new chapter lol)!
Side note lol: I've been busy working on a fun project that will hopefully be ready very soon!!!!!! I am in the busiest season right now, so I'm truly sorry for the long breaks between updates!
TBH Bonnie was my favorite at one point but then I rewatched TO and now she's just in my top ten.
Is Bonnie your favorite?
Another question: who would win in a fight? Scarlet Witch (W/V) or Clara? (I just watch this show and OH MY)
Like and comment please! I absolutely love hearing your feedback!
- Mae