✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧
Talia Monroe was in-love with Klaus Mikaelson.
That was a fact, but not the love you saw in movies. Not the love where butterflies explode in your chest as they kiss you. Not the love where your body craves theirs.
Talia Monroe had fallen head over heels in love with Klaus Mikaelson, but not the love that was expected. She wasn't even sure she was capable of that sort of love.
It was love you feel when splitting clementines with a friend. The type of love you have for someone where when you're in the grocery store and you see their favorite snack on a shelf you buy it for them, even if they didn't ask. The love that you would die for them and you would die to be with them.
The love that came from two souls, two best friends, destined to be best friends.
The issue? She had no idea.
✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧
As Talia drifted into the deep nothingness, the plane resting between life and death, her memories flashed before her eyes.
The first one couldn't have been from when she was more than seven years old. A little girl that knew nothing of the world except the walls of the orphanage she had grown up in.
A girl with a thick mane of black curls and eyes the color of oil. A beautiful little girl.
The memories sped up, her life flashing before her eyes but not the way they described it in the movies. It was like she was watching a movie, she could press pause or fast-forward. It was such an odd feeling.
As her stomach somersaulted in her chest, or did it? She wasn't very aware of herself as she watched the memories.
Then came the first memory after she initially met Klaus.
It was 1968 and she was bussing tables at the cafe she worked at . . .
Talia's dark hair was pulled into a tight bun, as were the rules at the little cafe. Her hand swiped the rag over the table, cleaning up the crumbs and such when the bell at the door rang and all the patrons fell deathly silent.
That only happened when a white man entered . . .
She lifted her dark gaze and felt a sharp zing in her heart as she peered up at the man. The same man from the night before.
Was he stalking her? Sick in the head?
She blinked, wrapping the rag around her fist in-case she had to punch him or something. He approached, stopping in-front of her with a faint smile. "Talia?"
"Klaus," she greeted softly, eyes blazing. "Are you obsessed with me or something?"
Gasps were heard from the people around her and they rose from their seats, dark eyes fixated on the duo. It wasn't very common in these times that a black woman spoke up to a white man. She felt Rosalie's intense, brown gaze fixated between her shoulder blades, silently begging her to stand down.
The man, however, only laughed off her words. "Curious, more or less. I want to get to know you, Talia." He touched his chest and she felt a burning feeling in her chest in the same spot he touched on himself. "I have a feeling you understand." His head dipped down, blue eyes looking up at her through thick lashes.
He was a curious man. But she was a curious woman.
"Alright." Her head bobbed, dark eyes closing momentarily. "Alright." She rested her hands on her hips, licking her lips in consideration. "Perhaps another place?"
He nodded and offered his arm.
She stared at the limb and her mind was at war, but before she could let herself think her way out of it, she grabbed his arm and let him lead her away.
That was the moment her life changed forever.
The memories kept changing and shifting, blossoming before her eyes and then darting away. Over fifty years of memories in her head, thirty of them belonging to Klaus, as well.
Memories that had impact on her life and memories that meant nothing.
Talia felt her head roll to the side as she floated passively through the deathless state. Klaus, everything was about Klaus.
She didn't understand why her life was so entwined with his, beyond the fact they were soulmates, of course. But did soulmates usually feel such agony from their relationship?
Companions was the better word, it was the one she preferred. He was her companion and she was his. Companions had freedom, she did not.
Maybe companion wasn't the right word either.
Talia groaned, feeling an intense pain in her head. Pounding and pounding and it was getting worse and worse. Oh, couldn't it just go away?
She swallowed something that tasted like blood, but her mouth was filled with some substance. It was sweet but also metallic, oh God, more blood.
Trying to spit it out, the girl writhed in the everlasting darkness. No, no, gross. She felt her lips part, puking out the substance. Her chest suddenly felt wet and warm, making her twist more.
Her hand lifted, trying to wipe off the substance but there was something holding her hands at bay and her mouth was filling with that substance again.
The darkness was starting to fade, replaced by light. Too much light. It was blinding and her eyes closed tighter, head whipping back and forth as she spat out the liquid.
There was something pressed against her lips, pushing more of the substance into her mouth and a hand resting at the back of her head, trying to goad her to swallow.
"Come on, Talia, just one sip."
The voice was faint, so far away. So familiar, though. Why was it so familiar?
She whined, shaking her head. It tasted so bad, no!
Her head felt empty, everything so far away except that liquid. Too much liquid, too warm, horrible taste. So bad, so gross, get it away. Tears sprang to her eyes, leaking down her cheeks as she pushed weakly at whatever held her hands. But whatever was holding them only tightened.
"No, no!" She screamed and sobbed, her legs thrashing and suddenly whatever held her hands released, grabbing at her legs. She felt something strong pinning down her legs but her hands were free and she tried to hit whoever was forcing the thing in her mouth. "Get away from me!" Her words were garbled by the liquid and the thing in her mouth, whatever it was.
Grabbing the source of the liquid, she pulled it away and her eyes flashed open, staring into a pool of terrified blue.
Blue eyes.
Klaus.
There was blood on her chin, on her chest, on the couch she lay on and the floor next to her and it only kept coming. "Talia, just drink, please." His voice was desperate, his eyes wide and terrified and her gaze darted to Rebekah who was pinning down her legs.
They were in the lounge room of the Mikaelson Manor and she was wearing that stupid white flapper dress. The memories slowly poured in. Esther and the blood and the bond . . . the bond was cut.
More tears ran down Talia's face, her head falling back and hitting the pillow on the couch. "No, no, it's over. It's all over."
His hand was still behind her head, but now it pulled back to his lap and he was staring at her with this look in his eyes like he was breaking. But how could he be breaking when he was truly immortal?
"The soulmate bond is destroyed. I'm going to die other way, Nik." More tears slid down her cheeks, back arching as agonizing grief descended on her. "Please, let me die."
Klaus Mikaelson was a stubborn man, though. He rarely let go of things he considered his and Talia Monroe was his.
He shook his head, blue eyes flashing and voice breaking. "Please, don't say that, Talia. We're going to get a witch. We're going to repair what's been broken. Just take my blood." He bit into his wrist, the red substance pouring down his forearm and pooling with the rest of the blood around them.
She stared at it and then nodded, taking the wrist to her lips slowly. She swallowed the metallic substance, no-longer the nectar she once loved. Talia rested her forehead against his shoulder, gasping sobs coming from her.
Rebekah left, letting the duo have some privacy.
Talia felt his arms wrap around her, cradling him tightly around his chest. "I know, love. We're going to fix this. You're going to be alright."
He held her tighter, his nose resting against her shoulder. She shook her head, already feeling weaker.
The loss of immortality meant age would catch up with her.
Nails digging into the muscles of his shoulder, she whimpered when she didn't feel a reciprocating pain in her shoulder. She was supposed to feel everything he did.
Another sob broke from her lips, and Klaus rubbed her back, resting his cheek against her head. "Shh, just relax, Talia. Sleep, sweetheart. You've had a long day."
Talia shook her head, trying to stay awake but her body was agreeing with him. She was so tired . . .
But just as she was drifting off the sleep, she recalled something. "Wait, Nik."
"Go to sleep, Talia." He pressed his lips against her forehead and pulled her into his arms, holding her against his chest. "I've got you, you can sleep, love."
She sighed, her eyelids heavy and half-closed. "Alaric . . ."
"He's dead, Talia." Klaus brushed his thumb over her cheek, brushing away some specks of blood. His voice was so soothing, she was so tired, too.
Nodding, Talia nearly let herself submit to sleep, but she just had to tell him, "no, he's . . . Original."
A yawn split her mouth open and she sighed, eyes fully closing as sleep took its powerful hold.
✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧
When Talia awoke, it was dark out. She yelped and grabbed around for her phone then, thankfully, found it on the nightstand. Checking the time, her eyes widened when she realized she had slept for nearly forty-six hours.
Jesus Christ, was that even possible?
Then again, who knew what was possible when a soulmate bond was cut and then you were nearly drained off all your blood within minutes of each other.
Rubbing the bridge of her nose, the Companion rolled off the bed and groaned as her head pounded. "Nik?" She stumbled to the door and peered down at her clothes.
Rebekah's pajama pants, his shirt. She was no longer covered in blood, thankfully.
Her dark eyes darted around the large house as she wandered out into the hallway, calling her best friend's name and then alternating to his sister's after a few more shouts.
She was alone, though.
Talia shook her head, stumbling down the stairs. Her hands grasped the railing tightly, feeling herself go lightheaded for a moment.
Spinning when she heard footsteps behind her, the brunette peered curiously at the masked figures approached. Her hand sloppily lifted to her neck where what felt like a dart was sticking out.
Pulling it away, she blinked at the dart with the red-feathering, her brown eyes closing as she began to see double and then triple. "What's-" before she could finish, the Companion collapsed to the side.
The last thing she saw were black combat boots stopping next to her head. Faint voices were heard near her ears as they leaned down. "Human?"
"Yep, but still need her."
Hands under her armpits and intense deja vu before the girl fully went unconscious.
✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧
Klaus Mikaelson was dead. That was the thoughts pressing against both of his siblings minds as Elijah and Rebekah stood in the woods, holding each other.
Finally, Rebekah pulled away from her older brother, blue eyes blazing intensely. "Talia."
Elijah's face paled, dark eyes widening as they came to the same realization. Talia had no idea that her soulmate was dead and she would die soon, too.
To Elijah, family was family. Whether or not he knew her well, she was still a Mikaelson. Klaus's best friend. His soulmate.
"We need a witch. We can't lose anyone else, Rebekah."
First Finn then Klaus.
After a thousand years it was stupid, arrogant, young vampire brothers that were in-love with the same girl that ended the powerful family that had reigned over the world. The most powerful family to have ever lived, along with the most feared. Two, idiot brothers were the ones who decimated to Mikaelson Clan, something not even Mikael had managed.
Elijah wasn't going to let them be the reason Talia died, too.
Family was power and Talia Monroe was family.
✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧
It was the screams that woke her.
Her heart screaming at her mind that something was wrong. Something was horribly, horribly wrong.
Her dark eyes flashed open, staring up at the figure above her. A man she had never even met, but he was glaring at her. "Talia Mikaelson, Klaus's wife." A man with a balding head and a prominent sneer was staring at her in disgust.
Talia closed her eyes, not bothering arguing anything. That was what she had been made. Klaus's wife, Talia Mikaelson. Just a side piece.
"Too bad your husband is dead."
Her eyes opened quickly, staring up at the man in confusion. "What?"
He rose a brow, a massive smile splitting across his pig-like face. "You didn't know? Alaric Saltzman killed your husband tonight. Pushed a stake right into his heart and watched as he burned to ash." The man squatted in-front of her, his smile bright and cruel. "Dead, dead, dead."
He taunted her loudly, his voice sing-song. "Too bad you're human or else I'd kill you." Suddenly, he paused and tilted his head. "Wait . . . why were you married to him? It couldn't be his personality. Did he force you?"
Talia looked down at her hands. Klaus was dead. Her best friend was dead, she was alone and the soulmate bond was destroyed. She would die soon, anyway.
Tears trailed down her cheeks, which the man seemed to take as an affirmation more than the grief she was feeling. She felt like she was drowning in her own pain.
It swallowed her up and muffled the man's words. It made her heart break into a thousand pieces. "Is he really dead?"
The man nodded, glee present on his face and she wanted so badly to punch him but she couldn't muster up the energy. Her dark eyes closed, chin resting against her chest as tears flooded down her cheeks.
If there was even a chance she survived, she had nothing to live for anymore. "Just kill me."
The man paused, as if he hadn't heard her right. "What?"
"Kill me," Talia demanded, lifting her hands which were handcuffed together, and brushed her dark hair from her face. Her curls were frizzy and matted with blood and she felt like she was falling deeper and deeper into a darkness she wouldn't be able to escape. "Kill me."
He nodded, head bobbing and hand reaching to a holster she couldn't see. Grabbing a gun she didn't look at. She heard the safety click off and his finger was placed on the trigger.
Her dark eyes closed, waiting for the telling shot. "Just let me die."
She heard him shifting his stance and he lifted the gun, resting it against her forehead. The cold metal pressed against her burning skin. Hissing at the difference of temperatures, Talia squeezed her eyes shut tightly when suddenly the door slammed open.
Both of them jumped and then the man was tackled to the floor by a dark-haired teenage boy she vaguely recognized as Tyler Lockwood. Klaus's first hybrid.
But, Tyler couldn't be alive, since Klaus was dead.
Maybe she was hallucinating. Maybe Talia was finally crazy.
That made a lot of sense to her.
She groaned, slumping to the side as the energy of holding her body up drained away. Hands grasped her armpits and she whined as her arms argued at the way she was constantly being pulled up. It was really starting to hurt her.
The boy didn't make any reason for saving her, only did so. She shook her head, trying to fight as he picked her up bridal style. "No, please. Let me die, please. Let him kill me, I swear I gave him my consent."
Tyler snorted, not saying anything but she sensed intense amounts of disappointment from the boy. Weird.
Sometime later they arrived in the woods and Tyler placed her on her feet, his dark eyes intently watching her. "Why do you want to die so badly?"
"I'm gonna die anyway. Klaus is dead, I'm gonna die. Who cares?" She moved forward, poking the boy in the chest. "Why did you save me?"
Tyler pinched the bridge of his nose, looking almost like Klaus for a second. "Because, obviously, you don't care about yourself." Tyler pointed at their surroundings. They were in a sunny clearing in the middle of the woods, somewhere she didn't recognize. "Look at the beauty of the world, Talia, and tell me you don't want to live?"
His hands danced over her shoulders, but he didn't touch her. She peered curiously at him, raking her gaze over the teenage boy. He didn't have this poetic wisdom. This wasn't Tyler Lockwood.
"You're not Tyler." Her voice was loose, stating a fact and she watched as he nodded and looked away.
He breathed deeply, hands lifting to his neck and dark eyes looking up at the blue sky. "Was it so obvious?"
"Teenagers don't hold themselves like kings or talk like poets," Talia stated blandly, staring at her soulmate. "I thought you were dead."
He chuckled lowly, scratching the back of his neck and hands dropping. "That makes two of us. Are you so intent on dying, Talia?"
She nodded and stumbled backwards, her back hitting a tree, followed quickly by her collapsing to the ground in a heap. "Yes, Nik. I want to die. I want to leave this planet."
Klaus came and sat across from her, his eyes on his hands. "Why? Because a stupid link was broken? I'm still here, Talia. I understand your feelings, but I'm still your best friend, Talia. I'm still here." He voiced each word deliberately, trying to get her to understand.
She did, but she didn't want to get her hopes up, either. "Immortality doesn't sound as good as it used to, Nik. It's boring and it's repetitive and it's long. I don't want to be controlled, but I don't want to be alone either."
"You were free, Talia, you decided to come back." His voice was low, drawn and tired and she sighed softly. Her eyes closed tightly, feeling her chest ache.
"I know. London is only glamorous for so long." She scooted forwards, their knees touching. "I can't lose you, Nik. I don't want to be alone."
He bobbed his head in a nod, a faint smile on his lips. "You'll never have to be alone, Talia, not if you don't want to." His gaze met hers, but it was Tyler Lockwood's eyes she looked into. "Let me turn you."