HERE I WAS HOPING FOR A DRAMATIC REVEAL.
[ 2.20 — 2.22 ]
"ELIJAH WON'T BE HAPPY IF HE LEARNS YOU LEFT THE HOUSE," Finn said in a partially reprimanding tone.
"Lijah is far too busy to ever find out," Lottie informed him.
The dreaded day of the sacrifice finally arrived in Mystic Falls. For the most part, Lottie did as Elijah asked and stuck to her home where he was the only vampire invited in. But she was getting stir-crazy and went out for a walk in town, hoping that Elijah would remain at the Salvatore Boarding house where he could monitor everything that happened leading up to the sacrifice. Kol was off and keeping a careful eye on Klaus' witches while trying to find out where the others being used in the sacrifice were kept.
Now, Lottie was sitting on a bench in the center of town, her sketchbook resting on her lap as she carefully colored in the sketch of Finn that she was working on. Her muse was standing across from her, less than pleased about her being out in the open. It wasn't that he thought Klaus would harm her, he just didn't like her going against Elijah's attempts to keep her safe.
"I love your eyes," Lottie told Finn, looking up at him with a soft smile. Unlike Kol and Elijah, whose eyes were a deep brown, Finn's were blue — in the sunlight, she thought she could pick up on flecks of green as well. After giving the compliment that made Finn smile, she went back to shading in the eyes of the sketch with the beautiful color.
"Flattery will not distract me," Finn said, smirking as he crossed his arms.
Lottie's eyes followed the movement, taking in how the dark shirt he always wore tightened around his biceps. "I'm not distracting. You're just very pretty, Finn Mikaelson. You should be told as such."
"Well, thank you, ástin mín," he said, now grinning. "Your own beauty is unmatched."
"Flattery will not get me to go home," she said teasingly. Yes, it would, in actuality. "What if I stay for thirty more minutes? It's just such a nice day, and you look wonderful in this sunlight."
Finn caved and let Lottie go back to her drawing. He watched with a fond expression as she moved on from his eyes to his hair, swapping to a warm brown color. Lottie hummed under her breath as she focused, and he knew she'd be content like that for hours if he let her go uninterrupted.
Lottie didn't get an entire half-hour uninterrupted, though.
"Turn to a different drawing, Lottie. Now," Finn instructed sharply. He saw a very familiar face step out of the Grill, having just finished tormenting Damon and Alaric. And either the soulmate bond or her scent would alert the soon-to-be hybrid to her presence a hundred yards away. "Niklaus is here and in his body."
Lottie did her best not to whip her head around and search for the man. Instead, she slowly turned a few pages back in her sketchbook until she landed on a partially completed drawing meant for Enzo, which was of the giant fountain at the Lockwood mansion, which only needed coloring in.
Since he didn't exactly have a chance to see all of Mystic Falls before fleeing Elena's torturous father, Lottie would sometimes draw parts of the town and include them in her letters. She sent Enzo a photograph once, and he requested she never do it again because he liked to receive her art. Lottie secretly suspected he was the type to stick her drawings to his fridge.
Thankfully, it was the fountain and not Finn's face that the new arrival saw as he approached.
"Is this seat taken?"
The accent was unlike any of his brothers. Then again, they all spoke with different cadences and inflections and speeds, having picked up different methods of speaking over their years on Earth.
The one thing each voice shared though, was how Lottie's body reacted. Just hearing Klaus speak felt like a warm, summer day, and she could listen to his voice for hours after only hearing four words.
Then she glanced up at him and took in his short, blonde curls and handsome face with perfect-looking lips. And his eyes—
He shared Finn's eyes.
"Oh, no, it's free," Lottie said, responding a moment later than she should've. She scooted to the side a bit, giving him more room on the bench.
"Thank you," he said, joining her side. Their shoulders nearly brushed. "That's a lovely piece you're working on."
"Thanks. It's for my pen pal," she told him, smiling down at the paper. Maybe one day, when things weren't so bleak, Enzo could meet the Mikaelsons. "I'm assuming you know what that is unless you've been living under a rock for a thousand years."
"It's best not to tease him, Lottie," Finn said, sighing. But he wasn't that annoyed. This was the first time in nine hundred years that he was seeing his brother.
"You knew it was me?" Klaus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Here I was hoping for a dramatic reveal."
"You walked into a small town like this with a face and voice like that. Wasn't hard to guess," she said, feeling playful. She couldn't help it. She'd met her beautiful soulmate and was sitting close enough to feel his body heat.
"So, you like my face and voice?" he asked with a cocky smirk.
He surely is Kol's brother, Lottie thought. "You're alright," she told him, keeping her opinion vague. "I like this face considerably better than the last one I saw you in, but don't tell Ric."
It made Klaus chuckle. "You know, you shouldn't be out here alone. There are evil vampires about."
"He has a point," Finn muttered.
"But I'm not alone," Lottie said, looking at Klaus innocently. "I'm with you, aren't I?"
"You're far too comfortable around me, love," Klaus noted, his amused tone veering on the side of soft. It had been a long time since someone was genuine around him. For whatever reason, his mate wasn't trembling at the sight of him, and for that, he was grateful.
"Oh, I can run if you want," Lottie offered. "I mean, it'll take me a second to get all my art supplies up, but then I can flee in tears if that's what you'd like."
"You're spending too much time with Kol," Finn muttered.
"No, don't run," he said, grinning. "I'm finding myself pleasantly surprised by your presence."
"Well, anyone is pleasant after talking with people like Damon. I imagine that's where you've been — tormenting the local alcoholics," she told him while nodding her head toward the Grill.
"Tormenting is quite fun," he mused. Then he sighed. "I suppose I'll have to hear you beg for me to not go through with this sacrifice?"
"No," Lottie said with a sad smile. "Good luck tonight, Klaus."
Klaus narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Is that a dig of some sort?"
She shook her head and looked back at her drawing. "I know what the real curse is now. I don't know. Having a part of your true self ripped away and locked behind a curse just seems, well, like torment. And not the fun kind."
"And you're just okay with me killing your friend after one sob story from my older brother?" he questioned.
"No, I'm not okay with it," she said, shaking her head again. "I've known Elena Gilbert since she was born. I've been to every birthday. I got her into cheerleading. I do love that girl."
But Lottie had been preparing for her death since she was fourteen years old.
"But I know we can't stop you, Klaus," Lottie went on, shrugging. "And if I'm honest, were the doppelgänger not someone I grew up with, I wouldn't care at all as horrible as that sounds. A thousand years is a long time to wait for something like this. Props to you for not killing everyone in the entire town."
Klaus was silently stunned for a moment, taking her words of understanding to heart. But it was a little too soon into knowing this girl for her to realize how easily she struck at his heart. "Well, I did consider that last bit but thought I'd make that plan B."
Lottie let out an airy laugh. Then when she looked back at Klaus, he was surprised by the mix of what seemed to be hope and desperation.
"Did you really throw your siblings into the ocean?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Klaus reeled back, unable to believe Elijah passed such information on to Lottie — false information, by the way. "And just why would you be asking such things, love? We were having a nice conversation before."
"Klaus," Lottie said firmly.
"What's a monster like me need a few siblings for anyhow?" he shot back, raising an eyebrow as he pretended not to care.
Lottie narrowed her eyes and studied him, taking in the way he quickly hid his true emotions. She wasn't sure what he was feeling at all in that moment.
"If they aren't at the bottom of the sea, you have to tell Elijah the truth," she said. Klaus opened his mouth, but she protested. "You don't understand. Tell Elijah before he does something he'll regret."
"And what might be regret?" Klaus questioned. He wasn't sure if they'd undaggered his older brother or not at this point — signs were pointing toward the first option.
"If anyone permanently killed someone in your family, how would you retaliate?" she instead asked.
"I'd kill them," he answered instantly. And that gave him his own answer. "I'd make them pay in the most horrific of ways to avenge them."
"You didn't throw them in the sea," Lottie stated knowingly. Relief washed over her and her chest felt lighter, knowing that Finn and Kol weren't gone, even if Klaus didn't verbally confirm it. "You need to tell Elijah the truth." She looked up at the sun, knowing it'd be hours before the full moon began to rise. "Sooner rather than later, Klaus."
"Why are you telling me this?" Klaus asked, eyes searching her face for any malicious intent. "What is this? Some kind of plot to ruin my plans? They've involved you in a way to stop me tonight.
"No," she said, looking back at her drawing tonight. "I'm not involved. Tonight, I'll be locked safely in my house and watching Buffy."
"Buffy?" he questioned in disbelief, momentarily forgetting about his paranoia. "You have vampires, werewolves, and witches running amok in this town, and it's still not enough for you?"
"Well, yeah, but I'm on season four, and Spike's his prettiest then."
☽︎
Kol had a wide smirk on his face as he studied the scene at Steven's Quarry — Finn wanted no part in watching the events unfold. The moon was nearly at its highest, and the sacrifice was meant to begin any moment. There were three circles of fire created by Klaus' witch Greta, which illuminated those trapped inside them.
Elena Gilbert.
The werewolf, Jules.
And the vampire.
Wyatt Fell was cowering in fear, curled in on himself with Austin Parkinson's blood smeared on his face, the body of his friend at his side. Klaus originally planned to use Tyler Lockwood and Caroline Forbes in the sacrifice but changed his mind upon learning how Jules harmed Lottie weeks back. And, well, Wyatt and Austin were lucky to get two extra days of life after the way they treated her at the dance.
"Well done, brother," Kol said. There was genuine admiration on his face as he watched Klaus approach the trapped sacrifices.
"Hello, my lovelies," Klaus greeted, looking at Elena and Jules. He didn't even bother to set his eyes on Wyatt. "Mr. Fell."
"What the fuck is going on?" Wyatt cried.
"Greta, shut him up," Klaus instructed, rolling his eyes. The witch complied, spelling the young boy's mouth shut to keep him from asking questions no one would bother to answer. Elena didn't know why Klaus chose a random boy that was in the grade above her to be the vampire sacrifice but she was at least grateful it wasn't someone she knew and loved.
That was the only comfort Elena would receive for the rest of the night.
Kol's eyes glistened as Klaus ripped the heart from Jules' chest. And he was giddy as his older brother gruesomely slaughtered Wyatt Fell, making sure that the boy knew his death was because of how he treated Lottie. And by the time the spell was nearing its end, Kol was rocking on his toes excitedly. He knew if he was actually in his body, he'd have been able to feel the magic thrumming in the atmosphere as such a monumental spell was cast.
"It's time," Klaus said, approaching Elena. The circle of fire disappeared, and he extended a hand to her. Elena ignored him and got off the ground herself before walking past him and toward the altar.
Klaus moved to stand next to Elena and forced her to look at him. "Thank you, Elena."
"Go to hell," she spat, hoping more than anything that the plan would work and Bonnie would kill him.
"She's definitely a Petrova," Kol said with a smirk.
Then Klaus sunk his fangs into her neck and drained the doppelgänger of her blood. It wasn't long before her eyes were rolling back and she died in his arms, falling to the ground as he let her go. Klaus breathed heavily, feeling the magic in his body releasing.
"I can feel it. It's happening," he said, looking up at the full moon as Greta continued to chant.
Suddenly, his bones began to crack as the werewolf transformation began. Though Kol was happy, he couldn't help but wince, memories of his youngest brother's death still at the front of his mind any time a wolf was involved. He noted that while Klaus still had the veins under his eyes like all vampires, his shifted eyes were like that of a wolf — yellow.
"Yes, yes!" Klaus shouted happily, not minding the pain of the shift, as it meant he finally accomplished everything.
But then an invisible force threw Klaus through the air. All the flames around the altar shot up high, startling Greta even more. The magic was coming from Bonnie, who was coming down the hillside and chanting a spell, her hand outstretched toward Klaus. Before Greta could stop her, Damon appeared and snapped the witch's neck. Stefan knelt down to cradle Elena's body, planning to get her to safety.
"No! You were dead!" Klaus yelled in pain as Bonnie continued. His body contorted in pain as she threw him against a boulder.
And then Elijah slowly approached his brother, watching how he was tortured by the spell.
"Elijah?" Klaus questioned, his conversation with Lottie resurfacing.
"Hello, brother," he greeted emotionlessly. Then he reached into Klaus' chest, grabbing his heart.
In the backyard of the Lancaster home, Lottie suddenly screamed, clutching her chest as she fell to the ground, knocking over the easel and canvas she'd been painting.
Kol could only watch with concerned eyes as Elijah was seconds away from killing Klaus. "In the name of our family, Niklaus—"
"I didn't bury them at sea!" Klaus said quickly as he felt Elijah's grip tighten.
It was enough to make him pause. "What?"
"Lottie!" Finn shouted, crouching helplessly by her side as she cried out.
"Their bodies are safe. If you kill me, you'll never find them. Elijah, I can't take you to them. I give you my word, brother," he said. This was the first time anyone but his father caused Klaus to feel genuine fear.
"Elijah! Don't listen to him!" Stefan shouted, watching from beside Bonnie. Damon ran Elena back to the Boarding House.
"Klaus!" Lottie cried, hardly able to breathe. The pain was worse than anything she'd ever felt — being bitten by Trevor and stabbed by Jules. "He's killing Klaus!"
Elijah barely spared them a glance and continued to look at Klaus. "Think of what this would do to her, Elijah!" Klaus shouted, thinking of Lottie. He'd put the puzzle pieces together — pieces he wasn't happy about. "You know what she is to us both. To take one of us away from her? She would never recover!"
Elijah's hard expression began to slip away. Losing a soulmate was something that would haunt a person for the rest of their life. It didn't matter that Lottie hardly knew either brother — she'd always feel a crushing, overwhelming sadness for her entire life if Klaus were to be killed. And Elijah could not be responsible for causing that pain.
Though Bonnie didn't understand what they were talking about, she did see the look on Elijah's face. "Do it, and I'll take you both out."
"You'll die," Elijah stated.
"I don't care."
Elijah looked down at Klaus before glancing back at Bonnie and Stefan. "I'm sorry."
Before either of them could move, Elijah removed his hand from Klaus' chest and disappeared with him, already miles away from the quarry before either could step forward.
☽︎
Lottie was hardly moving as she remained on the grass, still clutching her chest as her heart beat a mile a minute. One moment, she'd been painting the full moon on her canvas, and the next she felt like someone reached into her chest to pull out her heart.
Though the feeling only lasted thirty seconds tops, she still found it hard to recover. And Finn had never felt so useless, unable to help ease her pain.
"Ástin," he said gently, hand resting near her forehead. "Talk to me. Let me know you're okay."
"H - he's not dead," she managed to say while catching her breath. "Klaus is alive. I can feel it."
"Move slowly," Finn instructed when she finally began to move. It was another two minutes before she felt like standing. "Forget your painting. I want you inside. You need to lay down and rest."
Lottie glanced at the canvas that was two-thirds of the way complete. A silly, sentimental part of her thought Klaus might like a painting of what the moon looked like on the night he finally broke his curse. But Finn was right. She could come back to it in the morning.
"He did it, Finn," Lottie said softly as they entered the house. "He's a hybrid."
Finn nodded, actually happy his brother succeeded even if he hated that people had to die for it. "And the doppelgänger is dead."
☽︎
The doppelgänger was not dead. That was the first thing Kol announced as he returned home the next morning after a night of watching Klaus run around as a wolf.
He wanted to see how the rest of the gang was handling the aftermath of Klaus surviving, only to see Elena Gilbert up and walking. Apparently, John Gilbert did a spell that swapped his life for Elena's, effectively killing him and saving her.
Seeing as Klaus was still able to transform into a wolf at will, Kol figured it hadn't affected the curse at all. No reason to cause a fuss by alerting Klaus, he supposed.
Somehow, at the end of it all, everything worked out. Elena survived, and Klaus didn't resort to killing any of her friends or family. And Klaus broke his curse, finally free of his mother's thousand-year-old hold on him.
Because of this, Lottie had no guilt about focusing on the setup for the Movie Night event at the town square. While she wasn't one of the ones to dress up for the showing of Gone With the Wind, she still planned on having fun. Neither Finn nor Kol had seen the movie, so it'd be their first time viewing it.
"Hey, Lottie!" Caroline called out, spotting the girl who was smoothing out a quilt on the grass.
"Hey, guys," Lottie greeted with a smile. Caroline was walking with Elena, Jenna, and Jeremy, and was holding two picnic baskets.
"Mind if we join you?" Jeremy asked with a sheepish smile.
"Jeremy was the one supposed to bring a blanket to sit on," Jenna said, rolling her eyes playfully.
"I've got plenty of room," Lottie told them. Well, now that Kol and Finn got out of the way to refrain from being sat on, there was room. "But you must share whatever is in the picnic basket."
"Do we really have to do this?" Jeremy whined. "This is a girl movie."
"This is a girl movie?" Kol asked in the same whiny tone. "You said it was a battle movie."
"Yes, we are really doing this. We are going to take a page from Scarlett. We made it through the war," Caroline said while pulling out a tub of sliced apples and handing it to Lottie with a small container of peanut butter. "Look, Elena survived but will probably have to live in hiding from Klaus for the rest of her life. And my mom knows I am a vampire, so basically it's like Atlanta has burned. And yet, in spite of everything, we persevere."
"So, sit and preserve," Jenna instructed, giving Jeremy a look.
"All right," he grumbled, joining them on the blanket. "What are we eating?"
"Something good," Caroline promised while continuing to pull out a lot of food.
"Hey, Lottie," Elena began softly, catching her attention.
She looked away from the apples and peanut butter with wide, questioning eyes. "Mhmm?"
Elena nervously toyed with the fabric of the quilt, unsure of how to begin. "During the sacrifice, uh, Klaus was saying some stuff. About you."
"Me?"
"And Wyatt," she specified. "Why he chose to kill Wyatt and Austin."
"Oh," she said quietly, looking down. "Yeah. I guess when he was in Alaric's body, he stopped them from messing with me."
"First off, if anyone is ever bothering you... like that again, please come to any of us," she said, reaching for Lottie's hand to hold. "You know that any one of us would do everything we can to put a stop to that kind of behavior."
"I know. Thank you, Lena," she told her.
"And also," Elena said, biting her lip. "I owe you the biggest thank you in the world. All of us do."
She tilted her head cluelessly. "What for."
"Apparently," Caroline said, crossing her arms in annoyance, "Klaus had big ideas about using me as the vampire sacrifice. Me! What a dick!"
"And he said he also considered turning Jenna to use as a backup," Elena added. Jenna's eyes went wide as this was the first she was hearing of this — Elena was still getting used to being honest with her about supernatural things. "I know that what happened with Wyatt was horrible, but there's no telling who else I would've lost next."
"Well, you don't really have to thank me, guys. I didn't do anything," she said, smiling softly. "I'm just glad we're all alive and safe."
"You know, I think I'd be a badass vampire," Jenna said, leaning back on her hands. Then she frowned. "Not such a badass human sacrifice."
"Been there, done that," Elena muttered. "Didn't buy the t-shirt."
"I have a Cricut machine so I could totally make you one if you want," Caroline offered brightly, making them all laugh.
☽︎
It was the middle of the afternoon when Klaus woke up, naked in the middle of the forest. He opened his eyes and smiled up at the sun through the tree branches, basking in the memories from his transformation. The moment was cut short as a pile of clothes were thrown at him, hitting him in the head. He turned to see an unimpressed Elijah leaning against a tree.
"You've been busy," Elijah said simply.
"That was amazing. How long has it been?" he asked while getting to his feet.
"Almost two days. The full moon came and went. You remained a wolf," he informed him as Klaus got dressed.
"I can change at will, then. It's good to know. I remember every single kill," he said, pleased with himself.
"Yes, I've been cleaning up your little mess along the way."
Klaus smirked at that. "Just like old times, brother."
"You've had your fun. I believe we have a bargain," Elijah said impatiently.
"That's right. Now, what was it again? Oh, yeah. Wait. I remember. That's it. You wish to be reunited with our family," he stated.
Elijah narrowed his eyes at him. "You gave me your word, Niklaus."
"What kind of brother would break his bond? Even though you did try to kill me," Klaus said, hiding how he was still pained by Elijah's actions.
"I could have. But I didn't," Elijah said, holding out Klaus' jacket to help him put it on.
"But not for me," Klaus noted, looking at him over his shoulder. "And now no one can, not even you. Relax, Elijah. All is forgiven."
"Where are they?" he asked.
"You need to lighten up. I'll bring you to them soon enough," Klaus claimed. Now fully dressed, he turned to face his brother. "Charlotte Lancaster."
Elijah clenched his fist at the mention of his mate — their mate. Neither had said it out loud to the other, but they knew. "It's not uncommon for a vampire to have many mates or be one of many mates."
"Just what are we to do about this?" Klaus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I had considered killing you," Elijah joked dryly. Klaus rolled his eyes, not at all amused. "We will do whatever she wants to do."
"You know, she likely felt what you put me through," he stated, his anger resurfacing a bit. "You moved to rip out her own heart with mine."
"I was under the impression you buried our family at sea," Elijah all but snapped. "The kind of man that could do something so horrible is not the kind of man I would trust around Charlotte. You will not succeed in making me feel guilty for that."
"I will always do what's needed to keep Lottie safe from everything and everyone," Klaus said, glaring at him. "Do not ever question that, brother."
"Then don't make me question it."
☽︎
"This movie is boring."
"No, Kol, it's beautiful," Finn said, rolling his eyes. "You just have the emotional maturity of a child."
Lottie rolled her eyes playfully as her mates bickered about the movie that wasn't even halfway through. Their reactions were on par with what she thought they'd be.
"I'm gonna go get some lemonade," Lottie whispered to her group before crawling out of the way. It was only herself, Caroline, Jenna, and Jeremy. Stefan came by earlier and spoke with Elena before they both left quickly.
Kol followed Lottie to the drink stand, not wanting to watch the movie with Finn. He'd probably go off and find his other brothers soon to see if Klaus was still in his wolf form. He thought it was fascinating that he could change at will.
Kol's thoughts about the curse were put on hold as Lottie paused on the walk back with her lemonade in hand. He watched how her breath stopped and her face scrunched up. A second later, the feeling passed but a sad look remained.
"Darling, what is it?" Kol asked, hand hovering by her shoulder.
"He daggered him," Lottie whispered sadly. "Klaus daggered Elijah."
Kol was gone in an instant, seeking out his brothers. He found them in Alaric's apartment, the scene continuing to escalate.
Elijah was on the ground, grey-skinned and dead. Katherine was standing in the kitchen. And Klaus had Stefan pushed against the wall with a stake in his stomach.
"Now, what am I gonna do with you?" he asked, holding Stefan up, who was ready to collapse. "Do you feel that? It's scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement and you're dead."
"He's just trying to help his brother," Katherine pleaded.
"The witches said you had a cure. Make me a deal. Just give me the cure, and I'll do whatever you want," Stefan said.
Klaus abruptly removed the stake, letting Stefan fall to the floor. Then he moved over to the kitchen counter and began fixing himself a glass of blood. "Trouble is I don't know if you'd be any good to me the way you are now. You are just shy of useless."
Kol watched on, not sure what kind of cure Stefan was talking about. "What the hell is going on?"
☽︎
Damon Salvatore went and got himself bitten by a werewolf. Tyler, to be exact. Kol couldn't believe it when he heard how the idiot found Tyler locked in the Lockwood cellar out in the woods and automatically assumed he was the werewolf being used in the sacrifice. It ended with Tyler getting loose for the night and Damon sporting a fresh bite on his arm. So, Stefan went to the newly turned hybrid, whose blood was the magical cure for a werewolf bite.
And Klaus' blood came with a price. Not only did Klaus have Stefan 'Bunny Muncher' Salvatore go on a human blood bag binge, but he was requesting that he come on his trip to make more hybrids. After learning this, Kol flashed back to the Lancaster house where Lottie was already asleep for the night and grabbed Finn to bring him back.
They watched as Klaus stood over Elijah's daggered body in a coffin with no one else around. Just a few feet away was a storage container with four other coffins sitting inside.
"There we are," Finn said, a longing look in his eyes. "Kol, it looks as if he's leaving."
"He is leaving," Kol said, crossing his arms.
It made Finn frown. "I don't understand. Lottie is still here. He doesn't plan on kidnapping her, does he?"
"I don't think he's taking her at all," Kol told him. "Klaus compelled a few vampires to stay in town and lay low while watching over her."
"But Elijah would do a much better job if Klaus can't stay in town and protect her himself," Finn claimed, scoffing in disbelief. And they both knew that the longer Klaus was away from Lottie, the more tired and weaker he would grow — the same could be said for Lottie, though the pull wasn't as strong since she was human. And it helped that two of her mates would be remaining at her side.
"I'm sure he discovered what she also is to Elijah and daggered him out of jealousy," Kol muttered. "I knew this sharing thing wouldn't work."
Before they could complain some more, Klaus began to speak — not to them but to Elijah. "I am sorry, brother," he said quietly, looking genuinely guilty about his actions. "And I did not do this to keep you away from her, but you know what would happen if her existence was discovered. I give you my word that this will end soon. I will make my hybrids and then I will no longer be the hunted. Then we will be reunited with Lottie and our family. All of them."
Klaus looked to Finn's coffin, remembering the incident that led to him being daggered so long ago. It pained him to keep him there, but his reasons were sound — none of his other siblings disagreed with him there. There was a reason none of them even thought of undaggering him. They just couldn't risk it.
"He's not abandoning Lottie," Finn realized after listening to his brother.
"The bastard's really gonna do it," Kol said, actually admiring Klaus' plan for once.
Klaus was going to create his army of hybrids and then finally, he'd stop running from Mikael. He was going to start hunting their father down and kill him once and for all, ensuring all of their safety. Ensuring Lottie's safety.
If Mikael discovered Klaus had a mate, he would do unspeakable horrors to her simply to hurt the boy that wasn't really his son.
So, it may have caused Klaus great pain to walk away from Lottie, to not tell her what she already meant to him, but it was for her safety. As he said to Elijah, he would always do what was necessary to keep her safe — even leave her.
☽︎
It was very early in the morning when Lottie's doorbell rang. Whoever was on the other side was lucky she was awake at all, as the sun was still working its way over the horizon. Lottie trotted to the door with a blanket over her shoulders to keep warm, not looking forward to letting the cool morning air in.
There wasn't anyone on the other side. Just another bouquet of flowers — light pink roses that matched the color of the flowers on the quilt on Lottie's bed.
She picked them up with a smile and quickly shut the door, retreating back into her house. Her smile seemed to grow as she read the note, which was complete with a phone number at the bottom to call.
Your kind words mean more than you'll ever know. If you ever need anything, I'm a call away.
—Klaus
After laying the flowers down on the counter, Lottie stared at the note for several moments, thinking about what to do. Finally, she gave in and went up to her bedroom to her her cell phone off the charger. It rang twice before the hybrid answered her call.
"Klaus? Um, it's Lottie," she said, feeling a bit shy all of a sudden.
"And here I thought you wouldn't dare use this number," Klaus said, pleasantly surprised. He almost hadn't included the ten digits at the bottom of the note. "I see you received my flowers."
"Yes, they're beautiful. Thank you," she said. "So, you've done it. You've broken your curse after all this time."
"Yes, I have."
"How did it feel?" she couldn't help but ask. "Is it everything you dreamed it'd be?"
Klaus was touched that she'd bother to ask. "And more, love. I can't even begin to describe it."
"Then I'm happy for you," Lottie said, leaning against the doorframe. Then she giggled to herself. "Well, if you can't describe the feeling, describe what you looked like. Because I've really only been able to picture you as a giant version of the Build-A-Bear dog that's on my mountain of stuffed animals."
That made Klaus laugh. "I am a killing machine, not a stuffed animal," he informed her. "I was tall enough to reach Elijah's chest, and my fur is thick and black."
"Hmm, I would've thought blonde," she mused. "And curly."
"I think wolf genetics work a bit more complex than that," he told her. "I'd offer to show you what I look like, but I'm afraid I'm already out of town."
"Oh," was all Lottie said. She hadn't been awake long enough for Kol or Finn to get back and explain. Klaus was sure he could hear disappointment in her tone. "Well, that makes sense. I suppose there's nothing really keeping you here."
"Oh, I'm sure I'll find my way back soon," Klaus said. God, he was already longing for her and they weren't more than a hundred miles away. It was all the more reason to make his hybrids and kill his father — so he could get back to Lottie. "Mystic Falls had more charm than I ever expected to find."
"I don't think you'd receive a welcoming party, but I wouldn't hate to see you again," Lottie admitted, looking down at her sock-covered feet. "Is it wrong for me to admit that I wouldn't mind getting to know you better?"
"I don't think it's so wrong," he told her. "After all, here you are, already using my phone number. This doesn't have to be the last time you call me."
"No, I suppose it doesn't," she said, already shamefully looking forward to future talks. Everyone would hate her if they knew she was contacting the hybrid after he killed Elena. "I'm not really sure what you're planning to do, where you're heading, but I hope everything works out for you."
"I'll be sure to tell you about all my adventures while I'm away."
Lottie smiled to herself, knowing she could listen to him talk about traveling for hours with that smooth, nearly addictive accent. "I can't wait."