I wake with a jolt, disorientated and screaming. A few seconds pass and I become aware that it had only been a dream... a nightmare... an excruciating memory. I shudder away the images of the murky depths of the ravine and my parents' lifeless bodies floating around. My chest aches in loss and I bring my hands weakly up to my heart.
I sniffle, wordlessly looking beside me to see that the other side of my bed is empty. A small sense of relief flows through me as Elena isn't here to witness my fragility. It was one of the last things I needed. I didn't need her thinking I wasn't coping with what was happening around me. I also didn't need her coddling me. Stefan's words from the night before ring in my ears.
I'm gonna drive your blood source and your coddled witch off Wickery Bridge.
The idea of it seems absurd, Klaus, the feared hybrid, coddling me. The man choked me a few weeks ago! Still holding my chest, I lean back into my pillows. Though it's cool in my room, my forehead is damp with sweat. I turn my head to the side, eyes honing in on the time on my alarm clock.
9:30 am
It takes a few minutes for me to settle my emotions, and when I do, I sluggishly remove myself from my bed. It doesn't take me too long to get ready as I slip on a black halter neck top and some baggy dark trousers. I move into my bathroom to search for a brush but stop short at my reflection.
The physical evidence of my nightmare is very apparent- my face sallow, the whites of my eyes bloodshot, and underneath them lie purple circles. I poke at my cheek. Why couldn't the vampire blood fix this trainwreck? I scowl at my reflection before grabbing my brush on the counter and running it through. I quickly use a toothbrush on my teeth before scampering out and kicking on a pair of black slides by my bed.
My phone dings as soon as I disconnect it from its charger. NIK THE PRICK flashes on the screen along with a message that's cut in half. I flick my thumb on the screen and the message tab opens.
I expect you at my residence between 10 to 11. X will drive you.
Good morning 2 u 2.
I click my phone to sleep as I leave my bedroom, noting that it's a quarter to ten. I wonder briefly what he wants to talk about. Could it be about last night with Stefan or about me calling him a coward? I scratch the back of my head and grimace at the memory. That probably wasn't my finest moment. However, it had been the cold-hard truth and I think somewhere deep inside, he knows that as well.
The only reason why he's keeping Rebekah daggered as of this moment is because he can't face the music of his actions. He had lied to Rebekah about their mother's fate for over a millennium. He had shifted it onto Mikael, their abusive father. Their now-deceased abusive father to be more specific.
"Mornin' Mari," Elena greets.
I'm broken out of my thoughts as I stumble across both Elena and Bonnie sorting through files and papers on the dining table. I walk slowly past them, eyes grazing over the official-looking documents.
"Good morning," I sing back.
"Hey," Bonnie greets. "How'd you sleep?"
"I slept well for the most part," I shrug offhandedly. I move past them and walk over to the coffee machine that I've barely used since returning. I turn it on and let it warm up. "So, it looks like you guys have hopped aboard the skipping school train?"
"Basically," Elena starts. "Bonnie has a lead... and we're, uh-"
"Looking for someone," Bonnie finishes.
I nod my head slowly. "Is this so-called lead related to Klaus in any way?"
"Sort of," Elena answers unsurely.
I open the top cupboard and grab a dark flask. "If you can't give me a straight answer, then it's probably best that I don't know about it." I place the flask down on the bench before grabbing the portafilter and sliding it into the coffee grinder slot. "Anywho, I'm going to be out of the house for the next hour or so. Should I expect you two to still be here?"
"That depends on how well our research goes," Bonnie answers before sticking her face into a yellow file.
Ten minutes later I'm heading outside into the brisk weather. A thick layer of clouds presses heavily against the atmosphere making it almost sultry. The wind whispers through my hair as I quickly navigate my way down the stairs. I note that Stefan's car is no longer occupying our driveway, but it is instead replaced with Bonnie's and a familiar black one.
I jump in and buckle up. "Hi."
X nods in my direction subtly. "Good morning, Mari."
He starts driving and I take that as my opportunity to quiz him on my meeting with Klaus. "Do you have any idea as to why he wants to see me?"
"No, I do not." I purse my lips together and play with the elastic part of my flask. "Try not to overthink it. Mr. Mikaelson can sense apprehension from a mile away."
"I can't help but feel apprehension, X. It's easier said than done. I didn't just 'call' him... I cried at him and then called him a coward. You heard the whole train wreck yourself."
"And yet you've called him much worse, but you're still here next to me." He tilts his head in my direction, and I can feel his gaze running over me. "I wouldn't worry about it, okay?" His watchful eyes then return back to the road. "Something tells me that you could do much worse and yet he'd probably let you get away with it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I query. I stop fiddling with my flask and peek over at him. First, Stefan says Klaus is coddling me, and secondly, now this vague inference?
"Take it how you will."
I clench my jaw and look away from him. I opt to direct my stare outside the windshield. What's he trying to say? Klaus has a soft spot for me so he lets me get away with things? I frown as I remember all the shit he's done in the name of justice.
He's killed Elena. He's daggered Elijah and Rebekah. I'm locked into a deal with him so he doesn't kill my sister Jen. He's threatened Jeremy and Caroline's life... do I even want to continue listing the things he's done? I guess they don't inadvertently affect my physical well-being, but my mental health? Yeah. They do. A great deal. That's one hell of a soft spot.
"That is so not a concept I want to entertain right now," I groan aloud in irritation. "Why would you even say that?"
X's face remains impassive. "I'm just pointing out that out of everyone in Mystic Falls... he has me watching over you. Not the doppelganger. Not his hybrids. You."
"Oh, please! He only has you watching over me because I'm an Elementalist! I'm something that he can use against people in the future when I inevitably master my powers." He doesn't reply, opting to tap his thumbs on the steering wheel instead. I narrow my eyes at the action. He wants to say something, but he's holding back. "Go on, say what you're thinking."
"I'm not particularly interested in being yelled at again," he gruffly tells me.
A weary sigh leaves my lips and I sink back into my chair. I didn't mean to come off that way.
"X, I'm sorry. Okay?" I reach my hand over the center console and rest it on his arm. "I didn't mean to get so worked up. I just... what you're implying is a huge impending headache for me to wrap my mind around. Everything is already complicated without adding that to the mix. You understand that, right?"
"I do," he answers quietly. He removes a hand from the steering wheel and covers my hand in his, giving it a small squeeze. "I'm sorry that my words have caused you distress."
"I-It's fine," I stammer slipping my hand away from him. "At the end of the day, I would rather someone who's honest with me and speaks their mind rather than someone who doesn't... However, I may need a rain check on this conversation. I only have three point six five brain cells working at full capacity right now."
"Three point six five brain cells, hm?" he repeats in amusement.
I catch a smile playing on his lips- a real one. Not one of those dry ones that often accompany my sarcastic comments. I try to playfully poke at it, but he sees it coming a mile away and he swiftly bats it away.
Not too long after, X pulls into the driveway of an impressively huge house. No not a house, but a mansion that is covered in many windows. The U-shaped driveway is lined with nicely decorated shrubbery that leads to the entrance of a creamy white building. X turns off the car, and before I can even push the door open and step out, he's there pulling on it.
I smile at him. "Always a gentleman."
He inclines his head slightly. "Sometimes."
He shuts the passenger door behind me before leading me to the front door and opening it wide. I step in first, gaze sweeping across the large interior of the foyer. There are two levels to the house. To access it, you have an option of two ornate stairs that are separated on either side of the room, connecting together on the next floor. There's an archway lined with gold directly underneath the staircase, and another two similar-sized doors located on the left side of the room and on the right.
X's muscular frame starts moving to the left archway. I quickly follow him from behind, swinging my coffee flask backward and forward in my left hand. We pass a few well-furnished rooms, the colour palette is mainly cream, oak, and gold. I'm surprised slightly at the choice, expecting doom and gloom fit for a big bad hybrid. X comes to a stop before an oak door, and my slides squeak on the stone floor as I halt beside him.
He gestures at the entrance with his hand. "He's waiting inside through this door."
"I guess you're not coming in with me?" I whisper hopefully.
He shakes his head down at me. Crud. I hesitantly turn the gold knob on the door and take a step through. The doom and gloom I had been expecting before decides to suddenly make an appearance. His lair is confined in deep dark red and brown bricks in addition to muted lights. I shut the door behind me with a soft CLICK, taking note of how X is feeding me to the wolf right now. Well, a hybrid to be more exact.
I take another step in, noting that there's another sliding door set to my right. An abundance of paintings is mounted onto the walls and each of them has a small light attached to the top of the frame. It shines a golden glow on the art pieces below, creating a spotlight effect.
I move past the plush leather sofa in the middle of the room and edge towards the black door partitioning the room in half.
"Uh, Klaus?"
"I'm in here little witch."
I roll my eyes, and inch open the black door. How many times have I told him not to call me that? I guess he doesn't sound annoyed with me. That's a good start. I find Klaus sitting down in front of an easel with a brush in his hand that's dabbled in light green paint. I step inside what appears to be an art room and creep over beside him.
"I didn't know you could paint," I whisper in surprise. He's working on a landscape. A blue sky is submerged by a clump of fluffy white clouds, and underneath lays a vibrant green land covered in trees. "It's beautiful."
He tilts his head to the side before deciding to add a stroke of grass. "Do you paint?"
I mull over my amateur creations at home. "Somewhat. I used to do it as a hobby, but I never pursued it to an extent where I can create something like this."
"No matter where I am or what I'm doing I always find time to sit down and paint. Humour me, Mari. What is the one consistent thing in your life that brings you contentment?"
I blink in surprise. This is not how I expected our conversation to start. "I would have to say playing the piano... even though it's been a few months since I've played." I pause momentarily as my eyes raise to the ceiling in thought. "I vividly remember watching Harry Potter when I was nine and being utterly obsessed with the music created by the piano. It didn't take long for my parents to place me into music lessons. My obsession with recreating music from movies continued throughout my adolescence such as Howl's Moving Castle, Pride and Prejudice... just to name a few... All my worries seem to wash away when it's just me and my piano."
"I didn't know you played," he says casually.
"And here I am thinking you know everything about me," I tease.
I move to the desk lining the wall to my right that is covered in papers with renaissance-styled sketches. I pick one up with my spare hand, admiring the soft lines of the woman in the portrait.
"I like to think I know quite a lot about you."
"I like to think I know quite a lot about you too, but you're always filled with little surprises, aren't you?"
He sniggers from his spot. "I like to keep things interesting."
I shake my head slowly from side to side in dismay. His version of interesting consisted of hurting people to get what he wanted.
"That you do. So, why did you bring me here, Klaus?" I question him. "I know it's not to talk about what we like to do in our spare time." I place the portrait back on the table and walk back over to his side.
"Maybe that's exactly why I brought you here. You have such a-" he looks away from his painting and meets my eye. "-charming presence."
This makes me snort. "Now we both know that's a lie."
A wolfish grin makes its way to his lips. "That was actually quite painful to get out."
I push on his shoulder slightly with my right hand. "Oh, come off it."
He lets out an amused sigh as he places his brush down on a metal tray. "I just wanted to check in on you honestly. By the sounds of it, last night was quite eventful."
There's a sharp silence after his words. It fills the room with a sort of emptiness that is only filled by Klaus's sharp cerulean eyes. He looks at me, but all I can hear is my own breathing. I blink at him dumbly in response.
He's asking me how I am. I had thought he had wanted to chew my ear off for disrespecting him last night, but here he is asking me if I'm okay. My mind goes back to X's words in the car.
I wouldn't worry about it, okay? Something tells me that you could do much worse and yet he'd probably let you get away with it.
"I'm fine I guess," I mumble.
His eyes narrow at me. "Have you forgotten that I too have a sister? I know better than to take 'I'm fine' as a reasonable answer."
I want to grumble out a staked sister, but I hold myself back. I didn't want to ruin this moment... his attempt at reaching out.
"How about... I will be fine." I open the lid to my flask and take a sip of my iced coffee. I swallow it before saying, "I threw him like a ragdoll off the bridge after anyways. That helped me feel significantly better." I pause and then add. "I also hijacked his car with 'Lena."
A soft, short chuckle comes from him and his eyes twinkle with pride. "I suppose that answer will suffice my little witch."
"I'm not your little witch."
He stands up from his chair and looks down at me. "Last time I checked you're mine, you're little and you're a witch."
I make a tsk sound with my mouth. "How observant of you."
His phone beeps from his ragged jeans and he checks it. "Oh, is it that time already? I must be heading off. I have to go talk to a certain Salvatore brother about my coffins. Until next time, Mari." He saunters past me, and I'm left somewhat dumbfounded. I guess we weren't going to touch on the details of last night's drunken call. I hear his loud voice ordering X in the hallway. "Take her straight home. I wouldn't put it past her to scavenge around for Rebekah's body."
As much as I wanted to do exactly what he's just said, it would be idiotic of me to do said thing. I furrow my brow and leave his dark lair, choosing not to bite at the bait he's just set out. When I emerge into the bright hallway, I find X alone. Go figures. I bring my flask to my lips and take a few sips. Even if I had chosen to bite at the bait, he wouldn't have heard it anyways. Typical.
X's icy eyes find mine. "I told you that you had nothing to worry about."
"And yet I've never felt more lost in my life..." I trail off.
#
"You can't choose to keep making deals with Jenna on properties!" Jeremy argues directly across from me.
"I can't or you don't want me to?"
"It's not fair how you're completely declining my offers," Jeremy whines.
It's late in the night and I'm playing Monopoly with Jeremy, Alaric, and Jen. I basically have a lot of resources at the tip of my fingers. This specifically meant that others, especially Jeremy are losing by attrition.
"I'm not giving you the properties you want lil' bro. Either you take the deal I gave you or you suck it up and move on."
He shakes his head in frustration. "I don't want your stupid deal."
I shrug my shoulders at him. "I guess you're just going to have to suck it up and move on."
"I don't want to play anymore," he grunts.
A surprised laugh leaves my lips. "Are you serious, Jer?"
"You don't make this fun," he retorts. "You make deals with Jen and Alaric consistently, but when it comes to me you clam up."
I boredly place my elbows on the table and cup my chin. "That's because you only have one property that I want from you. I could care less about the other ones you're trying to throw at me."
"I'm done, anyways. Put my stuff up for auction."
"C'mon Jeremy," Alaric sighs. "Don't be a sore loser."
Jeremy stands up from the coffee table and leaves without another word. What a cry baby.
"Don't hate the player. Hate the game!" I call out after him.
Jen gives me an exasperated look. "Was that really necessary?"
"Probably not," I shrug. "But he needs to loosen up."
The front door opening halts our conversation. Elena strides inside, unhooking her side bag from around her head. Geez. She and Bonnie were out late.
"What are you three up to?" she asks.
"Playing Monopoly. It t'was four, but..."
"Jeremy quit," Alaric finishes.
Elena smiles, coming to a stop behind the couch. "Ah, I see."
"Talking about quitting, I'm quitting too," Jen says.
"Not you too," I moan, dramatically falling backward onto the carpet.
"If Jen's out, then I'm out too," Alaric surmises.
My eyes roll into the back of my head and I let out a loud, long breath. "You guys are no fun."
"We've been at this for an hour and a half," Jen laughs. "Besides, you both have school tomorrow. You guys should be heading to bed."
A melodramatic gasp leaves my lips. "Jen parenting us?" I place the back of my right hand on my forehead. "The horror!"
Jen lets out a little snort of amusement whilst Alaric clasps his hands together.
"Okay, Jen and I will clean this game up. You girls can head upstairs."
I languidly rise from the floor with a goofy grin.
"So, just to make it clear... you're both admitting defeat?" I pop a hand on my hip and look down at them.
"Yes. You win," Jen yawns.
I do a victory fist bump into the air before heading out of the living room alongside Elena. We walk up the stairs side by side.
"How'd your research go with Bonnie?"
"Eventful," she sighs. "But we got what we wanted at the end of the day."
"That's good then," I hum moving to my door. "Nighty night."
"Night, Mari," Elena bides with a smile, disappearing through her bedroom door.
I whip my head back around to my door and turn the nob. One step in and I'm frozen in my tracks.
"What..."
I'm not sure if I say the word or think it, but I decide it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what my eyes are seeing right now. Or, rather, my eyes thinking what they see, because surely, I have to be imagining this right? This couldn't be real. It had been months since I had last laid my eyes on him.
Him. The person who I could pinpoint even in a crowd of a million people. I drink in every feature of his after being deprived for so long. His hair's still the brown of aged mahogany, rich and deep. His familiar set of lips are curled into a small uncertain smile and then there are his eyes. From his dark pools comes an intensity, an honesty... a gentleness and they're assessing me.
He's a statue, standing motionless near my opened window. He's wearing the same outfit he had been staked in. A dark suit, with a light grey linen dress shirt that has a tear where his heart is. The edges of the material are coated in dried blood, a painful reminder of what had happened all those months ago.
"Marianna." His low decadent voice is what breaks me out of my stupor.
I take a tentative step into my room, feeling like my limbs are swimming through thick golden honey. I click the door behind me, head tilting and completely befuddled. I slowly walk over to him.
"Is that really you?"
"Yes. I came here to ask for your forgiv-"
And then I'm on the tip of my toes, throwing my arms around his neck in a fierce embrace. His arms snake around my waist, pulling me tight against his chest. I inhale deeply, finding immediate comfort in the familiarity of his scent, even though it's muted to a certain degree. After all, he's spent the last three months confined in a coffin. I can feel his face in my hair, his breath fanning my skin in a way that causes tingles to erupt all over me. His presence fills the void that's been eating away at me slowly for the past few months, and I smile. Really smile.
"It's really you." It's a statement this time, not a question. I pull away slightly, the bottoms of my feet touching the ground as my arms slide away from the nape of his neck to his shoulders. His hold on me loosens slightly. "How?"
His hand reaches for a hidden pocket under his jacket and he pulls out a small note.
"Damon," he murmurs.
My right-hand leaves his shoulder to the note, and my fingers brush his. I take a peek at the contents inside.
𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙀𝙡𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝,
𝙇𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.
𝙓𝙊𝙓𝙊 𝘿𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣
I close the note back in half and roll my eyes half-heartedly. Is this assassination plot number three? I'm losing track of how many times Damon has attempted to kill Klaus now. But then again, this time around, there is that particular saying on his side. Third times a charm.
I hand the note back to him, relishing in the brief feeling of his skin on mine. He slips it back into his jacket.
"So, Damon undaggered you?"
"Yes. But I believe I was just a means to a way of retrieving a dagger. Niklaus has all of his coffins back except one."
I guess his meeting with a certain Salvatore brother proved successful. "Except one?"
His head tilts to the side as he watches me carefully.
"Yes. However, that isn't why I'm here." His hand reaches to cup the side of my face, his thumb running along my cheek in a slow delicious manner. "I came here to ask for your forgiveness. I gave you my word that I would protect you, and yet I let Niklaus manipulate me. My choice has not only affected your family's life but you and your freedom. For that, I deeply apologise."
"I..." I can barely hear my own words, too distracted by his voice and his featherlight touch on my face. It's all too consuming. I slowly move my hand to his that's on my face and wrap his large hand the best I can in my own. I still his movements. "I forgave you a long time ago, Elijah... as soon as I learned why you did what you did."
The only reason why he hadn't killed Klaus that fateful night was because Klaus had revealed their bodies weren't in fact discarded deeply into the ocean, but in his possession instead. Klaus had wanted Elijah to spare his life and then he would reunite him with his family. I couldn't be mad at him for wanting to be reunited with his family. I admired his devotion to morality and the overprotectiveness he exuded toward his siblings.
"You were the only one who fought for me, Elijah. You were the one who fought with my sister to tell me the truth. You knew it wasn't right for them to lie to me. You also didn't make choices for me like everyone else around me had done for me for the past year. No. You were truthful, kind... compassionate. And for that, I thank you."
He takes a deep breath, removing his hands from my body and inclining his body slightly away to the opened window. His gaze is set somewhere outside.
"I don't know how you can stand there, look at me the way you do, and say those words. I don't deserve your kindness. My actions have caused you to be under my brother's control. He even has someone watching you right now... you have a semblance of freedom, but not truly. This isn't what I wished for you... to be used as a weapon." He spits out the words as they fill his mouth with distaste. He's angry. Angry at himself. "You may have forgiven me, Marianna, but I can't. I can't forgive myself for this."
"That's Klaus, Elijah. Not you." I grab his hand with mine and insert myself in front of him. He can't blame himself for this. "Look at me." His penetrating gaze is still stuck outside. Unmoving, stubborn, and deep in thought. I move my other hand to his face, feeling the bristles of his stubble under my palm as I make him look at me. "The repercussions of your brother's actions aren't yours to bare. It's his." His other hand trails lightly, so lightly, from the bottom of my waist to the side of my stomach. "Please," I beg quietly. "Don't blame yourself."
His hold on me tightens a fraction, fingers pressing into my soft skin as he holds me tightly in place. I take a sharp intake of air, finding myself overwhelmed by our closeness. He lowers his head, and I swear if I tilt my chin upwards just a tiny bit, the top of my lips will brush his. I'm tempted immensely by the action. I yearn for more.
"I'll make myself worthy of you," he whispers lowly.
I raise my questioning eyes from his lips to his eyes and am surprised by what I see. They are ablaze with a fire I've never quite seen before and it's directed at me.
"Elijah," I murmur.
What does he mean by make myself worthy of you?
"I need to go sort out a few affairs. I'll see you tomorrow." That sentence is what lurches me back into reality. It's like I've been splashed with a bucket of freezing cold water. It snaps me out of my trance. He needs to go, like right now? Panic strikes me. I had only just gotten him back just for him to up and leave. "I'll make this right. I promise you."
And then he's gone.