chapter 34
Wolf-father, at the door
You don't smile anymore
You're a drifter, shape-shifter
Let me see you run, hey-ya hey-ya
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
IT HAD BEEN a long time since Rebekah had felt human. It's also been a long time since she felt suicidal. But who else would change that if not bloody Jade Forbes and her colourful cluster of nimbwits she called friends?
She didn't miss hangovers.
Well, in truth she has only had it once in her human life. When she was transformed into a creature of the night she was nineteen, and in the tenth century there were no such things as bars or nightclubs, no. There were bonfires and elders' unsupported gatherings by the river, and mead. Lots of mead. When she concentrated, she could still feel the sweetness of the not-so-well-filtered honey, that dryness if it was well made, every time she tasted it now, she thought back home.
But she was not home. Well, she was, just a thousand years later, when clever humans invented things like vodka, absinthe and bloody tequila.
Oh, her poor little head.
Rebekah walked with agonising speed towards the kitchen for some much-needed blood coffee, yet the voice of the most annoying brother to ever exist began to echo painfully in her overly sensitive ears.
"Well, well, well." Kol tutted mockingly, blocking his sister's path. "There's our girl." He grinned, scanning his little sister from top to bottom. His devilish smile only grew as he eyed her disheveled appearence, especially the smeared makeup and ruffled hair.
Rebekah tiredly took a step to the side, although the insufferable brat quickly blocked her again. Gritting her teeth, she drew in a shuddering breath full of exasperation. "Get out of my way, Kol." She growled out, her eyes murderous.
Rebekah's glare didn't faze Kol in the slightest. "Out all night. What a scandal!" He exclaimed much louder than necessary, his words cutting through the girl's head like the sharpest of spears.
"If you don't shut your mouth, the next thing coming out of it will be your teeth." The blonde spat venomously, trying to get past her brother again, although to no avail.
"I get Nik now! Betrayal does run in this family." Kol said, his smile utterly sharp, causing the girl to roll her eyes and rub her forehead in annoyance. "Why wasn't I invited to this shindig of yours?" He asked as he cocked his head to the side, revealing a smirking Klaus in the background.
Rebekah immediately caught it. "Don't start, Nik." She muttered, shoving Kol out of her way and walking past him.
Klaus smirk grew into a fond smile as he watched his siblings. "I didn't say anything." He said defensively, returning to the sketchbook in his hold. Rebekah shook her head in exasperation in response, starting to make her way towards the kitchen.
"Tell me, sister." Kol began with a sigh, collapsing onto the leather couch opposite Klaus. "Did you think about the name yet?" He asked, folding his hands above his head and draping his legs on the armrest, cunning spark twinkling in his eyes.
Rebekah halted her steps and groaned, turning around. "What in the bloody hell are you on about now?" She asked, scrunching her face.
Kol's face broke into a grin. "Your stripper name of course!" He shouted, outstretching his arms in the air in emphasis. "I think it needs to be something fitting, to really show your audience who you are. Maybe Dagger? I already see it, Bex, 'welcome to the stage, Miss━"
"━You told him?!" Rebekah shouted in outrage, her blazing eyes full of betrayal boring into her older brother.
Klaus raised his palms up in a defensive gesture. "I didn't have a choice, he compelled me." He said with absolute seriousness in his tone, sending a pointed glance to his wildly smiling brother. "It was probably easier to do so with all the permanent scarring on my brain." He added with a bitter smile as he returned to his sketch.
Rebekah glared at her half-brother with nothing but clear murder for a few seconds, and then shouted a string of curses in their native language, causing both brothers to connect their gazes and force themselves to surpress the laugh that begged to come out. Huffing huriously, she stormed in her original direction, her brother's chuckling her accompaniament as she left the room.
Kol threw his head back as the laughter subsied. "I'm bored." He stated, sighing. "Our sister is a strumpet." He said, causing to more Old Norse's cursewords to echo through the mansion as Rebekah furiously made her way back towards the living room. "But at least she's having fun." He quickly added with his palms up as the blonde stood now in the threshold, watching him like a predator as she sipped her much needed drink. "I need entertainment." He sighed, turning towards his brother.
"Didn't I already tell you about the tremendously exciting thing right behind you?" Klaus replied, not taking his eyes off the sketchbook in his lap.
Kol glared at him. "Funny." He said, smiling tightly. After receiving no reaction, he groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "C'mon, Nik!" He exclaimed, turning properly to his brother. Quickly thinking of a strategy that had more wins than fails, he hung his head low, pleading look in his eyes as he looked up. "It's the least you could do after sticking a dagger in my heart."
Klaus glanced up and immediately regreted it.
Kol's puppy eyes would be the death of him someday.
Although their eyes were a different colour, this look was identical to their sister's. Those sad, innocent eyes, blinking askance every hundredth of a second. That look that made them always get what they wanted as children. The eyes and look that Klaus always caught in.
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Klaus shut his sketchbook. "Okay, why not." He agreed, sighing when he caugh his brother's hurt facade fall, replaced by a triumphant smirk. Rising to his feet, he spoke with amusement when he passed his little sister. "I didn't have enough to drink last night after Dagger's show." He said with a small smirk, dodging the hand that was probably swung to punch him in the face.
Rebekah scoffed, leading away her brothers with her eyes. "Yes, please, go. This house has enough men rolling around in it." She spat, glaring at their backs.
Kol twirled around, pointing at her with his finger. "Just like you, Bekah!" He shouted as he walked backwards after his brother, who barked a laugh in response.
"Good riddance, both of you!" Rebekah shouted in fury, throwing the now empty glass in her hold in Kol's direction, although he easily dodged it with a grin, the glass shattering against the wall in result, the man at whom it was directed disappearing in the doorway.
Just when Rebekah thought she would have some peace, another voice resounded in the living room. "Rebekah." Elijah called out.
Rebekah groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation. "Not you too, 'Lijah." She mumbled under her breath.
Elijah shook his head at nothingness, swirling a burnt herb in his hold as his eyes full of turmoil were bored onto the floor. "I'm worried about Mother." He said, his eyebrows firmly furrowed in concern. "Have you not noticed her strange behaviour?" He asked, finally snapping his eyes to his confused sister.
Rebekah scrunched her face a little, already hating that she decided to left her bed. "She's been dead for a thousand years, what's strange for her?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Burnt sage." Elijah replied, passing it to her. "She was doing a privacy spell."
The blonde sighed, examining the herb in her hold. She tried to ignore the spark of paranoia that started to colour her veins. "You know she fancies such things." She tried to reassure━him or her, she didn't know. "Why don't you ask Finn, you know he's been doting on her." She suggested, trying to put an end to the subject, not wanting to think about the scenario that Jade warned her about.
"I don't trust Finn." Elijah quickly responded. "He hates what we are, he always has."
"That's not true." Rebekah send him a look. "As for Mother; she returned for one reason━to make her family whole." She said firmly. "She loves us, what trouble are you looking to find?" She asked, and only silence replied her when her eyes were locked with Elijah's.
She didn't know if she believed her own words as she passed him.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"Ric." Jade called out, trailing behind the teacher in the bustling Mystic Grill. Hearing no answer, she rolled her eyes. "Ric." She tried once again, poking his back with her sharp nail. "RicRicRicRicRic━" She repeated, jabbing her finger into his shoulder with each call.
"━What?" Alaric whirled around, irritation seeping from his every pore, a look of exasperation etched on his face, the only thing missing was the smoke coming out of his ears when he looked at the girl.
"Ah, he speaks." Jade, undeterred by his reaction, responded with mock reverence, her arms outstretched in an exaggerated display, causing the teacher to scowl. "I was starting to think you'd gone mute."
"I wish." He muttered, rolling his eyes and striding purposefully toward the bar, searching for his date.
Jade threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "Oh, c'mon! Don't be mad at me." She whined, following him.
She almost bumped into him as he suddenly whipped around. "You left me in Richmond!" He burst out, his tone laced with fury as he pointed an accusatory finger at her. "I woke up and the club was closed! I waited three hours 'cause my phone was dead and after banging on the windows someone finally called the police!" He whisper-shouted, and then spun around, resuming his walk towards the bar.
Jade scoffed as she watched his retreating back. "It's not my fault you slipped and passed out in the bathroom!" She shouted behind him.
Alaric blinked in a momentary stun, eyes locked with Meredith Fell, who sat on one of the barstools. "What?" He asked, chuckling awkwardly. "That wasn't me." His glance at Meredith held a sweetness that vanished instantly when he redirected his gaze to Jade, his eyes now deadly and knowing.
Jade kissed her teeth, eyes darting between her friend and the doctor. "Oh, right, I don't know what came over me." She snorted with an eyeroll, tapping herself on the forehead. "It was me." She laughed, sending an sickeningly sweet smile towards the teacher, who only smiled smugly in response.
"Are you alright?" Meredith asked in concern, scanning the Forbes woman from top to bottom.
Jade send her a false smile. "All healed up." She said through gritted teeth, the Fell woman nodding hesistantly in response.
"What was it that you slipped on?" Alaric let out a thoughtful sound, mockingly tapping his chin. Jade burned a hole in the side of his face as he spoke. "Ah, yes, wasn't it your own puke?" He asked, turning his head to the woman.
Jade smiled tightly in his direction. "Ah, yes, I can be so... careless and... dumb sometimes." She said, patting him on the shoulder. "I really should consider therapy, you know, it wasn't the first time━"
"━It could happen to anyone, don't be so hard on yourself, Jade." Alaric quickly stopped her when he felt her sharp nails digging into the skin on his neck, slapping her hands away and throwing her a look.
"Yeah." She smiled, cocking her head to the side innocently.
No, it wasn't Alaric at all who lost consciousness in the bathroom when he slipped on his own vomit and hit his forehead on the sink. Not at all.
Well, maybe it was after she poured vodka down his throat, but he agreed to the idea, so it wasn't really her fault, right?
"I'm even more pissed that I wasn't invited, I would kill to see that." An accented voice resounded behind her, causing her to whip around.
"Kol, hi." She sighed, twisting her head around to the teacher and signaling him that she's done with him. For now. Taking a seat beside the Original, the put her chin in her palm. "It was him." She said, pointing at the teacher with her thumb. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
Kol put his glass back down on the counter, licking his lips as he cocked his head to his right. "Just letting off some steam with Nik." He remarked, sending Jade a sly smirk.
Jade blinked, eyes darting between the Original and the empty space beside him. "Do you... see him now?" She asked hesistantly, face slightly scrunched in concern. "I have some pills for that if you want some."
Kol looked at the girl in amusement. "He's outside having a smoke." He clarified.
Jade pursed her lips, nodding slowly as she glanced toward the exit. "Oh..."
"Pills?" Kol repeated, his interest piqued and his cunning eyes locked on the girl's face. "You really are an interesting one, aren't you?" He stated more than asked.
Jade twisted her lips in thought. "That's one way to put it, yeah." She nodded with her eyebrows raised as she shrugged. After a few seconds of silence, her eyes returned to the Original, and she immediately felt uncomfortable at the way he was staring at her. "What?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed.
Kol shook his head lightly, fingers already searching for his glass on the counter, but his eyes still didn't leave hers. "Nothing." He said seemingly innocently, but his eyes were intense. "Yet." He added more to himself than her, raising his glass to his lips and taking a sip, finally tearing his gaze away from hers.
Jade felt a chill running down her spine, and not in the way she would prefer.
It was the first time she had seen this centuries-old, ancient wisdom in the eyes of the youngest male Original. There was no shadow of his seemingly eternal amusement and playfulness, only a deadly curiosity and shrewdness that worried the blonde somewhat. Worried, because it was directed towards her.
"Excuse me?" She drawled, her eyes narrowed into slits as she carefully watched him.
Kol smiled sweetly in her direction. "You're very excused, lovely."
Jade tilted her head to the side, her suspicious eyes not leaving his. "I'm gonna find your brother." She said, already about to pass the man.
"Good luck." He said without turning around. "With whatever that you're hiding." He added, causing the blonde to stop dead in her tracks.
Absolutely not.
She abruptly turned around, folding her arms on her chest in defiance. "I'm not hiding anything." She said with a scoff, anger rising in her veins.
Liar.
Kol made a considering noise in the back of his throat as he spun around in his seat. "You're good, I almost believed you." He pointed at her with his glass, rising it in the air in mock toast. "Let's hope Nik will." He added in a hushed voice as he took a long sip.
"What's your problem?" Jade sneered, furiously walking up to the man.
"Oi, calm down, darling." He quickly said, raising his free palm in the air in defense. "There's no problem, I'm just utterly bored and you're the most interesting thing around here." He said with a smirk, clearly enjoying the dead stare the girl was giving him. "And you're hiding a little something-something, I'm just curious about what it is, that's all." He concluded with a shrug, taking a sip of his drink.
That's what was missing from her already fucked up life! A bored Original with nothing else to do but find out her secrets, great! Just a question━was he referring to her tiny head problems or perhaps a particular bald head from Louisiana?
No matter, she's screwed in both situations.
Jade huffed, shaking her head. "Have a good night, Kol." She said with artificial charm, throwing him a quick smile that disappeared instantly after she turned around.
"Likewise, little ripper." He muttered, cocking his head to the side as he watched her retreating back. "Jade?" He called out after a second.
Jade groaned and twirled around. "What?" She snapped, her anger barely contained.
Kol smiled. "You live in New Orleans, do you not?"
Jade's only reply was a fierce huff as she swiftly pivoted, striding purposefully toward the front door of the Mystic Grill. Unbeknownst to her, Kol's smirk widened at her reaction. "Brat." She spat under her breath, swinging the Mystic Grill's door open, revealing another Original, who was putting out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray.
"I'm older than you." Klaus said in amusement, leaning his shoulder against the brick wall, his arms crossing over his chest.
With an eyeroll, Jade fished out her own pack of cigarettes, already walking past him and crossing the bustling street. "You're older than dirt." She retorted, her voice carrying over her shoulder as she moved to the other side.
Klaus sprang from the wall, drawn to the fiery aura of the angered blonde, his eyes brimming with amusement, fixated on her retreating form. There was a profound beauty in her anger, the hybrid realised. Of course, he loved her smile, that million-watt pearly smile that could light up the world and was so infectious that it was impossible not to return it, but Klaus found equal allure in the way her nose delicately wrinkled in vexation and her clenched jaw, as if it should loosen her teeth, and that incendiary heat that simmered within her gaze━
That car that almost ran him over.
Klaus cursed in his native tongue in surprise and jumped back, ignoring the driver who had managed to stop with a squeal of tyres and honked the horn in fury. When the hybrid continued his walk towards the girl, who was lighting a cigarette on a bench across the street, he felt someone yank him sharply backwards. Seeing and hearing the curses of the enraged driver, Klaus only sent him a murderous glare, accompanied by a small harbinger of his hybrid nature. The older man seeing this let go of him momentarily and ran off to his car, fleeing down the street with another squeal of tyres.
Smiling to himself in satisafction and adjusting his coat, he finally made it on the other side of the road.
Collapsing on the bench beside the woman, he sighed, draping his arm on the backrest. "So, what did my little brother have done now?" He asked.
"He spoke." Jade grumbled in annoyance, exhaling a stream of smoke into the air, completely unaware of the commotion the hybrid just caused.
Klaus offered a sympathetic hum. "Ah, yes, the bane of my existence when he does that." He mused, his fingers toying with a strand of her hair. Jade turned her head in his direction and looked at him for a few seconds. After a moment, she huffed with a smile, her bad mood disappearing in an instant.
As always.
Klaus smiled slightly in triumph, tilting his head to the side. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
Jade sighed, reclining back, her movements unconsciously gravitating toward his touch. "Well, my head's not about to implode on itself anymore, so I think all's good. Better than Ric, apparently." She snorted, throwing a fleeting glance towards the Mystic Grill behind them.
"I'm glad it was your training day then, not a weekend." Klaus replied knowingly, a hint of annoyance flashing on his face, which seemed to only amuse the blonde.
Jade barked a laugh as she imagined it. "Yeah, If you'd stutter during any Pitbull's song, I would bust your ass even sooner." She declared, crossing her legs.
Imagine Klaus Mikaelson dancing with her on the bar top to a Hotel Room Service, she would pay billions for that.
"You ruined my grand reveal either way." Klaus grumbled, the bite in his tone evident.
Jade eyes shifted to his, and she couldn't help but laugh when she saw the bitter look on face. "You're still salty about that?" She asked, her wicked grin almost splitting her face in half when he shot her a look. After a moment, her own words came back to her and she laughed even louder. "Ha, salty, get it?" She asked, gesturing with her hands. When he only gave her a deadpanned look, she quickly spoke up again. "Because you possesed Ric, who's last name is Sal━"
"━I get it, you're very funny, sweetheart." He interjected, pinching her side, causing her to slap his thigh in retaliation. As they looked at each other with smiles on their lips, Jade shook her head, leaning it against his shoulder. Klaus quickly shifted in his seat, arm draping over her shoulder, pulling her to himself.
"And smart." She added with a sigh, inhaling the comforting smell of his scent. "And hot."
Klaus hummed, nodding slowly. "You forgot modest."
"I prefer self-aware." She mused, her nonchalant shrug eliciting an amused huff from the hybrid. After that, they basked in a comfortable silence, the world around them momentarily forgotten. Then, her gaze turned upward, brows knitted in perplexity. "Why are you so hot?" She asked in confusion.
Klaus arched an eyebrow, a smug grin curling his lips. "Am I now━"
"━Not like that, you narcissistic wanker." She slapped him on his shoulder, straightening up.
Klaus regarded her with a measured expression. "You're spending too much time with my sister."
"I mean, you're actually hot." She declared, her fingers exploring his features in a frenzy, tracing the contours of his face, his forehead, and his neck. When she caught the amused, mischievous glint in his eyes, she responded with a resounding smack to the side of his head. "Stop, you ass!" She exclaimed, placing her palm on his blazing forehead. "It's like your skin is on fire." She murmured, her brows knitting together in consternation.
Klaus smiled fondly when he looked at her, at the concern in her eyes, at her wrinkled nose, at the bottom lip firmly tucked under her teeth as she examined him. Because she was worried, his adorable little ripper.
He reached for her hand, his touch gentle, guiding it downward. With a soft and deliberate movement, he raised it to his lips and pressed a tender kiss to her wrist, the warmth of his breath brushing against her skin as he murmured. "It's the full moon."
"Oh." Jade mumbled under her breath, momentarily hypnotised on his lips touching her skin. After a moment, she finally heard the echo of his words and blinked away from her trance. "Oh!" She exclaimed in realization, causing the hybrid's lips to curl in a small smile. "Your puppy wants to come out and play."
His smile dropped.
Klaus frowned, petulant. "I'm not a puppy." He scoffed, as if it was the worst of insults.
Jade arched an amused eyebrow, supressing the smirk that begged to be let out. "Yeah, you're not." She said, shooting him a pointed look. "You're a fossil." She chirped, cocking her head to the side with a sweet smile, completely unfazed by the glare he send her way. "But he━" She jabbed her finger straight into his heart. "He's a puppy." She stated, raising her eyebrows in emphasis. "How does he look like?" She asked, suddenly curious.
Klaus sighed dramatically. "I don't know." He shook his head. When the blonde started to giggle under her breath, he rolled his eyes. "What's so funny now?" He asked in flat tone.
"I just imagined━" She chuckled, muffling her laughter with her hand. "Klaus Mikaelson, the Original Hybrid, the Big Bad Wolf," She mocked his titles, causing the hybrid to rub his forehead in exasperation. "And his Wolf form is a shih tzu-sized puppy." She shook her head, her grin wide. "That's actually crazy to think about."
Klaus scoffed in offense. "He's not small."
"You don't know." She sang cheekily, tilting her head at him. Seeing his unamused face, she raised her palms up, letting go of the topic. Leaning against the backrest with a sigh, she looked up at the moon hanging above them. "I wish I would've been a werewolf, though." She mused.
Klaus glanced at the blonde, brows knitted together in curiosity. "And why is that?" He asked, his tone soft.
Jade nonchalantly shrugged, her gaze remaining fixated on the tapestry of stars above. "It just sounds so cool." She mused, eliciting an arched brow from the hybrid, tinged with amusement. "Just something about turning into this wild animal, leaving nothing human left in you and just... running," She said in a hushed voice. "Running, hunting, killing," She continued with another casual shrug. "I don't know, it just sounds really... liberating."
Klaus propped his head upon his knuckles, his rapt attention unwavering as he absorbed every word that spilled from the blonde's lips. Of course Jade Forbes would be fascinated by something as painful and savage as being a werewolf, how could she not? As she painted a picture of that animal freedom and primal needs, Klaus could feel the Wolf in his heart jumping and growling in agreement, its restless energy clawing at the walls of his human form, aching to break free at any cost.
He couldn't let him.
"Hey, where did you go on the last full moon?" Jade's voice tore him out of his musings, his attention snapping back to reality as he tried to ignore the tumbling animal in his veins.
Klaus licked his lips, glancing away. "Nowhere." He shrugged nonchalantly, rolling his jaw.
Jade furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked, tilting her head at the man who wouldn't look her in the eye.
"I..." He trailed off, suddenly awkward. "I didn't turn." He said simply, shrugging his shoulder.
"Oh." She let out, her lips forming a tiny 'o'. "Where did you go before that, then?" She pressed.
"Uh━"
"━Wait..." She cut him off, not even realizing that the hybrid spoke. "You didn't turn at all this summer." She stated, slowly turning her head towards the man, who had his lips clampled into a tight, straight line. "Klaus?" She asked, suspicious eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "A little question?" After hearing his somewhat absentminded and innocent hum, she continued, her voice probing, informed by a mix of suspicion and intuition. "How many times did you turn after you broke the curse?" She repeated, her demeanor shifting between suspicious and knowing. After hearing no response, she echoed herself. "Klaus?"
Silence.
Some more silence.
"...Not once." Klaus finally murmured.
"What?!" She shouted, her voice causing some of the birds nearby to fly off in fear. Klaus just closed his eyes, teeth grinding against each other in frustration. "All this fuss about this fucking stupid ass curse and you don't even turn?!" She yelled again, abruptly standing up. "Why?!" She threw her hands in the air, her intense and wide eyes boring into his. "Wh━"
"━Because it hurts!" Klaus shouted, his voice almost a primal growl, rumbling out of his throat, accompanied by his striking gold eyes that shone in the moonlight.
Both Klaus and Jade absolutely hated how it made her flinch.
Klaus felt a pang in his heart where his Wolf was caged, could hear him whining and howling in apology. He scared her━something that never happened before.
Once, he hated that she wasn't afraid, now he hated that she was.
Bloody hell.
Jade blinked away the momentary shock in her eyes and sat back down, awkwardness clear in her demanour. "What?" She whispered, voice cracking slightly. She cleared her throat immediately, trying to appear casual when she leaned her head on her hand.
Can the Earth swallow her whole now? No? You bitch.
Klaus sighed, running his hand through his face. "It hurts." He repeated much more quietly and calm this time.
He tried to turn, he really did. The feeling he had during his first transformation after the ritual was indescribable. It was everything the blonde had mentioned earlier and more, much more. Days later, when they had already set off on their tour of the country, Klaus tried again, wanting to feel that happiness, that animalistic wildness and freedom. He didn't succeed. When he felt his bones tearing through his skin as the others breaking and merging together, he couldn't cope and gave up. The difference between the transformation during the ritual and afterwards was that the first was one forced, there was nothing he could do to stop it. After that, he had a way out, he could stop. He could stop when the pain became unbearable.
And it was unbearable.
He felt like a bloody weakling which he swore he wasn't anymore.
"Oh." Jade said quietly, nodding gently. "Well, of course it hurts. You're breaking all of your bones at the same time. It wouldn't be a damn picnic." She snorted, rolling her eyes. When she snapped her eyes back to his, she sent him a sheepish smile. "I'm not helping, am I?"
He shot her a deadpan look.
Jade threw her head back and groaned. Snapping it back to his, her eyes were determined and stern when she pointed at him. "Look, I'm only gonna say it once, 'cause it's such corny crap that I don't think it'll pass my throat again." She spat, and Klaus only raised his eyebrows in anticipation. Jade sighed loudly, tucking her hair behind her ears as she spoke. "Being a werewolf is who you are, Klaus. What you were born as. Not a vampire, not a hybrid. Werewolf." She said firmly, jabbing her finger into his chest. "You wanted this for a thousand years, it's what you literally almost killed me for." She said bitterly, shooting him a dead stare. After a moment, her lips curled into a small smile. "Besides, you're the badass Klaus Mikaelson, what's a little bit of pain for you?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at him. When she caught the ghost of amusement dancing in his eyes and his trademark smirk, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, fuck off." She muttered under her breath, pushing him back and standing up.
Klaus immediately yanked her back down.
Only on his lap this time.
Klaus' smile only grew as he watched her annoyed face looking down at him. "No, it was really nice. I didn't know you were capable." He said, grin curling his lips. After a second, he brought his hand to her face, pulling her slowly towards him. When he was about to close their distance, he spoke up again, his voice a mere whisper that tickled her lips. "Wait, what was that after 'the'? I didn't quite catch it. Could you repeat?"
Jade huffed like an angered bull and abruptly pulled back.
"Ugh, I hate you so much." She spat, trying to get up.
He didn't let her.
His laughter rippled out, his arm wrapped securely around her waist, preventing her escape. "I hate you too, sweetheart." He murmured as he brushed her her hair aside and gave her a quick peck on her neck.
Jade shot him an uamused look over her shoulder, but something in the way he was looking at her told her that he knew she wasn't annoyed.
Quite the opposite, really.
But before Jade could turn around to face him, she felt him flinch.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she whipped her head around, meeting his equally confused eyes. "Hiccups?" She asked, eyeing him with a scrunched face. Upon not getting an answer, she spoke up again. "Heebie-jeebies?"
Klaus absentmindly shook his head, not amused at all. He reached for his heart and began to stand up in shock, the blonde sliding off his lap with a concerned look on her face. "What's going on?" She asked again, starting to get really freaked out as she watched him.
"Kol." It was the only word he breathed, twisting his head back towards the Mystic Grill, realisation dawning on his features. Before she could say anything, the hybrid grabbed her firmly by the hand and flashed them both towards the back of the restaurant.
A split second later, the pair were standing in a dark alley behind the Grill, to their eyes appearing the Salvatore brothers and Matt Donovan standing over a grey and very dead Kol Mikaelson.
"Fucking idiots." Jade slapped her own forehead after seeing the scene.
Klaus didn't waste a single second. After seeing his brother laying on the cold concrete floor with a dagger protruding from his chest, all he saw was red.
The hybrid quickly yanked the dagger from his brother's heart, pushing the weak man away like the lightest of feathers, resulting in Donovan landing with a painful groan on a nearby wall. As Stefan lunged at Klaus, the hybrid replicated the movement, throwing him over his shoulder, resulting in the young vampire colliding harshly with the unyielding stairs.
At the same time, Jade moved on the older Salvatore, pulling her own dagger from her boot and setting off a quick melee with the dark-haired man. Salvatore was quick to defend himself, yet Jade had communed with the weapon for years, the blade flipping from one of her hand to the other, his blood decorating more of his clothes by seconds. When Damon finally seemed to have the upper hand, catching her by her outstretched hand that was darting towards his neck, suddenly his body met the cold brick of the alley, now the Original Hybrid before his eyes instead of the Forbes woman.
"I should've killed you months ago." Klaus growled with rage, squeezing Damon's throat tightly and lifting him into the air. The vampire grunted and gasped, pathetically trying to break free of his iron grip.
In your dreams. Especially not tonight, when the powerful moon hang high in the sky, calling his every fibre to itself, urging him to show everybody his true nature.
As he saw blood tickling down his hand that was firmly curled around the vampire's airways, as well as his neck, he cursed, throwing the Salvatore forcefully onto the floor. He clenched and relaxed his fingers a couple of times, fighting back the emerging claws.
"Do it." Damon coughed, weakly standing to his feet, rubbing his throat as he gulped for much needed air. "It's not gonna stop Esther from killing you." He spat, rising his chin in the air.
Klaus blinked.
Of course.
Jade's eyebrows disappeared under her bangs. "What the fuck is with parents wanting to kill their children? Is that the way people celebrate Halloween this year?"
Klaus tilted his head, his murderous and animalistic eyes locked on the Salvatore, Jade's voice a mere background noise as he already imagined all the ways he would execute the vampire before him. "What did you say about my mother?" He asked, his voice menacingly quiet and low as he took few, predatory steps towards Damon.
"You didn't know I was friends with your mummy?" The Salvatore mocked, causing Jade to push herself off the wall and walk towards him, altought before she could do anything, Klaus oustretched his hand, blocking her path, his eyes not leaving the vampire's before him. Jade gritted her teeth but obliged, backing away and leaning back against the wall. "Yeah, we have a lot in common. She hates you as much as I do."
The Wolf in his heart was howling in pure, white fury now.
Kill, he was screaming. Kill, kill, kill.
Klaus could wholeheartly agree.
He contorted his face in rage, feeling the skin under his eyes tightening, the blackish veins pulsing relentlessly, his lips curling into a snarl, sharp double fangs on full display when he darted towards the audicious excuse of a vampire, ready to tear his arter━
"Leave him."
Klaus paused, grinding his teeth with supernatural force, piercing his own lips in the process. Turning slowly around, he saw his older brother's figure looming at the top of the stairs, his skin still ashed from the death he just escaped. "We still need him, Niklaus." Elijah stated with eerie calm, his voice a stark contrast to the fury seething in his eyes.
"What did Mother do?" Klaus asked with a predatory tilt of his head, feeling the coppery taste of his own blood in his moyth, the red hue from the restaurant's neon basking the sharp contours of his face perfectly as he looked up, making his dark expression even more terrifying.
Jade watched him like he was the most beautiful of paintings, eyes darting all over his face, the view permanently etching into her mind.
What? He was ridiculously hot when he was angry.
"What did she do, Elijah?" Klaus repeated himself after hearing no response from his brother, only a knowing sigh that was the simplest answer to all of his doubts about the woman who gave them life.
Correction, who wanted to end it.
Elijah shifted his attention from his brother and instead plunged it into the standing Salvatore, his eyes not leaving his when he slowly descended the stairs, pulling his phone from his jacket pocket at the same time. "You tell me where the witches are, or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now." Elijah threatened, his tone as dark as his expression when he halted right in front of Damon, who audibly gulped in reponse.
Jade's eyes darted between all of them now. What in the utter fuck was happening?
Damon rapidly shook his head, his face scrunched. "You told me we had until nin━"
"━I'm sure Rebekah would be more than happy to start her work early." Elijah cut him off, his words dripping with clear menace, his unblinking eyes boring into Damon's.
Huh, Jade could definitely see the resemblence now.
Suddenly, a new voice chimed in.
"What in the bloody fuck?" Kol groaned, propping himself on his elbows, expression both pained and confused as he struggled to make sense of the scene before him.
"Your mummy wants you dead." Jade explained, lighting up a much needed cigarette, the flame of her lighter briefly casting a warm glow around her features.
Kol blinked.
"Fucking excellent."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The three brothers and Jade stepped carefully across the forest floor towards the old Witch House, where a hundred women had burned to death, giving the place incredible energy and power, the perfect place chosen by Mummy dearest. The moon was almost at its zenith, hanging high above their heads, casting a haunting light through the bare branches of the trees on this autumn night.
"Why is she with us? Isn't that a family matter?" Kol suddenly spoke up, eyeing the slumping blonde woman in distrust.
Fooling around with her was one thing, bringing her to the battlefield with their lives at stake was another. As Kol had already mentioned, the girl was one of the more interesting things about this backwater town, so he couldn't help but find out a thing or two. Jade was the sister of a blonde vampire who, until recently, had been one of the doppelgänger's best friends, who had dreamed of nothing but their deaths. Well, the death of his half-brother, but still. What must have happened for his brothers to place such trust in her, a mere baby vampire?
Klaus let out a annoyed breath, not sparing his brother a glance. "Because I want her there, Kol. More than you, actually." He muttered the last part, missing the way Jade's eyes immediately shot up to the side of his face. "Besides, if I had told her to stay behind, she would have dragged herself here either way." He added with a little shrug, placing his hands in his pockets and narrowing his eyes in the darkness, his sharpened vision looking for any kind of sign of their mother.
Jade opened her mouth to say something defiant, but after a moment clumped it shut, a small smile she tried to surpress forming on her lips as she walked.
She would, definitely.
Kol's face spun towards his older brother in a blink, face scrunched at his words. "'More than me'? What the hell was that supposed to say?" He questioned angrily, a hint of his centuries-old insecurities sparking in his tone.
Klaus let out a bitter smile, turning towards Kol. "Pray tell, brother, how remarkably dimwitted does one have to be to be outsmarted by a mere human child?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.
Kol narrowed his eyes and shot his hand up to Klaus, pulling him sharply towards himself by his jacket. "Taken by surprise." He corrected, venom lacing his words as he pointed at the hybrid with his free hand. "And a dead human child."
Klaus shrugged himself off Kol's grip. "Oh, I don't know. You see, I saw him chopping limes before━he's awfully skilled with knives, I would watch out if I were you." He mocked as he took few steps backwards, both palms raised.
Kol grunted some ancient insult under his breath and lunged towards his brother, although Klaus was quicker, dodging the attack by leaning back.
As the Original brothers were busy pushing themselves on some trees nearby, Jade sighed, rubbing her temple in exasperation. "Children, literal children." She whispered to Elijah, who walked alongside her with an annoyed expression.
Fed up with Kol's relentless provocation, Klaus shoved his brother forcefully against a tree, the bark trembling from the impact. Kol met Klaus's gaze with fiery intensity, his tone carrying an edge. "Are we certain Mother wants to annihilate us all, or not just Nik?" He goaded, relishing in the reaction he got. Unable to resist, he added in a quieter tone, knowing it would sting. "That would make 100% of our parents, wouldn't it?"
Klaus' lips curled into a snarl, his producing fangs shining in the moonlight as his brother's words reached his sensitive ears. A low growl erupted from his throat, the sound both terrifying and animalistic━not even a warning, just a signal of what he was about to do.
But before his deadly teeth could meet Kol's throat, a pair of strong hands seperated the two.
"We━" Elijah spat, his hands firm on both brother's chests, eyes darting between them in a warning. "Don't have time for your foolish little arguments." He said, pushing them apart, both stumbling in the abrupt separation, yet still eyeing each other warily. Elijah sighed, adjusting his jacket, his eyes briefly lifting to the night sky above. "The moon almost reached its apex, Mother will be ready soon. Finn is by her side, and should he falter, it imperils us all." He reminded them both, the urgentness in his tone evident as he turned around, continuing his stride.
Both brothers grumbled something under their breaths and began to following their older brother.
After a minute of silence, Kol spoke up again. "Well, considering Finn's rather dull existence, I'd venture to say that's probably the most thrilling thing he's ever managed to pull off." He commented, slightly impressed.
Klaus let out a considering hum. "Didn't he once watch paint dry that time in Venezuela?" He recalled, his brow furrowed in contemplation.
Kol's eyebrows jumped up, head turning towards the hybrid. "That was fun?"
"For Finn? Perhaps."
"Is he really that bad?" Jade asked Elijah in a hushed tone, eyebrow arched in question.
Elijah sighed deeply. "No, he's... fine." He said in tone that made Jade's eyebrow jump higher in disbelief. After a moment, he quickly added. "Well, as long as you don't have to speak to him."
As soon as he uttered those words, the trees around them began to clear up, the darkness fading, replaced by a warm glow of what they supposed was fire. Crossing the small mountain in front of them, to their eyes appeared an imposing ritualistic pentagram made of salt, each of its sharp ends delineated by burning torches, at its centre a pathetically obedient Finn Mikaelson, who was quickly joined by Esther as soon as her eyes locked onto her sons.
"My sons." She called out, blank, un-caring eyes jumping from one to another in greeting. "Come forward." She said monotonously, as if the act she was about to commit was not the worst crime possible.
Klaus' jaw clenched as he watched his mother's unconcerned manner, as if the woman he had spoken to yesterday had disappeared without a trace. The woman who had assured him of her forgiveness and love, killed, stifled, replaced by the hollow shell standing before him now. Not a mother━a cold, heartless woman with only the face of her, Esther Mikaelson.
"Stay beside me, Mother." Finn cautioned, arm shooting up to shield the woman from his brothers.
As if it shouldn't be the other way around.
Esther took a step forward, eyes firm on the men before her. "It's okay, they can't enter." She assured, the spark of victory sparkling in her eyes, along with the fire that surrounded them, mirroring the rage tumbling in the chests of the Mikaelson men.
As if on cue, Kol stepped forward, cursing under his breath after proving his mother right. As soon as he aproached the circle, the flames rose in warning, the ground shaking slightly.
"That's lovely." Kol shook his head, a false smile on his lips as he circled the pentagram like a predator he was. "We're stuck out here, while the favourite son plays sacrificial lamb. How pathetic you are, Finn." He spat, plunging his now hateful eyes towards his brother, who watched him with an indifferent expression.
"Be quiet, Kol. Your brother knows virtue you cannot even imagine." Esther said monotonously, her expression eerily blank, not a single emotion visible on her features.
Jade scoffed loudly.
"Did this bitch just say virtue?" She questioned aloud, folding her arms across her chest, eyebrows disappearing under her bangs in disbelief. Catching the look the Original Witch gave her, she pushed her face forward, nose scrunched as she whispered. "Yes, I called you a bitch."
Esther tilted her head, examining the woman with calculated eyes. "Jade Elizabeth Forbes, I thought you'd make an appearance." She said flatly, her eyes sparkling with interest when she saw his hybrid son placing a hand on the blonde's back.
Jade turned towards Klaus with a scoff. Did the bitch just full-named her?
Before the Forbes woman could respond, Esther continued. "I saw your recent journey, the way you chose darkness everytime there was an option for light. You're a strong woman, why would you surrender your human life to evil?"
Jade chuckled darkly, taking few steps forward, the warm from rising fire tickling her face when she was just in front of the salt circle. "It's more fun." She whispered with a menacing smirk, boring her eyes into Eshter's for a few seconds, who narrowed her own in response, something unreadable flashing on her face. After a moment, Jade scanned the woman up and down. "Besides, you created said evil, you hypocritical bitch." She snarled, the glow of the enraged fire casting a dark shadow on her face.
Esther took a step forward, almost face to face with the defiant woman in front of her. "I know, that's why tonight I'm going to fix my mistake." She said in a low voice, finally some emotions flashing on her face.
"Enough." Klaus drawled out, tugging the blonde woman behind himself, not really liking the look his Mother gave her, the raging fire now directed at him. "All this talk is boring me. End this now, Mother..." He trailed off, hateful eyes narrowing, enjoying the rage that sparkled in his Mother's eyes. "Or I'll send you back to Hel." He finished darkly, a ghost of a smile appearing briefly on his lips.
Then, his Mother's eyes locked on his, and he knew that look. The look she would gave him everytime he would done something wrong as a child, that scolding look of a mother.
But she was no mother.
That, standing before him was the Original Witch, the creator of the vampire race, one of the most powerful witches to ever exist.
The look she gave him now mirrored Father's, the same expression when he had met him on the Lockwood doorstep not long ago.
"For a thousand years, I've been forced to watch you. Felt the pain of every victim, suffered while you shed blood." She began in a stern voice, her eyes unblinking as she stared right through his soul. After a moment, her gaze flicked over to Elijah, who was watching the scene before him with measured eyes, ready to interviene at any moment. "Even you, Elijah, with your claim to nobility, you're no better." She spat and Elijah narrowed his eyes in response, his fists curling descreetly, not letting himself show his emotions. Then, she turned to all of them, Jade included. "All of you, you're a curse on this Earth, stretched out for generations. If you come to plead for your life, I'm sorry, you've wasted your time."
"Plead for our lives?" Kol chimed in with a dark chuckle, his head briefly tilting to the side before snapping back up, a mocking grin playing on his lips. "Oh, Mother. Don't you know your children at all?"
Esther's expression hardened. "My children should've died a thousand years ago. Like they were supposed to." She spat.
Jade didn't really listen to the old hag's rant, her mind too busy with thoughts swirling inside, trying to find any way out of this mess.
"Frank?" She suddenly called out, head snapping towards the eldest of the Mikaelson's.
"Finn━" Klaus quickly murmured beside her.
"━Finn!" She corrected herself, throwing her hand towards said brother, who only quircked an eyebrow in anticipation, his expression indifferent. "Why are you doing this? Don't you want to live your life now that you actually can? Why are you letting her kill you?" She asked in confusion.
"She's not killing me, she's releasing me from an eternity of shame." Finn replied with his chin held high, grasping his Mother's hand, who only nodded slightly in response.
Jade clicked her tongue against her teeth, lips pursing as she nodded. "No, I still think she's killing you." She said, pointing at the Witch with her finger. "Don't you want to see the world? To see how it changed? Maybe to see some old vampire friends?" She suggested, hoping that she could somehow change something in the stubborn vampire's mind.
Esther's eyes widened briefly, her voice a quiet growl as she plunged her hateful eyes towards the blonde. "Little girl━"
Jade wasn't looking at her.
"━I know that face." She murmured, carefully watching Finn's reaction, and more importantly, the way he dropped his mother's hand. She tilted her head, examining his reaction. "Old vampire girl━" She couldn't finish her question, only a raw cough coming out of her throat as she gripped her neck, blood coming out of her mouth as she choked.
Jade dropped to her knees, coughing desperately, although to no avail. With each gasp, more blood streamed from her lips, watered eyes glancing towards the Witch, who had her fist curled up, enraged eyes staring back at her in satisfaction.
"Mother!" Elijah shouted as he dropped to his knees right beside the choking woman, eyes widened as he watched her form.
Klaus momentarily flashed towards the pentagram, not fazed in the slightest by the burning heat on his face. "You seem to be really missing Father, don't you?" He snarled into his mother's face, wolvish gold practically screaming in his eyes.
Second later, Jade drew in a shuddering breath full of relief.
Klaus watched as his mother's face morphed from white rage to straight shock. "No..." She breathed, stumbling back weakly with her eyes closing. Suddenly, the ground started to shake unforgivingly, the wind picking up with mighty force, dusting off the salt from the circle. "Sisters!" She screamed desperatly, spreading her hands in the air, trying with all her might to stop whatever was happening. "Do not abandon me!" She cried out, but as soon as she shouted those words, the flames rose higher than before, causing Klaus to jump back and immediately flash towards the blonde, shielding her from it.
The heat of the burning fire around seemed to woke Finn from whatever trance he was just trapped in. "Mother!" He called out, jumping to Esther's rescue, dragging her away from the flames.
The fire rose and rose unstoppingly, the Mikaelsons hiding away from it, standing firmly on the shaking ground. After a few more moments, everything stopped. The wind calmed itself, the fire went out and a sudden, eerie silence fell throughout the whole forest.
Klaus pulled out from the tight embrace, grasping the sides of Jade's face. "Are you alright?" He whispered, wiping off the blood from her chin.
Jade nodded rapidly, lowering his hands from her face. "Yeah, I'm good." She breathed, the man helping her stand up. She squinted in the sudden darkness, watching Kol and Elijah's backs, who were inspecting the circle. "Where's the hag and the weirdo?" She asked with a sigh, brushing some hair away from her face.
Elijah let out a defeating sigh, running his hand through his face. "They're gone."
"Fucking hell!" Kol grunted in fury, kicking off some of the salt from the pentagram. "She's spelled them out of here, they could be anywhere." He growled as he spun towards his older brother, his hands flying into the air.
"Even Mother's magic has its limits, she won't get far." Elijah tried to reason.
Kol shook his head, running his hand through his hair. "I need a bloody drink." He growled, taking few stepts towards the darkness and, after a moment, he was gone.
Thinking for a few seconds in silence, Elijah turned towards Klaus. "I'll see you at the mansion." He said. When he saw his brother give him a silent nod, he nodded back and flashed away from the Witch House.
The pair stood in silence for a long moment, their eyes fixed on the spot Elijah was just standing on. Then, Jade let out a large sigh, as if releasing all the tension of what just happened. "What the fuck is wrong with your family?" She asked, her shaking head slowly turning towards Klaus. After seeing that he wasn't exactly there with her, at least not mentally, she gave him a little jab with her elbow.
Klaus' eyes snapped briefly to hers, and then he sighed, running his hand through his curls. "Question of the millennium, sweetheart." He muttered as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and placed one between his lips.
"So, what are we going to do?"
"Unlink us." He said firmly, his voice slightly muffled as he lit up his cigarette. "Then find her and kill her." He added as he exhaled the smoke, putting the lighter back into his pocket.
Jade sighed with a slight nod. "Sounds like a good plan."
Suddenly, a dark chuckle spilled from the hybrid's lips.
"I knew I shouldn't trust her." He said bitterly with a tight smile, turning away from the woman and walking furiously towards some tree nearby. Jade trailed behind him, watching him with furrowed eyebrows. "If I didn't, none of this would bloody happen!" He shouted in pure rage, blood thumping loudly in his ears, one of his fists colliding with the tree's trunk. Jade's eyebrows jumped as she watched him hitting the tree repeatedly, his knuckles painted red more and more with each punch. Spinning suddenly around with his eyes blazinigly yellow, he pointed at the stunned woman with his bloodied hand. "She threw the absurd ball to dull our vigilance, then linked us all together to destroy us! Of course her first task since waking up from the grave would be slaugheting their own." He let out a menacing laugh, taking a mighty drag out of his cigarette. "She married Father, after all." He added more quietly, shaking his head as he exhaled the smoke upwards, his head tilted back.
Jade watched him in silence, her head tilted to the side in curiosity, eyes darting all over his body.
"Why didn't I ever catch up on that?" She whispered more to herself than him, realization dawning in her eyes.
Klaus snapped his head towards her in a blink. "On what now?"
Jade blinked few times, pointing at his figure. "Your... Klausness during full moons." She said, not being able to find better words for his behavior. "Is it because you're not turning?" She asked, her head cocked to the side in intrigue.
Klaus looked at her as if he was staring straight into the sun, eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "What in the bloody hell you're talking about?"
Jade let out an exaggerated sigh, walking up to the man. "Klaus, look at you. You're literally shaking." She pointed to his trembling hand that was holding the cigarette, her voice gentle. Upon realising that, he immediately clenched his hand, placing the burning cigarette between his lips. "Your eyes are hundred times crazier and deadlier than normal, which, okay, they're crazy and deadly almost 99% of the time, but still━" She said with a little snort, pointing at his wild eyes, which were narrowed as he smoked in silence, listening to her intently. "And they're flashing gold every five minutes. And you're venting. That doesn't happen... like ever." She muttered, giving him a look. After seeing his unchanching expression, she sighed, placing her hand on his chest, immediately feeling his crazily thumping heart. "Your body is telling you to turn."
Klaus stared at the woman in silence, the smoke from his cigarette enveloping his form like a haunting ghost. The notion that his body was yearning for the transformation he had long denied stirred a disquiet within him. Yet, a part of him resented this admission. He prided himself on his control, his ability to resist the call of the beast within, but Jade's observations were an uncomfortable mirror reflecting a reality he had been avoiding.
He didn't want to.
But he was so tired━
He couldn't.
"I can't turn." He said simply before brushing past her and striding out of the forest.
"That's not true." Jade exclaimed behind him, quickly catching up. "You did it already. Twice, if I got my Mikaelson family's history right." She said, trying to match his quick steps.
Klaus shook his head, his wild eyes fixed ahead. "It was forced. I didn't have any say in the matter." He spat firmly.
"Okay, but now you do. So why don't you want to?" She asked, basically running beside him.
"I told you why, now drop it." He almost snarled in sudden surge of anger, snapping his sharp eyes towards the woman.
"You're so fucking stubborn, I swear to God━" Jade muttered under her breath in annoyance, grabbing his swinging arm and stopping his almost-jogg. Huffing furiously, he stopped and shot her a glare. "I may not be a werewolf, but I know what happens during transition, thanks to my sister and her mutt boyfriend." She spat, her hold on his arm firm. Seeing his unamused face, she pursed her lips. "Sorry." She whispered sheepishly. The hybrid looked at her blankly and attempted to continue his stride, although Jade quickly tugged him back. "And I think it hurts so bad, is because you fight it." She said, her voice unwavering. "Fight Him." She elaborated, jabbing her finger straight in the middle of his chest.
Klaus looked at her, his aching chest rising and falling heavily as he listened to her. Tilting his head predatorily, the moon above him thumping in his veins like a sick promise, he spoke up, his voice low and menacing. "That's right, you're not a werewolf." He growled, taking a dangerous step towards the blonde. "You don't know how it feels like, so stop."
Jade didn't take a step back. "Hello, Original Hybrid." She chirped with false smile, cocking her head to the side. After a moment of a deadly staring contest, her face fell. "Wasn't scared before, sure as hell aren't scared now." She spat, taking a step towards him, almost closing their distance. "So, shut up," She began in a hiss, her voice low and firm. "And turn."
"No." Klaus replied sternly, his fists clenched into a tight balls. He could smell his own blood from his hands, the emerging claws painfully piercing his skin.
"Turn!"
"No!"
"TURN!"
"NO!" Klaus roared powerfully, nearby birds and animals flying and running off from the sound of it, the growl of the Alpha scaring them away. His previously electric eyes were now firmly golden, the whites blackened around the edges, pulsing veins decorating his cheeks.
"No?" Jade arched an eyebrow in triumph, bringing her hand to his face, her thumb gently caressing his now pointed ear. "See? He wants to get out. Let him." She whispered soothingly, bringing her other hand to his face, cupping his cheeks as she smiled. "He's been in a cage for far to long." She added, delicately caressing his pulsing veins.
Klaus' eyes fluttered at her touch. "I..." He began, his tone unsure as he lowered her hands from his face. "Can't." He whispered weakly, his voice strained.
Jade huffed in blinding annoyance. "Ugh! Fine!" She shouted as she spun abruptly around, walking away from him with determination.
The Original watched her back in confusion. "What are you doing?" He exclaimed after her. After realising what the hell she was doing, his eyes widened like coins.
Jade twisted her arm and swung it with all her force against the tree trunk, a loud snapping sound echoing in the forest.
Jade let out a piercing scream, clutching her momentarily broken arm. "Shit! That does hurt, wow." She gasped in awe, twisting her head towards the bewildered hybrid. "Breaking my bones, what else does it look like?" She asked, twisting her leg into an awkward position and abrupty spinning in place, causing it to let out a loud snap. Gritting her teeth, she glanced up at him. "Can you help me out? It'll be easier." She asked as she gasped for air.
Klaus materialised by her side in a moment, clutching the arm that was raised to hit the tree again. "For the love of Odin, stop!" He shouted in distress. Jade narrowed her eyes and twirled around, causing the arm in his hold to break. Klaus cursed under his breath and grabbed her waist firmly, flashing them away in a blink. "Fine!" He yelled once they stood their ground, keeping her firmly in place.
"Fine?" She questioned in suspicion, eyeing him carefully.
"Fine." The Original repeated himself, his wide still in disbelief of what the woman had just done.
Jade let out a self satisfied smile. "Yay." She excitedly lifted her shoulders.
Klaus let out a mighty sigh, his head shaking when he cupped her face, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"What?!" She shouted, her squeaky and shrilling tone causing Klaus to briefly close his eyes. "All my hard work and..." She trailed off, snapping back one of her bones in place. "Four broken bones and I won't even get to watch the show? Na-ah, absolutely not." She shook her head, scoff escaping her lips in disbelief.
Klaus looked up at the moon, as if begging it to give him a little strength to deal with the woman before him. Snapping his head back to her, he spoke up, his tone firm and unyielding. "Jade, werewolves are natural mortal enemies to vampires." He reminded her. "If you'll stay, he's going to kill you. I'm going to kill you." He said in whisper, eyes pleading when he looked at her. "You cannot be here."
"But━"
"━No."
"I'll climb onto the tree━"
"━No!" He suddenly shouted with wide eyes, Jade looking at him like a deer caught in headlights. Klaus immediately faltered, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times. "Apologies, I━" He cut himself off, running his hand through his face. "No, no trees, no nothing. You're going home." He echoed himself, the familiar authority returning to his voice.
Jade watched him for a couple of long seconds, as if trying to decipher that the hell just happened. Then, she sighed, her eyes rolling. "Fine."
It was Klaus' turn to watch her for a couple of seconds. "I don't believe you." He finally said, eyebrow arched incredulously.
Jade smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You will have to trust me, then." She chirped with a mischievious glint in her eyes.
Klaus huffed in annoyance, although he still placed his hands on the sides of her waist. "You're the most infuriating woman I have ever met."
Jade swooned as if he just gave her the best of complements. "I love your little nicknames." She murmured with a grin. Then, she pulled back, pointing her finger at him, eyes suddenly sharp. "But I'm going to stay until I'll see you on all fours." She spat, eyes narrowed into tiny slits. After a moment, a soft chuckle escaped her lips. "Heh, all fou━"
"━Jade."
"Not the time, right." She nodded with pursed lips. "Do we have a deal?" She asked, eyebrows high on her forehead.
Klaus watched her for a moment in silence, his mind a relentless tornado. Earlier when he had transformed, or rather tried to transform, he had been alone. And that, apart from the pain, was the worst part. Yes, Klaus absolutely hated showing himself like that, suffering in pain as pure agony twisted his face, but this was Jade. She may not have fully understood what he was going through, but she wanted to━Gods, she had just broken her arms and legs to get him to transition, who does that? No one, he can answer you straight away. Certainly no one he has met in his long life.
"The moment you will see the last bone breaking, you're running, is that clear?" He said firmly, tilting his head at her in question.
Jade's face lit up like a Christmas tree, head nodding up and down in inhuman speed. "Crystal." She said with a grin, still nodding.
Klaus watched her for a second with a straight face, and then, the smallest of smiles tugged his lips upwards. "Okay." He muttered, nodding at her once, which only made her pearly smile even wider. After a moment, his mind went back to reality, to what he was about to do. "Okay." He whispered under his breath, shrugging his jacket off his shoulders.
Jade took the cloth from him, crouching beside him as he lowered himself on the ground. Bringing her hand to his face one last time, she smiled. "Don't fight him. Just let him do his... thing." She twisted her lips, trying to help him in any way.
Klaus huffed in amusement as he took off his shirt, throwing it beside them. "Easy for you to say, it's not━" He couldn't finish his sentence, the only sound coming out of his mouth was a painful hiss, causing him to grip the soil on the ground, his fingers and soon claws digging deep into the dirt.
Klaus could feel it.
Feel the powerful pull of the moon, now more than ever. He felt it all day, all the previous full moons after the ritual, calling out to him and whispering sweet promises of freedom into his ear, although he pushed it away every time. Now, he listened, he drove into them, accepting them all obiediently.
He let the Wolf out.
Then, the first snap came. Both of his arms twisted strangely at the same time, causing him to cry out in pain, which blinded his vision for a second from the shock of it. He grunted, grinding his teeth with a supernatural force, eyes firmly closed.
He could do it.
He could.
...Could he?
Klaus' body contorted and twisted, his muscles bulging and reshaping beneath his skin. Bones cracked and snapped, each sound causing the blonde to wince. But through it all, he could feel Jade's unwavering presence, her belief in him anchoring him, even in the dark moment.
With a determined resolve, she knelt beside him, her hand gently brushing against his back, offering a soothing touch amidst the chaos. "C'mon, don't push back." She urged, her voice filled with a gentle but resolute tone.
Her voice alone seemed to reach him on a deeper level, pushing past the throes of agony. Klaus' muscles rippled beneath his skin as his body shifted and contorted, bones snapping and reforming with a grotesque beauty. Shadows danced upon his face, a haunting reflection of the beast within. Taking a deep breath, Klaus' eyes flared open, revealing a stunning flash of glowing amber.
Jade's smile couldn't be any wider.
Nodding violently, she carefully crawled back, her eyes not leaving his form. "That's it..." She whispered under her breath, watching his every move.
Klaus' cries and shouts were soon replaced by animalistic growls and howls, and he curled into himself, dragging his fingers deeply across the earth. Snapping his head up, he drew in a shuddering breath after seeing that if wasn't his fingernails anymore, they were blackish claws, decorated by equally black fur around them. As he clenched his teeth to stop himself from screaming again, he felt that it wasn't his hybrid fangs that were biting into his mouth, it was the giant canines preparing to tear his next victim to shreds.
And then, there was his spine. It bented, the shrilling pain of it causing the hybrid to howl and whine in pain, his whole body collapsing onto the forest floor in blinding agony. Jade watched as he rose from the ground with wide eyes, backing herself away further and further at this point, realizing that the transition was almost finished upon not seeing much of his skin anymore, only black and silver fur.
She should run.
She really should.
But...
The pain wasn't the main thing Klaus was feeling at this point. He could only feel the Wolf running around in his heart, finally feeling content at being the one in control, after all this time. After thousand years, the doors of his cage opened, letting him out━not by force, just willingly. He ran and trashed excitedly and wildly.
He was almost there.
And then, his head snapped up, straight into the night sky.
And he howled.
Oh, how he howled.
Jade's mouth dropped at the sight, her hands instinctively flying to cover her ears at the volume.
What stood near her was not Klaus Mikaelson, it was the Wolf, King of all Wolves, Alpha of all Alphas, an ancient beast, a legend that had been forgotten before the last thousand years.
And he was fucking beautiful.
The majestic creature that now stood before Jade embodied raw power and an ancient lineage. His sleek, obsidian fur glistened like polished onyx under the ethereal light, accentuated by subtle streaks of silver, each strand shimmering as if infused with the secrets of forgotten stars, creating a breathtaking tapestry of darkness and ethereal glow.
"Holy shit, you're huge!" She whisper-shouted more to herself than him, mesmerized eyes permanently fixed into the wolf nearby.
And then wolf's head snapped towards her.
Klaus' eyes, twin orbs of a piercing golden hue, burned with an intensity that mirrored the ferocity of a blazing inferno as he fixed them on her. "Um..." Jade blinked, not really prepared what to do, barely dared to breathe. Taking a slow step back, she gave the animal a crooked smile. "Good doggy?" She whispered, slowly raising her palms up.
The wolf, its fur bristling with an untamed aura, emitted a low, guttural growl that resonated with a primal warning. Its lips peeled back, revealing a flash of formidable teeth, a stark demonstration of dominance and danger. The fierce glint in its golden eyes intensified, fixated on Jade as if she were mere prey in the presence of a powerful predator.
Not good. Not fucking good.
Jade backed away from the wolf slowly, wary of hers and his every movements. "If I'd threw you a stick, you'd leave, right?" She asked quietly, gesturing to the branch beside her.
Another growl.
"No?" She whispered weakly, her voice strained. "Isn't that just perfect?" She mumbled under her breath, trying to think of anything to get her out of there.
Every muscle in the wolf's body tensed, conveying a message of primal instinct. With an eerie silence, it stalked a few steps closer to Jade, a silent but palpable threat.
"Oh, my God, is that a doppelgänger?" She gasped, pointing at the darkness behind the wolf.
He didn't stop.
Jade, frozen in a mixture awe and fear, felt a shiver run down her spine at the proximity of the magnificent yet dangerous creature. She remained still, her palms raised, her attempt at a lighthearted comment now stifled by the palpable tension in the air. Her crooked smile faltered, replaced by a hesitant and unsettled expression. "C'mon, it's me, Jade." She tried to get through him, her body still like a sculpture, not daring to move an inch.
There was a flicker in the golden glint of its eyes, a subtle shift that hinted at recognition amidst the primal intensity. The creature's head tilted ever so slightly, an almost imperceptible gesture that suggested a hint of familiarity. The wolf's movements, previously steadfast and determined, momentarily paused, as if caught between its wild instincts and the echo of a connection from a different time. In that fleeting moment, there was a ghost of something within those piercing eyes, a trace of acknowledgment buried deep within the ferocity.
Jade allowed herself a little breath of relief, a fleeting smile forming on her lips. "Yeah, see? I'm good and━SHIT!"
Yeah, Klaus wasn't home.
With a sudden burst of primal energy, the wolf abandoned its brief hesitation, its predatory instincts taking hold once more. It sprang forward in a swift and powerful movement, the raw force of its pursuit palpable in every sinew as it closed the distance between them.
Jade's fleeting relief dissolved into sheer panic as she turned on her heels and sprinted, her heart pounding in her chest like a frantic drumbeat. Her lungs gasped for air as she darted through the underbrush, the sound of her ragged breaths and the wolf's thumping paws reverberating through the forest.
The wolf was hot on her heels, its powerful strides closing the gap with unnerving speed. The forest became a blur as she navigated the uneven terrain, her senses hyper-focused.
"That's the first time in your fucking life you should've listened to him, stupid bitch!" She spat under her breath as she flashed left and right through the forest, desperataly trying to lose the creature running after her.
Breathless and panting, Jade finally stumbled to a halt, her chest heaving with the exertion of her frantic flight. The forest seemed eerily quiet now, the adrenaline rush slowing to a pulse-thumping realization that she might have evaded the wolf. The silence enveloped her, and for a fleeting moment, hope kindled within her.
And then it was gone.
It was too fucking quiet.
Before she could do as much as take a breath, the tranquility shattered. Without warning, the air was filled with the sound of rapid footsteps closing in on her. Before she could react, the weight of the creature collided with her, sending her crashing to the forest floor.
Jade's gasp was cut short as the impact knocked the breath from her lungs, the force of the collision driving her down into the underbrush. With a primal snarl, it bared its sharp teeth, growling with a ferocity that reverberated through the quiet clearing. Its hot breath felt like a searing whisper against Jade's exposed neck, its yapping and snarling filled with wild intent.
Ugh, do the bastard has to be always right?
Desperation etched in her features, she fought against the overwhelming strength of the wolf, every muscle in her body tense with the effort to break free. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, her eyes fixed on the relentless beast, a mix of fear and defiance etched in her expression.
In the midst of the chaotic struggle, her voice rang out, a blend of fervor and fury. "Klaus, if you can fucking hear me," She spat fiercely, her words punctuated by gritted teeth as she tried to break free, pushing the yapping mouth of the wolf away from her neck. "Bite me, and I'll put a Klaus junior sized dent right in your fucking pants!"
But the wolf was unyielding, its predatory instincts driving it relentlessly. It paid no heed to her fierce words, locked in a battle for dominance that played out in a frenetic flurry of struggle and survival.
And then she could feel his hot breath inching towards her neck.
"Klaus, stop!" She screamed, her pleading voice infused with a raw desperation, slicing through the tense forest air like a piercing arrow.
The wolf, mid-snarl, froze in its tracks.
Klaus recoiled, ears lying flat against his head, his fierce demeanor faltered, a momentary pause that felt like an eternity as it registered the voice that echoed throughout the trees. And then, with a heartbreaking whine, he began to back away, freeing the woman from his grasp.
Jade watched the animal stumble back in shock, wide eyes following its every move. Not daring to make a single sound, she slowly pulled herself up, her gaze not leaving the wolf's.
The animal tilted its head, its gaze fixed on the woman as if she were the most interesting thing in the forest, its wise and calculating eyes locked on hers. Jade's own head twitched to the side in question, not really knowing what in the goddamn fuck she was supposed to do.
And then, the wolf began to stalk to her again.
"Klaus..." Jade trailed off waringly, leaning back from the curious animal. The wolf only stopped when it was right in front of her, his snout practically in her face.
Is this how she's gonna die? Mauled by a fucking dog?
Huh, then she would be the first actual victim to an animal attack in this godforsaken town.
And then he sniffed.
Jade could feel his wet snout twitching and sniffing against her cheek and neck, absorbing her scent.
Then, he pulled back.
Tilting its head once more, the wolf looked like he was considering something.
Second later, the only thing the blonde could feel was the soft caress of the wolf's head against hers.
"Oh." She let out, the force of the seemingly gentle gesture almost knocking the blonde back onto the forest floor. Supporting herself against her hands, she let out a strained chuckle, still in shock of whatever the hell was happening.
The wolf let out an excited rumble, collapsing right beside her, its head resting against her lap.
"Jesus fuck, you're giving me even a harder whiplash as a dog." She whispered under her breath. Raising her hand slowly from the floor, she suddenly paused and looked at him in a silent question.
Try to bite it off and she'll bite you right back.
The wolf, as if he could read her mind, seemed to chuff in amusement and rose its head from her lap, pushing it straight into her stuck mid-air hand.
She puffed in awe, eyebrows high on her forehead as sank her fingers into the hybrid's fur. "Wow, so soft." She muttered in surprise, her nails scratching its head and behind its ears. The wolf's tongue lolled out of its mouth at the feeling and Jade grinned at the sight, bringing her other hand to scratch its neck. "You are a puppy." She cooed with a fond smile.
As soon as the words left her mouth, the wolf tensed, a low growl tumbling from its throat in a warning.
"Okay no, sorry." She raised her hands defensively, the creature giving her a suspicious glance. "Big, scary hybrid, yeah?" She questioned, and the wolf seemed to agree as he relaxed, resting its head back in her lap. Jade exhaled deeply, her hand gently running over its fur. "Fucking terrifying actually, but I won't tell you that." She mumbled under her breath with a twitch of her head, watching the animal close its eyes.
After a moment of peaceful silence, the girl spoke up again. "Don't you wanna run? Munch on something other than me?" She asked, and the wolf's eyes snapped open immediately. He abruptly stood up, his height making the girl tilt her head back to look at him. "Yeah? Then what are you waiting for, big guy?" She asked with a small smirk.
The wolf lowered its head towards the girl, gifting a long, wet lick across her cheek, to which she scrunched her face in disguist and pushed its head away. "Ew, just go eat some squirrels." She mumbled, wiping her face off with her sleeve.
With an echoing howl that resonated through the night, the wolf pivoted on its paws and started to run away. Before he could disappear though, he twisted his head, giving her one last look, then finally flashing away. Jade watched him vanish into the trees with a small smile on her lips, her head shaking as she reached for her pocket, rummaging for a much needed cigarette.
As she placed it between her lips, she sighed, staring at the place she last saw the animal.
She could swear on her fucking life she saw him smile before he took off.
a/n: i started writing this one on the day matthew perry died. it's the day after when im writing this and i simply cannot believe it. celebrity deaths never affected me, but this one? i was bawling my eyes out hours after the news in my bed. i love friends, jade does too, and a lot of her sarcastic remarks were inspired by chandler. it feels like a dear friend of mine just passed away.
could this be any sadder?
a/n: when i finished and about to upload
HELLOO NOT DEAD AGAIN;ppp
klaus being a puppy is canon i dont give a fucc
finally some plot!! what do u think??
ps. unedited bc im sleepy as fuck its like 4;30am i dont have the power to reread this, maybe tomorrow, i just want to share it with yall, xoxo gossip girl, hotel trivago