Klaus and Grace spent another week with hiking up mountains and stomping through swamps. It really started to get on the younger vampires nerves and also Klaus was in his worst mood since he found about that Mikael-thing. He already spilled the beans towards her that he was his father, which was a fact that Grace had to process. Those were shocking news, but she was way too much distracted by fighting herself through werewolves that she could really think about what her sister and her friends wanted with a deadly Original-vampire hunter that was magical enough to hunt his own children down.
"Klaus, why are we actually doing this? You're referred as the unkillable, badass hybrid, that everyone is afraid of. Yet, we're here, hiding like cowards."
The hybrid growled at her annoyed comment to which Grace rolled her eyes and looked down to the pile of dead werewolves. Poor things. A human girl sat close to them and shivered with wide, frightened eyes. She panted and sometimes a whimper escaped her lips.
"First, we're not hiding, we're building an army. Second, I ran from my father because he has a weapon that could kill me, a weapon that, by the way, could also kill my siblings which includes your boyfriend. So it should be of your best interest...can't you just shut that thing off?"
The girl had started to scream like a maniac. It was a sound that made Grace go nuts, but she couldn't shut her up without killing or seriously injure her.
"Can't you just compel her?"
Grace mumbled through gritted teeth, turning away from Klaus to hide her embarrassment. But of course he stepped closer to her with a frown and grabbed her shoulders to turn her around.
"Do it yourself."
He ordered, but Grace looked away sighing before shaking her head. Klaus would probably see it as disobedience, but better that than if he knew how pathetically she lacked mind control skill. But of course he had to be smarter and look right through her.
"No one has taught you how yet, right? Poor thing. What a pity that I don't have time for this..."
The Original let go of her and strutted towards the fearful young woman. He forced her to look him in the eyes.
"Sweetheart, please let my friend here get a bite off you."
With his index fingers he motioned for Grace to come closer. Even tough she would've loved to punch him right across the face for that disrespectful gesture, she obeyed and stepped closer. She already had learnt that it was a waste of time and energy to go on her heels against Klaus.
Sighing, she flipped the girl's hair over her shoulder and stared at her neck. She saw a vein pulsating through her thin skin and without thinking, she bit into her hard, her blood flowing messily over her chin.
Without warning, Klaus shoved her backwards before she could finish her meal and she growled at him darkly and fought against his grip, but of course he wouldn't let go.
"Easy, dear, leave something for my hybrids."
With his words, the first of the newbie creatures started to shift as they came back from the dead. Grace shook her head and finally shoved his hands off.
"I'm sorry."
She whispered into the girl's ear as she held her bleeding neck over the werewolves corpses. They started to awake fully and desperately craved for the fresh blood. Most of them drank it immediately, some hesitated, but after all they were all turned.
"Are we done?"
The younger vampire let the human's corpse fall to the ground and went back to Klaus' side.
"Yes, we are. Good work, Gracie. Now find us a good motel while I make my speech."
She chocked down a snarky comment before she exited into the woods surrounding them. But before she could even reach the tree line, she was suddenly shoved to the ground by one of the hybrids. His fangs sunk into her neck with a deadly force and Grace screamed from the top of her lungs.
Klaus pushed him down from her and broke the hybrid's neck, before he quickly helped Grace to her feet. She was too shocked to even thank him. She touched her neck, only to hiss in pain and find her hands stained with her own blood. He had bitten her. A lethal bite for a vampire.
"That looks like a nasty bite."
With a expression full of mixed emotions, Klaus stared into Grace's troubled eyes.
...
An hour later Grace and Klaus sat on the bed of a nice motel. He had one finger under her chin and looked at her wound. The first symptoms already kicked in. After the wound had reopened, Grace felt so oddly cold. She hadn't felt cold since she died, so it was so strange to feel this kind of weakness again.
Her hands were shaking and the pain and itching coming from the wound was nearly unbearable. As the bite was on her neck, it was very close to her heart, which meant that the process would be quite quick.
It felt like hours until Klaus bit into his wrist and held it out for Grace to feed on. She gasped when she saw the fresh blood and immediately lunged forward. It promised her relief and it did exactly that. At first it felt like it was burning through her veins, but then it settled on the wound and she felt how it closed. The feeling of coldness and the pain were gone and she led out a relived breath, looking at Klaus thankfully.
"Have you really thought that I would let you die of a werewolf bite, Grace."
She shook her head and stood up, walking to a mirror to inspect her now again smooth, healed skin.
"Took you long enough. When it comes to you, everything is possible."
Klaus chuckled, enjoying her sarcasm. Not many people had the guts to talk to him like that. He tilted his head and looked the brunette beauty up and down. His brother was a lucky man. She was exquisite. Never before had Klaus looked at her like that.
A shiver ran down Grace's spine when she noticed him staring at her.
"Good for you that you have such a helpful and selfless friend."
Klaus stood up and came closer to the younger vampire. When she turned around to face him, he was surprisingly close. He looked down to her, his eyes had this certain mischievous spark in them, but there was also something new: vulnerability. He really wanted her to be his friend, she meant something to him. Maybe he even cared about her.
"We aren't friends, Nik."
She had picked this nickname up from Rebekah, Grace thought it suited him better. It sounded nicer, it let her deep buried fear of him disappear.
"What are we then, Grace?"
He placed his hands on her slim shoulders and Grace tensed, looking at him confused. Where was he getting at? But then she recognized this look. She had seen it often in men's eyes.
Klaus was about to kiss her.
His head lowered before she could answer anything, it was more of a rhetorical question. It was a decision out of the moment, but still Klaus wanted to test a theory.
The least he expected was that she would slap him right across the face. But that was exactly what she did. It probably hurt her more than him when her palm connected with his stubbled cheek. A loud, smacking sound went off.
Grace's eyes widened in shock of her own doing. It was like her body reacted on it's own. There surely was more meaning into this than just this attempt for a kiss, but it showed Grace again how much she had changed. But not in terms of vampirism, but how in this really short time they'd spent together, Elijah had changed her. Some months ago, she would've dived in for every kiss she could get, those little escapes from reality gave her huge comfort.
But not with Klaus. For many reasons, but Grace had to admit that his older brother was the true reason amongst all those more serious reasons.
Another thing clicked into place inside Grace's mind. She wasn't afraid of the hybrid anymore. Even if she slapped him literally across the face, she knew he wouldn't hurt her. Despite this foolish attempt to let off steam, he really was, in his damn strange ways, trying to be her friend. Klaus protected her, that's why he kept her close. He healed this bite, even tough he could've just let her die. Grace wasn't someone he needed anymore. He had enough to people to protect Elena and he could hunt down werewolves on his own. Maybe some day, they could be friends. But not now.
"I think I deserved that."
The hybrid mumbled. He rubbed his cheek and stubble, which Grace would surely would've fallen for if her heart wasn't occupied. Never would she have imaged that a man would steal her heart the way Elijah did.
"Yes, you did. What were you thinking?"
Grace got some distance between them and took place on the bed again. Her voice was calm, she wasn't as angry as she would've expected.
"Nothing at all."
Silence erupted and they just looked at each other before Grace gazed down to her hands.
"You know, I've been dreaming about him..."
Klaus interrupted her before she could finish her sentence which lit this familiar anger in her.
"Grace, seriously, I don't want to hear about your wet dreams about my brother."
She growled and threw a pillow at him which he easily caught with an amused smile on his face.
"Oh shut up! That's not what I meant. I mean like terrifyingly realistic dreams. It only happens when I'm close to him, like when we were in Mystic Falls. He's suffering, Klaus. I know you haven't experienced it yourself, but he's like trapped in a small room. He's a prisoner in his body and it drives him crazy. Because you're taking his life away from him, Klaus. Please, you know him better than I do, he'll forgive you, like Rebekah did."
Grace just had to try. There must be some way inside his conscience and she had the feeling that Rebekah and her were the only persons on the planet that could bring him to undagger his siblings.
His smile faded and slowly, Klaus stepped closer again. He bent down and looked her in the eyes. But it wasn't a dangerous way.
"I promise you something. When I take down Mikael, I'll release them all. Please, understand, I can't bring myself to do it now, because I know my father will use them as leverage or turn them against me. Because it's me who he hunts, not them. Help me kill Mikael and I'll leave you and Elijah alone. You have my word."
At this point, Grace saw the similarity between the brothers. They may not look the same, but in a certain way their characters were alike. It made Grace sure that she could count on his word.
Grace nodded a small satisfied grin crossed his features. This conversation was a huge improvement between them.
"At some point you have to tell me your families' story."
He chuckled.
"Ask Rebekah. She can tell that story better. Anyways, I haven't heard of her lately. I think you should go back to Mystic Falls and check up on her."
Again Grace nodded and stood up and strutted towards the door. It was the best if she left now. She didn't want to destroy that tiny, friendly bond they just had developed. Grace could trust him now to a certain extent.
"I'll text you when I see her."
She was about to turn the doorknob when he stopped her. Grace gazed over shoulder to look at him while he spoke.
"Thank you."
Wow, he actually could use those words. She smiled, but before she went outside, she knew she had to give those words back, so he wouldn't feel that vulnerable.
"Thanks for saving me."
......................
I love Klaus' and Grace's relationship :D Building their friendship is actually the whole point in not skipping the Elijah-less parts :(