𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓
﹙ 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏 ﹚
࿐ ࿔ ✧˖*°
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Rory thinks she has a soft spot for the cursed and damned. She doesn't know what it is about people with baggage that makes her want to make sure they're okay despite the things they've done in their past. She thinks it's because she, herself, is someone that needs fixing but is broken beyond comprehension, so she takes it upon herself to ensure that she can help others. Others like Kai Parker, who wants to apologise and make things right with the people that he wronged.
Only problem was, once Kai found out he had a "friend", he was overly eager and wanted to keep in touch with Rory every second of the day. That meant calling her on the phone every five minutes.
"So, Bonnie says that if I give her the Ascendant for the 1903 Prison World, then she'll think about forgiving me," Kai's voice comes through the receiver as Rory presses the phone against her ear. The male hadn't even bothered to say hello, simply deep diving into his problems. "Only issue: I don't know if she really means it or if she's just saying it because I have the Ascendant."
"Well, I'm going to be honest with you. I think she's just saying it because you have the Ascendant," Rory responds as she strides towards the kitchen. "But have you actually done what I discussed with you last time?"
Kai groans. "You mean to apologise to her? I've done it like five hundred times!"
"I said apologise to her and mean it, Kai. Apologies don't matter if you don't mean it—it doesn't matter if it's the five hundredth time,"
"All the times I've apologised to her, I meant it," Kai mutters petulantly. "I just don't think she wants to believe it."
"Well, it's going to take some time, so you can't just push her into it. Patience is key," Rory says as she pours herself a cup of coffee. "You did stab her and then proceeded to try and steal her magic."
"Who's on the phone?" Klaus suddenly appears behind her in the kitchen, causing Rory to startle violently. She whips around to face him, glaring daggers at him. He raises his hands in surrender. "Sorry, I thought you heard me this time."
"Clearly not," Rory huffs as she grabs a napkin, patting at the spilled coffee on the counter. "Kai, I have to go."
"What? Nooooooo," Kai whines. "Please, we're not done! What do I do? Should I beg to come with her?"
"Don't be pushy about it," Rory replies.
"But I want her to forgive me!"
"Then just keep apologising and try to make things right, but you have to let her forgive you at her own pace,"
"You keep saying that!"
"Because that's how you gain someone's forgiveness! It doesn't just change because you don't like the method, Kai,"
"I hate this feelings shit. This is the worst. I hate you. You're the worst friend ever,"
"Okay. Talk to you tomorrow,"
"I will not be talking to you tomorrow, because we're not friends anymore,"
"Okay,"
Rory pulls the phone away from her ear to hang up, but Kai yelps through the line. "No, no, wait! I was kidding. I was kidding—we're still friends, right? You're literally my only friend,"
"Of course we are, Kai, but I have to go. Seriously, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Or if there's anything else, you can just text me. I'll be here," Rory says, holding a finger up to silence Klaus when he opens his mouth to usher her towards the living room.
"Okay,"
"Okay. I'm going to hang up now,"
"Fine,"
"Bye bye,"
"Wait!" Kai calls out once more.
Klaus walks forward, snatching the phone out of Rory's hand. He holds it against his ear, speaking quickly into the receiver before Rory can grab it from him again. "Sorry, mate, but we're having a little issue here. I think Rory has more important things to worry about rather than your matters with forgiveness. Goodbye,"
Rory scowls as he ends the call, tossing the phone back to her. "You're such an ass," she says.
"You were on the bloody phone with him for an hour yesterday just talking about how he murdered his kid siblings. I think what he needs is a therapist. Why don't I pass him Camille's number instead?" Klaus raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.
"She doesn't need more on her plate. She has you to talk about daggering your siblings, imagine the tension headaches she'll get with Kai once he brings up the fact that he butchered his family," Rory brushes past him, her shoulder banging against his as she exits the kitchen. "What's got you in such an urgent mood, anyway?"
"Well, Hayley and Jackson here have made the decision to take a stroll outside without letting anybody know, and he—" Klaus jabs at Jackson's shoulder, making the werewolf bristle in annoyance. "—proceeded to get his mind infiltrated by our dear aunt Dahlia."
Rory notices the newly married couple sitting together at the round table. Her eyes flickered to Elijah, who is surprisingly in the room as well. He gives her a grimace, nodding in politeness. Freya and Rebekah are there as well, which makes Rory the odd one out of the family gathering.
"Okay! We get it. Now, let's just figure out what the hell we're going to do," Hayley interjects, looking embarrassed.
"What I would like to do is take a strong leash—" Klaus starts.
"Children, please. Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Hayley is right—we need to find a new strategy. Freya, if you please?" Elijah suddenly interrupts Klaus' tangent, turning to face his older sister.
Freya sighs. "The spell you described...Dahlia calls it "kenning"—using proxies to watch her enemies from afar. But I've never seen it done on quite this scale,"
"So, it's like mind control," Rory states. Freya nods. Rory's suddenly glad that she went to get that hex removed, because Dahlia sounds like someone she does not want to fuck with.
"Awesome. So, basically every Hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential spy," Hayley comments, looking frustrated.
"The good news is, I know a little about how her magic works," Freya gestures to a tray set up, where six teacups filled with tonic. "This tonic will at least prevent her from using any of us."
Rory leans forward to take one, immediately downing the contents. Klaus stares at her all the while, a betrayed look on his face. Rory scoffs at him, placing the empty cup on the table. "What? I'm not letting someone invade my mind. I got lots of things I need to keep under wraps up here," Rory gestures towards her head.
"This is a betrayal of epic proportions," Klaus hisses. "I thought we had an agreement."
"I think you may have dreamt that up," Rory picks up a teacup of tonic, holding it against his chest. "Drink up, buttercup."
He sniffs, looking away. "I prefer biscuits with my tea,"
Rory scoffs. "You are the fucking worst,"
Klaus ignores her. "Besides, our minds are far too strong to be invaded by kenning spells. No, what we experienced was a test—Dahlia's watching to see how we respond to aggression; she's preparing for battle. My guess is sooner, rather than later."
"If that's the case, I feel sorry for her because she has to listen to your dramatic monologues 24/7," Rory comments snidely.
"I am not dramatic,"
"Bitch—"
Hayley sighs as the former couple begins to bicker once more, pressing her fingers against the side of her head. "Okay!" she interjects as Rory and Klaus begin trying to talk over each other. The two of them pause at the hybrid's interruption. "If she was watching us, she would know that we have our own army."
"She also knows where we are. And, given the immense nature of her power, we simply do not know what to expect from her. What we need is to create a new stronghold, something that Dahlia knows nothing about; a sanctuary from any witchcraft," Elijah adds.
"That's a fine strategy. I offer another—we can use Jackson to trace her magic back to the source. Find out exactly where she is," Freya offers.
Everyone turns to Hayley (hey, it's her husband, not theirs) who looks back at everyone. Her eyes turn to Rory and Klaus, the former of the two raising her thumbs in an approving manner. Klaus simply sniffs and raises an eyebrow snootily. Hayley rolls her eyes, sighing reluctantly.
"Fine," she says. "Do it."
"Good!" Klaus suddenly exclaims. "Then it's settled—off you pop to your respective tasks. Me? I've always been an opinion that the best defence is a good offense. So, I'm going to find a way to murder that godforsaken witch."
"Yay," Rory says in a sombre fashion as she sighs. "Murder."
☆*.·*·.*☆。
She doesn't know what to do after everyone's dispersed to do their jobs, so she ends up at Rousseau's once more. She realises that her stay in New Orleans might turn her into an alcoholic, given the amount that she drinks every damn day. She tosses her head back as she downs a shot, wincing slightly at the harsh burn in her throat.
"Hi," Cami says as she settles beside her. Rory startles, turning to face the blonde. "Sorry. Do you mind if I sit? I'm off today."
"Yet you still show up at your workplace? Even when you're not working? That's admirable. Also, kind of sad," Rory responds. "Yeah, take a seat. I haven't seen you around lately."
Cami gives her a small smile. "I've been busy. You know, hiding from crazy Finn Mikaelson and having Klaus' crazy mother try to take my body for possession," Cami replies. Rory nods in understanding. "What about you? I...couldn't help but overhear what happened the last time we saw each other. With your boyfriend."
"Ex-boyfriend now," Rory sighs, slumping in her seat. "I've been fine. I was also hiding from crazy Finn Mikaelson, but I guess now that he's gone I don't have anything to worry about anymore. Besides the crazy aunt Dahlia."
"Aunt Dahlia?" Cami frowns in confusion.
"Yeah, they have new relatives popping up left and right," Rory snorts. "Wish it could happen to me once in a while. I miss my parents," Rory looks down at her hands, drumming her fingers against the table. "My adoptive parents, though. Not my real ones. I don't care about my real parents."
"I'm sorry," Cami says quietly.
"Not your fault," Rory gnaws on her bottom lip.
"You know, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here," Cami offers after a moment. Rory raises an eyebrow, turning to face her.
"My last therapist pretty much said I was a lost cause, so..." Rory trails off.
"I'm sure your last therapist didn't talk to Klaus Mikaelson about his problems," Cami snorts.
Rory smiles a bit. "That's true," Rory nods.
She purses her lips, mulling her options over. She thinks, why not? She has been extremely overwhelmed lately. Maybe she does need someone she can talk to; as a therapist or even as a friend. Being alone and feeling alone really sucked.
"You really don't mind if I unload some stuff on you?" Rory asks quietly.
"It's what I'm studying for. If you don't trust me, you can compel me to secrecy—not that I'd give out your secrets anyway," Cami shrugs.
"Ugh. Trust me, I've had enough of compulsion," Rory rolls her eyes. Cami gives her a vaguely confused look. "I don't really know where to start."
"You can start with your parents," Cami offers.
"Which ones?" Rory snorts.
"Both of them. It doesn't matter,"
Rory rests her head against her knuckles, turning to face Cami. "My biological dad pretended to be my uncle. His brother and sister-in-law are the ones that adopted me. My biological mom turned out to be my sister's history teacher's ex-wife, who left him to become a vampire. All of them are dead," Rory deadpans.
Cami blinks. "Oh. Okay. How did that make you feel?"
"I watched my biological mother, Isobel, burn to death right in front of me. I felt...I don't know. I didn't really know her. I think my sister, Elena, did. That was my first and last time seeing her," Rory frowns. "I heard that she was selfish. My biological dad, John...his death was bittersweet. He gave his life for my sister to survive. I didn't like him, but I think...I think I could've grown to."
"That sounds difficult,"
"It was. But I got through it. I always do," Rory mumbles.
"You know, Klaus tells me that after you found out about his lies, the first thing you tried to do was sacrifice yourself for your sister," Cami says. "You want to talk about that?"
"Wow. He's like a gossip blog, isn't he?" Rory questions. Cami simply shrugs. Rory sighs, resting her elbows against the bar top. "I love my sister. I love my brother, too—who is technically my cousin, I think. I don't know, I just love people. If there was a choice between the people that I loved and me, I would choose them. Does there have to be a reason for that?"
"I think it's good to love people, Rory, but I think you should love yourself too," Cami responds.
"I wasn't going to let Elena die," Rory sighs. "I've been through this with Klaus like, five hundred times. He doesn't get it. I don't think he wants to."
"He gets it, Rory. He just doesn't like it. He always talked about how he hated the way you would throw yourself into the fire for your sister,"
"I know, I know. He's mentioned it," Rory rolls her eyes, remembering their multiple fights on the topic. "Can we just...can we just change the subject? I don't think I want to talk about what happened in Virginia anymore. It's just a can of worms I'm not ready to open right now."
"Okay. Do you want to talk about Dean?"
Rory licks her lips at the mention of his name. "We broke up. He hates me. What's there to talk about?"
"Why did you break up with him?"
"Because I was hexed and I didn't want to hurt him,"
"No, Rory. Why did you really break up with him?"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rory snaps defensively, turning to face Cami.
The blonde wears a calm look on her face. "I'm not judging you, Rory. But I know that the hex is not the only reason you broke up with him," Cami says quietly.
"Don't know what you're talking about," Rory mumbles, turning away.
"I'm here so you can freely express your emotions without judgement, Rory,"
"There's nothing to express. I broke up with him because I was trying to protect him, okay?"
"I'm sure you were. But there's something else. You're not opening yourself up completely. You need to be honest,"
"Fucking hell," Rory groans, turning to face her. "Fine. I broke up with him because I'm still in love with Klaus, okay?" she says quickly. "But that doesn't change anything. I almost killed him, and I didn't want to put him in danger—"
"—I know," Cami interjects. "I'm not denying that you did. It's just the kind of person you are. Like you said, you love people," Cami pats her arm. Rory slouches, pouting her bottom lip. "Did that make you feel any better?"
Rory runs a hand through her hair, thinking it over. She did feel better now that she admitted it to someone else, someone that wasn't Dean or Sam. Someone that didn't seem to be throwing it back in her face. She ends up nodding, and she really means it.
"Yeah," she says. "I feel...lighter, kind of. I've just been feeling heavy lately. Everything's been really overwhelming."
"I'm glad you feel better," Cami responds. Rory nods. "You know, he loves you too. He still does."
"Eh,"
"Really, he does. When I ran into you, and you told me that you were Rory, I didn't expect just...a normal girl. The way he talked about you, it was like you should be surrounded by butterflies wherever you walked or something. He talks about you like you hung the moon," Cami laughs, but Rory catches the bitter tinge in her tone. "When he talks about you, I can see the love in his eyes, you know? He's...he's happier."
"He and I hurt each other," Rory replies. "We hurt each other a lot. Seeing him with Hayley, and leaving him..."
"Do you forgive him for it?"
"I don't know," Rory confesses. "And I don't expect him to forgive me for leaving, either. Our relationship right now is complicated. But I know how I feel about him; I know that I want to be with him."
"So you should," Cami says. Rory turns to look at her. Cami smiles. "You should be with the person you love. It hurts, but you know, that's the way love is. The most important part is how you overcome the issues you two have. And I'm sure that with him, both of you will find a way to comfortably work through it."
"Do you really think he still loves me?" Rory asks.
"I think he loves you more than he's ready to admit."
☆*.·*·.*☆。
Rory walks back to the Mikaelson compound in a state of enlightenment. She's reached a new understanding with herself. Okay, she's still madly in love with Klaus. Okay, she might still be hurt over things in the past, but she can talk about it with him. Lots of problems can be solved with talking. I should be with the person I love. Because she does love him. She does love Klaus.
Talking about love and Klaus, Rory literally has to stop in her tracks when she faces someone that very much does not love the Original hybrid. Mikael.
"What the fuck?" Rory inquires as she stands before the eldest Original.
Mikael gives her a distasteful once over. "Doppelganger," he sneers.
"Trash," Rory responds back, a smile of mirth on her lips.
"Mind your tongue—"
"Mikael," Klaus calls from the sofa, where he nurses a glass of scotch. He looks tired. "Leave her alone."
Mikael scoffs at Klaus, lips curling in disgust. "Pathetic," he mumbles under his breath, Rory giving him a face behind his back as he turns to walk away.
"Am I hearing things, or did my brother just exchange words with my father?" Rebekah suddenly speaks up.
Mikael smiles. "Rebekah. I'd know that wicked tongue anywhere. What mischief have you gotten yourself into now? No doubt that bastard's doing,"
Klaus growls under his breath. "Enough. My patience—like this farce of a reunion—is at an end,"
"Agreed," Elijah adds, stepping forward. "There is only one question here—what exactly are we doing?"
Freya interjects furiously. "This was not my plan! You rushed it and made but a single weapon—of course she took it from you. And now, we've lost what advantage we had and used up the very materials we needed to kill her,"
Deciding that Rory did not want to lose her head in a family feud, she shakes her head and makes her way towards the alcohol tray to pour herself a drink. Remove yourself from situations that could strain your mental progress. This could possibly strain her mental progress. Thus, she empties the entire glass of alcohol.
Not a second later, she hears a loud scream. Rory turns around to see Mikael pinned against the wall, a white oak stake stabbed through his stomach. She refills her glass of scotch.
"NO!" Freya screams, her body being held back by Elijah.
"If I even feel the faintest touch of your magic, Freya, I will end him with a flick of my wrist," Klaus calls out. He turns to face Mikael. "You don't seem surprised."
Mikael gasps out. "Betrayal is in your nature, boy,"
"No. I wasn't born like this. Her, you fight for—lovely Freya, the daughter you barely know. But there was a time you knew me as your son! A time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal," Rory can see Klaus' hands begin to shake as tears fill his eyes. "There were moments where all you had to do was be my father. And even then, you despised me, didn't you?" a tear falls from his cheek. "I want to know why."
Mikael stares back at him. He replies, softly. "I don't know. I just...did."
A moment of silence blankets the compound. Rory has to hold back her own tears, because she knows how painful it is for Klaus to hear those words. All he wanted for a long time was acknowledgement from his father, abusive or not. He wanted to be loved by his family.
"Are those your final words?" Klaus asks stonily.
Mikael hesitates. He turns to look at Freya, and his last words is the straw that breaks the camel's back. "Freya. I'm so sorry. I love yo—"
Mikael doesn't get to finish his confession as Klaus plunges the stake through Mikael's heart. A scream tears through Freya's throat as her father begins to burn to ash. Klaus releases Mikael's body, the older man reaching out for his children one last time.
"Viking ashes are indeed rare," Klaus says as he turns to face Freya. "All you really need is a burning Viking corpse."
Elijah releases Freya from his grip, letting the girl fall onto the ground as she weeps over her father's body. Rory feels nothing. She hates Mikael, she always has. As far as she's concerned, it's one less piece of shit in the world. Still, she can't blame the Mikaelson siblings for being upset—that's their father, whether they liked it or not. Abusive relationships tend to work that way.
"I'll go talk to him," Rory says after a moment of silence.
"Please do," is all Elijah replies with as he turns to walk out of the compound.
☆*.·*·.*☆。
Rory finds Klaus in his bedroom. He has a bottle of bourbon in his hand, drinking it straight from the source. She settles on the bed beside him, looking out the open windows. She can hear the muffled music from Bourbon Street. It seems that the world stops for no one, especially not in New Orleans.
"He never loved me," Klaus breaks the silence. "I knew that he never did. But hearing it..."
"I'm sorry," Rory whispers quietly. She reaches for his hand, and he unfurls his fingers that are curled into a fist to hold her palm against his. "He didn't deserve to have someone like you love him, you know."
"Rory, I don't have time for this," Klaus looks up at the ceiling, attempting to blink back tears.
"I know you don't. But you should hear it," Rory tightens her hand around his, turning her body to face him. "He didn't deserve your love because when you love someone, you love them with everything you have. You love so much that it consumes you. I see it with your siblings. You would do anything for the people you care about, even going as far as to be the bad guy. Nik, Mikael didn't love you and it's shit. It's fucking awful, but I think he wasn't capable of loving anybody. Not really."
"He loved Freya," Klaus mumbles.
"He barely knows Freya," Rory rolls her eyes. "And even if he did, but he still didn't love you, then it's his loss. Because...because I love you," Rory states. Klaus lifts his head. "I love you, and I like loving you. I think it's great. It's overwhelming sometimes, and you're a complete ass, but I love you despite it. I think anybody that receives even half the adoration you were willing to give to Mikael should be lucky. Because you would set the entire world on fire to keep the ones that you love safe. And it's a pity...it's a pity he didn't see that."
"I do love you, you know," Klaus says as his lips upturn into a small smile.
"I know," Rory replies. "But I'm not important right now. It's about you," Rory lifts her free hand to wipe the tear away from Klaus' cheek. "I think you're amazing, Nik. I think you deserve to be happy."
"You make me happy,"
"And I'm here," Rory responds. "I'll be here."
When Klaus leans in to kiss her this time, Rory doesn't pull away.
A/N: the way there's kairy and klory content in one chapter.. .yes i am overfeeding myself. do i care? no
can i please get 90 comments for the next chapter juseyo