𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓
﹙ 𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒘𝒐, 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏﹚
࿐ ࿔ ✧˖*°
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Hayley hasn't had much time to get to know Kai Parker, but she must say, there's worse company she could be in. The heretic had spent most of the car ride out of town just jamming to old songs with Rory, the happy mood in the car stemming from mostly the two of them. Hayley was surprised to see that Kai wanted to come along on their little road trip, but she should've expected it.
It was clear since the beginning that wherever Rory went, Kai tended to follow. And with Klaus' enemies on the rise and steadily pouring into New Orleans to come for his head, there was no doubt in Hayley's mind that Rory would be targeted in an attempt to hurt him. So, bringing Rory along on the road trip was unavoidable.
"I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22!" both Rory and Kai sing—or, shriek, to be precise—at the top of their lungs. Klaus had long checked out, simply staring dead into the road in front of him.
If either Hayley or Klaus was worried about Hope, they didn't need to be—the baby girl was thoroughly entertained by her godmother's antics, as well as Kai's, who had the ability to conjure pretty sparkles out of the air whenever she was unsettled. She was giggling along to the beat of each Taylor Swift song that reverberated throughout the car, even swinging her tiny legs around.
"You know when I was 22, I murdered all my siblings," Kai says in a conversational manner as the song changes. Klaus, Rory and Hayley all groan in unison. "Sorry. Bad segue?"
"Very." Rory spares him a look over the edge of the passenger seat.
"Oh, come on. Your fiancé literally carted his siblings around in coffins!" Kai whines petulantly.
"Yes, but they were never dead," Klaus defends himself. "They were all simply taking a long autumn nap."
"Honestly, I think both of you are just terrible siblings," Hayley comments.
"They aren't the best, no," Rory nods in agreement.
"I sense a lot of judgement right now. I don't know how to feel about this—I thought this was a safe environment," Kai juts his bottom lip into a pout as he hooks his arms around the headrest of Rory's seat. "Besides, Klaus has been alive for a thousand years. I'm sure he's done way worse things that he hasn't told anyone about."
Klaus meets Kai's eyes through the rear-view mirror. "Hold on a second," he stated. Kai raises an expectant eyebrow. "Did you just call me by my actual name?"
Kai groans as Rory and Hayley cheers loudly, Klaus letting a satisfied smile fall onto his lips. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't get used to it, Nathaniel. I only got that one right because you helped me figure out I wasn't in love with your fiancée."
Hayley's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Can I please have some context on that?"
"Well, I told Kai that Klaus and I were getting married. He didn't exactly take the news well, called Cami for an explanation, and she told him that he might've been jealous because he had feelings for me," Rory explains.
"And it turns out I didn't. I just have severe abandonment issues due to the abusive household I was raised in," Kai adds, taking a sip of his Redbull. Hayley turns to face Kai, raising an impressed eyebrow. "I know, I know. Pretty impressive, right? Turns out you can learn some stuff from therapy. I always thought it was a scam."
"What made you think that?" Rory questions.
"Paying people to talk about your problems when you could just talk to one of your stuffed animals for free? Please," Kai scoffs. "But then I realised that the listening isn't what you pay them for. It's the diagnosis thingy."
"I'm glad you've managed to discover such an earth-shattering revelation." Klaus says, voice thick with sarcasm.
"Shut up, Jonathan."
"That's not even close to my name. You're not even trying anymore."
"There's no signal out here. I can't Google "boy names that start with K". Don't worry, as soon as we pull up somewhere that does, I'll get back to you." Kai smiles, batting his eyelashes innocently.
"Oh, speaking of, there's a gas station," Hayley points towards an upcoming store. "Pull over, please."
Klaus does as said, pulling over into one of the empty parking spaces. Hayley immediately clambers out of the vehicle, walking towards the store. Rory turns to face him, watching as he decreases the volume of the music that filled the car.
"You okay?" Rory asks quietly.
"It isn't a situation I'd prefer myself to be in, if I'm being truthful," Klaus mutters in a honest fashion.
Kai, sensing the tension in the car, shifts awkwardly. "I'm going to join Hayley," he says, before climbing out of the car and slamming the door behind him.
"Does he just refuse to get my name right?" Klaus asks in a petulant manner.
"To be fair, I think it's because you keep giving him a reaction," Rory replies. Klaus rolls his eyes, his gaze meeting hers. Rory reaches over, brushing an eyelash aside that fell on his cheekbone. "Hey, I know this isn't the best situation, but this is the one we're stuck in. So don't be Mr. Grumpy Pants, okay?"
"Hard not to be Mr. Grumpy Pants when I'm stuck with those two," Klaus gestures to Hayley and Kai who are talking outside the gas station, Hayley pointing her phone in Kai's direction as he pulls a funny face. A flash goes off, momentarily blinding the heretic.
"Hey, you called yourself Mr. Grumpy Pants. See? You're getting in the mood already," Rory teases. Klaus gives her an exasperated glance. "C'mon, babe. Seriously. Don't be all sour, okay? It's not a good look on you."
"I thought you said everything was a good look on me."
"Did I? When?"
"Rory."
"I was just kidding!" Rory laughs, leaning forward to kiss him on the lips softly. "Who knew you were so sensitive?"
"Does the thousands of years daggering my siblings on and off for displeasing me not indicate sensitivity?"
"Okay, you're right. Maybe I'm just dumb."
"I agree."
"Asshole!" Rory swats his chest, Klaus letting out a laugh as she huffs.
"I'm kidding," Klaus teases as he leans over the gearshift, tugging her forward to kiss her gently. "Who knew you were so sensitive?"
"Make fun of me again and I'll show you just how sensitive I can be."
"That sounds quite exciting."
"Breaking off an engagement sounds exciting to you?"
Klaus' jaw drops. "That isn't funny."
Rory giggles, looping her finger around the chain of his necklace to tug him closer. "I'm just teasing," she mumbles against his lips. "At least you're not being a quiet, sour grump anymore."
"It's hard not to be when your beautiful, charming, extremely talented fiancée won't stop singing Taylor Swift songs at the top of her lungs."
"You're very lucky you're good with words. If it wasn't for the fact that I love you so much, I would have killed you."
"Boo!" Kai shouts from outside the car, slamming his fists against the window. Rory and Klaus turn to face him, barely affected. He gives them a sour look as Hayley giggles from behind him. "That didn't scare you?"
"We could hear your repulsive laughter from about a mile away, mate," Klaus says in a pointed fashion.
"Mate," Kai mocks in a bad English accent. "We get it, you're British."
Hayley and Kai climb back into the backseat of the car. Hayley shoves a cap on Klaus' head with the words Mother Trucker written on it. Rory immediately reaches into her pocket, taking a picture of her disgruntled fiancé before he could say anything.
"What the bloody hell is this?" Klaus turns to face Hayley, a frown on his face.
"You're going to need to fit into civilisation somehow if you're going to keep that thousand-dollar coat on," Hayley responds. She turns to face Rory. "You too, Rory. Not such a small town girl anymore, huh?"
"Hey, the clothes don't make me. I can take it off if I want to—it's just really comfortable," Rory raises her arms in surrender. "Besides, Nik is the real snob."
"I have the money to spare. I don't see why I can't spend it the way I want." Klaus defends himself.
"Hey, genuine question," Kai pokes his head between the driver's and passenger seat. "Technically, Kenneth was born in Virginia. Which means he's American. So why does he have the accent?" Kai turns to face Klaus. "Actually, why do all of your siblings have accents? And why do they sound different? Is it an ancient vampire thing, or..."
Kai's sentence is slowly blocked out as Klaus turns up the volume of the music, drowning his words completely. He pulls out of the parking spot, preparing to drive to their next destination.
｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ
Hayley ends up directing Klaus towards a bar that was on the outskirts of town, the sign outside referring to it as Willoughby Lake Bar. Whilst Hayley and Rory seemed right at home, Klaus is displeased with the conditions of the establishment. Kai just looked the way he usually looked—ready and excited to be there.
"Well, I can see why you wanted to come here. I feel safer already," Klaus comments in a sarcastic manner as all four of them enter the bar.
"We're closed," the bartender immediately says.
Kai looks around, seeing patrons still sitting around. "You don't look closed."
"We are for him," the bartender gestures in Klaus' direction.
Klaus gives him a bemused look. "Well, perhaps you failed to notice the hat?"
"Well, sorry Kieran. Bye bye," Kai pats Klaus' back as he slips into the barstool beside Hayley. Klaus gives him a look with dead eyes. Kai shrugs. "He said they were closed for you."
"Kai," Rory gives him a warning glance. The heretic gives her an innocent smile, Rory tugging Klaus into a seat beside her.
"I'll take a bourbon. Unless Hollis is still serving that moonshine of his?" Hayley inquires to the bartender.
Just then, a middle-aged man walks through the back of the bar. "Well, I'll be damned!" he exclaims. He pats the bartender on the shoulder. "I got this," he states, before making his way towards Hayley. "It's been a long time since you danced on my bar, Hayley Marshall."
Hayley smiles. "It's been a long time since I danced on any bar. I get into a different kind of trouble these days," the two of them exchange a chuckle. "Hollis, meet Hope."
"Oh, look at her!" Hollis exclaims. He eyes the wedding band around Hayley's finger, then he eyes Kai who's sitting beside the girl. "Ah, city boy, huh? Wouldn't have guessed that."
Kai doesn't seem bothered to be mistaken as Hayley's husband. "Just glad to be here." he smiles, tapping his fingers against the bar top.
Hayley lets out a soft laugh. "Uh, no. Hollis, this is my friend Kai. That's Klaus, and that's his fiancée, Rory."
"Hi," Rory wiggles her fingers into a wave. "Nice bar. It's really cosy—probably would've partied my ass off here when I was in high school."
"Thank you, little lady." Hollis smiles pleasantly.
Klaus makes an unimpressed sound, taking a sip of bourbon from his glass.
"We just...need a place to lay low," Hayley says softly.
"You picked a pretty rough time for us around here—a lot of folks are giving up on the pack all together," Hollis replies. "Well, for the reigning dart-throwing, tequila-shooting champ in Willoughby Lake? I just wish there were a few more people to give you a proper homecoming," Hollis pulls out a few mason jars. "You guys settle in; I'll pour the moonshine. Baby drinks for free."
Rory turns to face Hayley. "Reigning dart-throwing, tequila-shooting champ, you say?" she calls, making the brunette turn to face her. Hayley raises an eyebrow in response. "I think I wanna fight for the crown."
Hayley smirks. "It's on."
｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ
"Wow." is the only word that leaves Kai's lips as Rory tries to drunkenly throw a dart, landing nowhere near the board on the wall. Hayley is no better, the two girls going head-to-head in a drinking competition. In hindsight, they should've probably done the dart-throwing competition before they drank.
"That's my fiancée," Klaus says over the rim of his glass, sipping on his bourbon serenely. He doesn't say it in a sarcastic manner, but more so fondly. And...glad. He hadn't seen Rory let loose in a long time.
"Great catch," Kai mutters as Rory throws another dart, but it ends up sticking through the back of Hayley's hand. Both the girls erupt into loud screams of surprise, Hayley's more of excitement than pain. "You know, if the objective of this trip was to lay low, I'm thinking this is a pretty crap way."
Klaus sighs. He knows that their presence in the establishment was becoming less and less subtle as the day passes by, but he can't bring himself to tug Rory away from her source of enjoyment.
"She deserves it," Klaus ends up saying. He places his glass on the table, tapping his fingers against the old wood. "It's been a while since I've seen her like this. Anyone that comes for us, I can easily kill."
"Can I ask you something?" Kai asks. Klaus turns his gaze to him. "How did you find out about how I felt so fast? Like...you just figured it out like that." he snaps his fingers.
"Because you and I are alike," Klaus states. "We're terrified of losing the ones that we love. And Rory...Rory is one of the only people that you truly love. Whether it was as a friend, or...as more than that. Marriage is a full-time commitment. In your miniscule little brain, the thought that you would lose her probably passed through your mind."
"Okay, first of all, my brain is not miniscule. It's huge. Like, I am super smart," Kai protests. Klaus rolls his eyes in response. "And second of all, you and I are nothing alike."
"Aren't we?" Klaus sighs, looking bored of the conversation already. "The only difference between you and I is that you actually murdered your siblings."
"And I don't have an accent," Kai adds.
"Is that really the only thing you can focus on at this given moment?"
"Yes. I'm really curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"Satisfaction brought it back."
"Yes," Klaus hums. "But vampire hearts don't grow back when it's ripped out of their chests. Even when I make them eat it."
"Wooooooooooooow," Kai says, sniffing. "All your enemies are right. You are an asshole. Are you sure you don't deserve that white oak bullet in your heart?"
"Very funny," Klaus responds in a sarcastic manner.
"I know. Rory lets me know by laughing at my jokes all the time," Kai replies. Klaus' head turns sharply towards him. Immediately, Kai bursts into a round of snickers. "My god, your jealousy issues are off the charts. I'm just kidding. I thought we established I love Rory as a sister."
"You killed all your siblings. Is that supposed to reassure me?"
"I wouldn't hurt Rory," Kai immediately says. Klaus' gaze softens just the slightest bit. "I...I mean it. I wouldn't," Kai picks at the edge of his shirt. "I mean, I want to sometimes when she does something annoying—which is all the time—but I wouldn't actually do it."
Klaus simply sighs as he finishes off the rest of his bourbon. "You're part of the family now, Malachai," he says. Kai's eyebrows rise in surprise at his words. "And being part of this family comes with the urge to kill each and every person associated with us. But we also protect each other," Klaus turns to face him. "And as long as you protect Rory, I will protect you."
"I will always protect Rory," Kai states.
Klaus raises his glass. "Then we have a deal. No harm shall come upon you so long as you keep your part of the bargain."
"You're not so bad, Jordan."
"That isn't my bloody name and you know it."
｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ
It's midnight when Rory's phone begins to ring on the nightstand that sits beside the bed. She turns to face Klaus, who's already dozed off. She reaches for her mobile device, seeing Kol's name flashed across the screen. She licks her lips, grabbing an extra blanket off the chair to wrap it around herself and step out towards the balcony of the room they were in to not wake up her fiancé.
"Kol?" she inquires.
"Rory," Kol exhales. It's a sound of relief. "I'm really glad to hear your voice."
"What's going on?" Rory questions as she sits on an empty chair, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself. "Is everything okay? You sound weird."
"Finn," Kol swallows thickly. "Finn is back. And I think...I think there's something wrong with me."
Rory's heart skips a beat. Both Rory and Kol have bones to pick with the eldest Mikaelson brother. Finn hexed Rory, bringing forth some of the most brutal memories of her and her ancestor's past. He forced her hunger to the seams, tore apart the little self-control she already had. He was the cause of the nightmares she had on end, unable to sleep peacefully. He was the first to convince her that her body was never her own; her identity was never her own.
I would have the doppelganger hung for her crimes.
Finn cursed Kol to die. He fused Kol's soul to his body—just as he did for Rory—and hexed him, causing him to die a slow and painful death in the arms of the woman that he loved. Rory had to catch his body for the second time as he slipped where she couldn't follow.
"Tell me what's wrong." Rory says, placing her chin against her knees.
"It's worse than I remember. The rage...the hunger," Kol exhales shakily. "I don't know if I can control myself. Around...around people. Around her,"
"You're worried you're going to hurt Davina,"
"It's not a matter of me being worried. I just know I'm going to hurt her," Kol clutches at the tendrils of his hair. "I've been feeding off the bag, but I've been draining them so quickly. And the other night...I was...I couldn't stop thinking about the blood rushing through her veins. What it would taste like. I was so close—" Kol cuts himself off to inhale shakily. "—I almost hurt her."
"Kol..." Rory trails off. "I wish I could tell you that it gets easier. It doesn't. The hunger...the urge, it's going to be there forever. And it's ridiculous that I'm the one telling you this, because you're like, ten times my age, but...I just don't know what to say."
"I just wanted to call you because I know you know how it feels," Kol responds. "Elijah has been...telling me all these things about control and how I need to refrain myself from doing anything rash. Like I don't already know. He doesn't understand. He doesn't know how difficult it is," Kol explains. "And to see Finn..."
"It doubled your anger. You're itching to tear someone apart; you think drinking blood will make the pain go away. That the high that you feel when you feed would overshadow every bit of anger that you have." Rory states.
"...Yeah," Kol admits. "And it's getting really difficult to hold myself back."
"Well, the high won't last forever. I think you and I both know that."
"I'm well aware."
"You just need...you need to find something to latch onto," Rory twists a thread from the blanket around her finger. "Someone or something that gives you control; someone that takes that urge away."
"Who was it for you?"
"Jeremy," Rory says.
Kol chuckles. "I thought it would've been my brother."
Rory smiles. "Nik means a lot to me, but Jeremy..." she trails off. "I spent most of my years taking care of him. And every time I lost control, I would think about what would happen if I lost control around him. If I hurt him. And it's easier now that Jeremy isn't around, but back then, it was what I latched onto to keep myself grounded. Even if it was a pitiful attempt."
"I couldn't live with myself if I hurt Davina," Kol sighs shakily. "But hurting the ones we love, whether we meant to or not...that's just what we do, isn't it?"
Rory looks down at her hands. She envisions the blood that stains her palms, dripping past her fingers. Numerous people, killed by her hands for a drop of ichor. The way she itches for a high that only feeding could give her.
"It's just what we do," Rory repeats. "Sometimes we can't help it."
"I forgot to tell you before you left..." Kol trails off. "Welcome to the family, Rory."
Rory smiles gently. "Thanks, Kol."
"I'm going to go. Thank you for this talk,"
"Hey, Kol?" Rory inquires before he hangs up.
"Hm?"
"I love you," Rory says. She hears his breath stutter over the line. "I don't know...if you've heard that lately. Or if you needed it. But I care about you, and I love you. And whatever you're going through, you're not going to go through it alone as long as I'm here. And I'm sorry that I wasn't part of the plan that could've brought you back."
There's a silence that blankets the line. Rory's almost worried that Kol had hung up, but then the quiet breaks.
"I love you too, Rory," Kol responds. "Have a good night."
Kol hangs up the phone almost immediately. Rory locks her own phone, tossing it onto the table. Her fingers play with the pendant around her neck absentmindedly as she sinks further into the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
She doesn't even notice that Klaus is behind her until he places a hand on her shoulder. Rory jumps in surprise, turning to face him. He smiles, his eyes a little puffy from sleep. His hair is tussled over his forehead, and he's clad in a pair of sweatpants and a simple t-shirt. He drops into the chair beside her, slouching in his seat.
"People are lucky to have you, Rory," Klaus breaks the silence. Klaus turns to face her, reaching forward to take her hand in his. He presses her knuckles against his lips, kissing her skin softly. "Though, only I am privileged enough to call you the woman I'm going to marry."
Rory laughs quietly, resting her cheek against his hand. "I think I'm lucky to have people," she responds. "I'm lucky enough to be surrounded with people that care about me, and that love me. And someone that finds marrying me such a huge deal, because I'm a pain in the ass."
"Well, you're not wrong about that one."
"Will you ever give me a break?"
"I'm afraid you're stuck with me."
Rory sighs a little fondly. "I can't say I hate that fact."
"Come here," Klaus opens his arms. Rory gets off her chair, climbing onto his lap. He wraps his arms around her, tucking the blanket comfortably under her chin as she leans against his chest. He presses his lips against the side of her head. "I love you."
"I love you too." Rory says softly, tilting her head up to kiss the underside of his jaw.
They spend the rest of the night outside on the balcony, Rory curled up on Klaus' lap the entire time.
A/N: yeah... y'all can thank the taylor swift
playlist i was listening to for this chapter. it's
nothing but pureness and it's such a change
from my angst-thirsty self.
lots of klaus + kai bonding (kai finally got
klaus' name right, like what!!!!), hayley and
rory being bar buddies, kolry reuniting over
ripper urges. i'm just really happy with this
chapter.
i hope you guys enjoyed it too! comment and
vote for more. love ya! ♡︎