A/N Thank you all for reviewing!
"Maria, where do you think you're going?"
"Don't worry, i'm not going to run off. I have a wish to be alone, Klaus, not a death wish."Maria quietly answered, tone eerily calm, indicating just how completely burnt out she was."I'm just going back to the mansion you compelled yourself."
Heretofore resolute gait slowly turning into an amble at her response, Klaus silently watched her as she walked away from him, noticing her hand still resting over where her heart was, as if making sure it still beat. And, seeing her lazy pace as well as hearing her yawning and tired murmurs, he forced himself calm down before he decided to reply.
Maria would be no good to him in her state he thought before reminding himself that, in spite of her remarks, Maria had kept true to her word and aided him.
"I suppose Rebekah and I could continue on without you..."
Trailing off to study her after his words, Klaus unhurriedly started to step away, ready to return to the school.
"You may head back and get some rest."Klaus' eyes followed Maria, noting that her stride quickened somewhat eagerly at his permission and, once he'd noticed it, he found himself halting his movements as he added."You are aware of the repercussions if you double-cross me, yes?"
Bloody hell.
He heard her response before she voiced it. Maria's shoulders stiffened, and her hands fell by her sides at his question.
"I'm know that with one phone call you could have my brother's heart delivered to me in a nicely wrapped gift box."
"You know..."Klaus' tone lowered, eyes drifting to the ground briefly, his voice laced with something akin to shame, but it was gone as soon as she picked up on it."You know that would only happen as a consequence if you acted out."
"I wouldn't dare."Maria sharply retorted, unable to hold back her harsh words as the stress of the day finally become too much to hold in."I'm well aware you won't think twice before punishing a sibling just for the sake of it."
"Mind your tone."Klaus warned, mood swiftly changing once more, a foreboding edge to his voice that made Maria slow down."You should be showing more gratitude considering our situation. He is unharmed."
Maria suddenly came to a stop and, after studying her body language, Klaus did the same, still trailing behind her.
"Do you actually hear yourself when you talk?"Maria inquired as she advanced upon the hybrid, a lace of honest curiosity in her tone. He sent her a questioning look, trying to decipher the ulterior motive behind her question."You honestly believe you're being considerate and doing me a favor, don't you?"
"I'm doing my utmost to encourage an understanding."Klaus replied with nothing less than complete indifference in his tone, something that was obviously put in for him to keep some self-restraint."I'm trying but-"
"You took my mother away from me, and now you're threatening to take my brother, too."Maria interrupted, looking utterly bewildered. She stressed her words as much as she could and stared up at him, trying to see if he was comprehending what she was trying to put across."How else do you expect me to act?"
"He has yet to be harmed."Was all Klaus could offer in response, looking almost puzzled by her argument."My people are on strict orders and should they even consider harming him I would strike them down."
"That is not the point."
"I agree. What is the point to any to this if it only serves to upset either of us? I have done nothing but be accommodating!"His yell echoed throughout the carpark and into the night air as he slowly allowed himself to step forward."Should anyone but my flesh and blood speak to me with such insolence or disregard me as you have, I wouldn't have been so diplomatic."
"Diplomatic. That is how you see your actions?"Maria was unable to hold back the bitter laugh that spilled from her lips."You think you dealt with my mother with the deferential diplomacy you're known for?"
Lips pursing, Klaus shut his eyes for a moment to calm himself as her sharp tone struck something inside of him that he couldn't truly define. There were times, brief moments between them that he held some optimism that there were grounds for hope that perhaps, one day, she would look at him like she once had.
Without the resentment.
Then there were times like these that chipped away at that hope whenever she regarded him with the resentment he hoped would, within time, subside. But, alas, his actions had finally presented him with consequences, his deed was something he perhaps couldn't fix or make amends for.
"You don't understand,"Maria stressed the last word with such emphasis it sounded like an desperate cry, staring up at Klaus to gauge his reaction. To see if he truly comprehended what she was trying to say instead of just hearing her."To you, she was just something to get rid of. Someone who was in the way. You've spent a thousand years happily getting rid of somethings who get in your way that you've lost sight that those people mean something to someone."
"I do understand!"Klaus hurled back in exasperation, holding his hand up as if stopping himself from shouting something he would later regret. He took a few seconds to calm himself before he continued, speaking as calmly as he could."I understand your anger and devastation and that I am the reason for it. I understand that I took someone dear to you, someone irreplaceable and because of that you harbor resentment towards me."
"You're damn right I harbor resentment."Maria ground out through clenched teeth before humming to herself, fiercely shaking her head."Actually, resentment is barely even close. I-I don't think there's an actual word to describe just how much I despise you."
Purposefully turning and looking anywhere but the wolf in front of him, Klaus remained rooted in his spot, refusing to look at her face as she seethingly informed him of how much she despised him. Klaus refused—and was genuinely unable—to acknowledge Maria's presence as she ranted.
"My mom."Was all Maria could say, her wavering as a wave of emotion hit her, but she clung to the hate that kept her together. Blinking away the tears that had welled, she defensively crossed her arms over her chest and hissed."God, how can Rebekah even look at you?"
The seconds the words left her mouth, Maria knew she'd struck something sensitive, something that she knew she couldn't backtrack from. There was a change in the air as Klaus' eyes snapped to hers, lashes fluttering as his eyes glassed over in rage. His jaw tightened, and his body language stiffened as anger rushed through him. Maria swallowed and, as if time had slowed down, she felt a cold shiver run up her spine as Klaus' expression promptly changed.
His eyes clouded over, light hues darkening to a dangerous stormy blue that fixed on her and instantly made her feel like prey. Maria straightened, prepared to take a step back but before she could think it over in her mind, those stormy blues were boring into her own as a gush of wind brushed by her.
"You dare..."
Barely resisting the urge to flinch, Maria's breathing hitched as Klaus hovered over her but couldn't bring herself to look away from the storm weltering in his eyes.
"You think you have the right to judge me on my actions? That's a tad hypocritical, don't you think?"Klaus' laugh was hollow, and his words dripped with pent-up disdain and aggrievement, completely disregarding any hint of sentiment he'd previously been speaking with."I'm sure you've torn apart dozens of innocent people on a full moon, and I don't see you paying for the funeral or even handing over their limbs."
Forcing herself to remain as composed as she could, Maria retreated three steps with every two Klaus took towards her. She recognized the rancor that clouded in his eyes, it was something that happened whenever something had triggered his temper, regardless of what the cause was.
"I know what I am."Maria fired back through gritted teeth, a glimmer of shame flickering in her eyes before she caught herself and pointed to Klaus."But i'm not you, not even close."
"And how have you come to that conclusion? Setting aside my millennia of bloodshed, Maria, we aren't as different as you'd like to think."
That's what drew us to one another he silently added.
With a hysterical laugh, Maria wiped at her eyes, sighing."You think? Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"You scoff now, but you'll realize it one day, and perhaps you'll understand."
False smile instantly faltering at his serious tone, Maria wiped at her eyes once more before her hands fell by her sides.
"I know the things i've done but you will not―"Fingers curling into her palm and tightly clenching, Maria lingered to keep his gaze as she, raising her voice lightly concluded."compare me to you."
Unable to be so close to him anymore, Maria was quick to put some much needed between them only for Klaus to reduce it again.
"Please, please, regale me as to why you're so convinced that you're better than me."Klaus held out his arms with a cold laugh, the harsh sound making her wince while his fingers beckoned Maria to challenge him."Are you haunted by your kills? Are you aware of the type of person they were? Whether they had just gotten married or wandered into the woods to avoid the forces of law and order?"
Klaus' voice rose in pitch with every word he hissed at her, the rise in his tone switching from a lowly dangerous to something akin to an unnerving, almost belittling and booming shout. It made the words even more difficult to shrug off and ignore.
"It's not the same."Maria cut in, eyes focused on the ground, trying to sound stern but her tone was shaky."I want to leave now. Can I leave now?"
She didn't wait for an answer and turned away from the hybrid, her pace quicker than before and steps a great deal wider, wanting to get away from him much more than she had before.
"I'm not finished."
Scoffing, Maria parted her lips to retort but a hand clasping her wrist startled her, and an unsettled tingle rushed up her arm that was quickly followed by a pang of guilt.
"I'm not finished,"Klaus repeated firmly from behind her.
Maria had no choice but to obey when a tug spun her around on her feet, almost knocking off her balance. Another hand clasped her forearm to keep her upright, leaving Maria feeling cornered.
He loosened his grip on her wrist slightly as he demanded."I want an answer."
"And I want to leave."Maria hurled back, glowering at the hand on her wrist and attempting to free her forearm."Let go."
"Once you tell me. I need to know."
Maria's response was firm and steadfast, laced with pure rage, enough to catch him off guard.
"I'm sure you already know that you're a bastard, Klaus."
Unlike before his reply wasn't as swift and, despite all the insults she'd thrown at him, the harsh words, none had stung like this one had.
"Bastard?"Klaus repeated, voice cracking slightly as he forced out a harsh laugh, tightening his grip on Maria as her struggles continued."Tell me, are you aware of whether your victims were simply drifters or perhaps doting parents? Hmm?"
Maria stilled in his arms at his harsh words, the anger draining from her eyes and instead left something that could only be described as blank. She finally but slowly raised her head and peered up at him in disbelief.
Klaus shook his head, looking startled with himself, his mind processing the impulsive words he'd voiced, and he opened his mouth.
"It hurts when someone hits below the belt, doesn't it? Even if there is some underlying truth in it."
"Stop it. I want to leave."Maria struggled in his arms, wrenching her arm free of Klaus' grasp, attempting to break herself free and turn away."Let go!"
"What is the difference between you and them?"His voice softened, the anger he'd once been victimizing her with suddenly disappearing and being replaced with curiosity."Between...Between you and I?"
"Because I didn't love them!"Maria snapped, holding up her hands defensively, unsure whether she wanted to shove him away or hide behind them so that he couldn't see her face.
Caught off guard, Klaus is grip instantly loosened on her, the words striking something deep within him, but he didn't release her arm. He went completely quiet, mouth opening as if he wanted to come out with something but snapped swiftly shut when he couldn't find the words.
A series of emotions played out on his face, ranging from perplexity, assuagement, a swift flicker of felicity then, eventually, wonder. The latter lingered longer than the former, and it made Maria's throat close up as an intense feeling of humiliation itched at her. It was the truth, a vulnerable truth that he was well aware of but it still made her feel exposed.
But, even so, Maria was unable to stop herself from carrying on what went through her mind daily, what she needed him to know.
"I loved you. You can blame me all you want for abandoning you or however you see it, but I did."Fingers furling into fists, Maria looked down at his hand still grasping her wrist, unable to find it within herself to wrench her arm away."And say whatever you want, but it wasn't easy for me either, you know, to leave you."
"But you broke me. To you, my mother was a nobody who had the audacity to challenge you. But to my brother—to me—our mother was our world. And you—"Maria paused to take a deep breath when she heard the crack in her voice, eyes unable to focus on the man hovering over her."you took her away. It broke me."
At those bitter words, something ebbed away in his stormy blues that shook Maria to her core when she chanced a glance at him.
"My family forgave me."Klaus firmly murmured, the words reminding her of the statement he'd made in the school."Eventually."
"This isn't about forgiveness. You know full well that forgiveness is nothing. It fixes or changes nothing. It's power. Forgiveness is nothing to you with me. It's all about you. It's about you getting your way."She hissed out the words almost accusingly, enraged that he didn't or just wouldn't understand."You don't give a damn about forgiveness. You want your family to forget. You want me to forget. Until you inevitably do something else to screw it up."
As the vehement words poured out of her mouth, Maria felt Klaus' grip clinch tighter around her wrist and ground her teeth together to resist a pained whimper.
"Because when you don't get your way, Klaus, you act out."Maria rasped as an aching sensation surged up and down the arm connected to the wrist he was clasping."Then when your tantrum is over, that's when you realize that you've screwed up. And when they don't excuse your behavior and forget, when they don't let it slide, you act out again."
Shaking his head, a grim smile twisted at Klaus' mouth as he feigned amusement.
"You assume you've me figured out then?"
"I'm not that stupid, Klaus, nobody truly knows you. But I've worked out enough to know better, I think."Her tone altered from hateful derision to exasperation, something Klaus seemingly wasn't as defensive against because his grasp on her wrist loosened a little."So, tell me, do you care more that I hate you or that you took my mother away?"
Klaus instantly stiffened at the question, expression swiftly altering from eerily serene to vigilant.
"You do not want—"
"Do not tell me what I want."Maria cut in defiantly, refusing to be either ignored or mollified."You owe me."
"Please, tell me."Maria imploringly whispered, stepping into Klaus' personal space so that she could study his face."Are you sorry that I knew it was you more than you're sorry for my loss?"
"I'm repentant I caused you pain."Klaus tensely answered, regarding her with a scrutinizing gaze, silently exhorting her to believe his words because it was all he could offer."If I could take it back..."
Klaus trailed off and inclined his head, eyes leisurely flickering over her wrist with a preoccupied gaze, thumb lightly and with careful gentleness pressing down above her pulse. He allowed himself an indulgent hidden smile as her pulse pounded beneath his thumb. Noticing a lock Maria's loosen from behind her ear our of the corner of his eye, he chanced a glance upwards, an unseen glance as her own head was bowed, eyes fixed on the touch.
Feeling the stare, Maria's head snapped up, and she blinked then it was over. She blinked, turned her head and pinned the Original with a glower. He swallowed, glancing down at his grip on her and felt a sharp pang when her fingers once again furled into a fist.
He suddenly felt numb.
"That is not an answer, Klaus."
Maria hissed out his name, finally forcing herself to attempt to wrench her wrist from his grasp and with surprisingly no refusal, she freed herself.
"Do not―"He drew out each word warningly and instead of stepping forward as he had been doing, the Original took a large step away from Maria."push me."
Mirroring his gait as he had trailed after her in spite of her wishes to be left alone, Maria didn't hesitate to follow the Original.
"If there is anything i'll accept from you right now it's this."Her slow pace was on purpose, in case he lashed out but it didn't restrict Maria's tenacious determination."You owe me."
Although having no intention to respond because, truthfully, he wasn't sure if he was at peace with the answer, he found himself slowly nodding in agreement. She was right, he owed her some sort of logical explanation. But, as with a great deal of his impulsive actions, there was no rhyme or reason to them.
Instead of offering up something because he just couldn't bring himself to come up with anything, Klaus found himself at a loss.
"You knew."Klaus finally replied, but it was more so a statement of sorts.
His voice just above a whisper, so Maria had to strain to pick up on them, Klaus finally allowed himself to meet her gaze and maintain it.
"You knew what I was."
He forced himself to come to a stop then and abruptly ceased his pacing, therefore allowing Maria to catch up with him. But, unlike before, she couldn't bring herself to willingly step into his personal space.
Instead, as if he'd struck her, she recoiled from him and briskly retreated, putting a great deal of distance between them that Klaus frowned at.
"Yeah, I did."
Maria hastily uttered the words in one breath, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip when she felt a piercing pang in her chest as a familiar heavy feeling pressed down on her. She forced herself to remain composed and keep composed when she witnessed Klaus take another step, this time in her direction but stop himself when she retreated.
Instead, she forced a bleak smile and nodded in acceptance, making a move to turn from him.
"My bad."
This time Klaus couldn't bring himself to follow.
Thank you for reading!
I know, i'm the worst author. If you read my other fics that i've updated recently, you'll know that writer's block hasn't been kind to me for so long. I'm sorry that this took so long to update, i hope you can all forgive me.
Anyway, I hope you liked the new chapter and let me know if you did.