𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀
Angelica lay on her side, her head resting on Klaus's chest as the firelight flickered against the mansion's walls. His hand lazily traced patterns across her back, the kind of touch that assured her that he wasn't going anywhere.
"I never thought I'd get this." She whispered as she thought of the countless nights of torture she had endured from her father.
Klaus tilted his head slightly, looking down at her. "Get what, love?"
"This. You. Peace"
He smiled, but it was soft, almost sad. "You think this is peace?"
Klaus's heart ached at the thought of Angelica thinking such a simple thing was considered peace. He vowed to himself that he would show her true peace and that he would destroy her father for making her feel this way.
"It's the closest I've known," she said, lifting her eyes to meet his. "I know who you are, Klaus, but I also know who you are with me."
He said nothing to that, only pulling her closer and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
She closed her eyes. "When I was little, I used to dream of a little house, maybe two kids, a boy and a girl, running around... a garden I'd never tend to because I'd be too busy chasing them through the halls."
He chuckled. "That doesn't sound like your usual chaos-filled fantasy."
''Chaos can be beautiful too."
Klaus turned more fully toward her, his expression unreadable. "What if... we couldn't have children? Would you still want that life?"
During all the years he spent as a vampire, Klaus Mikaelson had never wanted to go back to being human, but at this moment, he wanted nothing more than to be able to give Angelica the future she wanted.
"I'd want a life. With you." She brushed her fingers across his cheek. "We could adopt. There are so many children out there, waiting to be seen, to be loved. I'd love them like my own."
He didn't respond right away. But then, as if he were making a vow only she would ever hear, he whispered, "Then we'll have that. One day. I promise you."
And she believed him.
She always believed him.
Until he broke every promise with the kind of betrayal that left a gaping hole in her chest and silence in her soul.
The hallway was quiet as Angelica made her way toward Alora's room, knowing the kids would be there. The echo of old promises pulsed in her chest as her heart beat faster, the closer she came to the room. She could already feel it, the storm building behind the door.
She knocked once, softly. Then stepped inside.
The room wasn't calm. It was anything but.
Alora was pacing, arms folded tightly across her chest, her blonde curls wild and her expression sharper than usual. Jace sat on the edge of the bed, fists clenched at his sides, knuckles white. A small lamp nearby flickered with unstable magic, responding to the chaos inside him.
Josie stood in the corner, her jaw tight, eyes full of worry.
Lizzie sat on the window seat, arms wrapped around her knees. She looked up when their mother entered.
