𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐄, ERIK LEHNSHERR

𝑻𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑻𝒀-𝑻𝑾𝑶

          It was a painful walk up the stairs once they had parked outside of the mansion, Kara's grunts filling the air around them as she held onto both Klaus and Erik. Her eyes gazed up at the dark sky before she looked forward, catching sight of a familiar boy rushing out of the door.

Her lips tilted up into a rare smile at seeing him after two months, a small breath leaving her lips as she watched his eyes become glassy. "Ms. Kara?"

He fled down the stairs and engulfed her in his arms, having not realized she was severely injured with the way the shock was still overcoming him. Her eyes teared up from both the pain of his grip and from seeing him after so long.

"Careful, Kit, she's hurt," Klaus warned softly, watching Kara shake her head.

"It's alright, Klaus." She breathed out, wrapping one arm around Kit as he cried into her shoulder, the other kids exiting the mansion and setting their stare on the group of adults who had not told them they left hours ago.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Kara. I shouldn't have left you, it's all my fault." He muttered into her neck, his chest moving with the sobs that racked in his throat.

She backed herself away and held the side of his face with her free hand, a small smile overtaking her lips as she shook her head. "Do not blame yourself, Kit. None of this was your fault, neither was it anyone else's. I'm okay, now." She stated, wiping a stray tear from his cheek as he adamantly stared at her.

"Let's get you inside, alright?" Erik hummed from her side, helping her up the stairs with Klaus on her other side.

She exchanged glances with the other kids and smiled thankfully toward them, knowing they did all they could to help find her.

Everyone but Charles, Jamie, Klaus, Erik, and Kit, stayed downstairs as the others helped her up the stairs and to her room. "Charles, please make sure Jamie gets the warm welcome she deserves, she's been through a lot. I'll come and talk to you later on, alright? There's things we need to discuss, privately." She watched him nod before she bid goodbye to Jamie and the two walked out of her room.

She turned towards Kit and smiled again, "Thank you for all you did, Kit. Come in here later on so that we can talk, too, okay?"

She caught him examining her body with his eyes, having noticed the wounds across her skin after the initial shock dissipated. His eyes were teary again but he obeyed and nodded, sending her a tight-lipped smile before exiting the room.

With only Erik helping her stand now, she stared at Klaus with an unreadable look across her face. She knew he wanted to apologize profusely but she needed time before she could get to that, knowing her body needed to rest from the endless torture she suffered through.

Before she could say anything, he hugged her and sighed into her shoulder. "There's a lot we need to talk about, too. I'll leave you be, though, and come back later. Is that okay?" He questioned once he backed away, the bags under his eyes telling Kara all she needed to know.

"Go get some rest, Klaus. I know you need it." At her words, his lips parted but he didn't say anything further, listening to her as he left, not bothered to sleep until he knew she was okay.

Turning to gaze at Erik, she narrowed her eyes at the look he sent her. She scoffed and shook her head, an amusing chuckle rumbling her chest. "No."

His eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head, poking his tongue into his cheek as he helped her into her bathroom. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Yes, I do. I can handle myself, Lehnsherr, I don't need any help." She shook her head stubbornly, her eyes avoiding his now that she stared at herself in the mirror.