Enigmatic Finales: A Klaus Mikaelson Story {8}

Chapter 34: Waiting

A/N: Two months in a row? Merry Christmas!

"You should be with Elliott."

I didn't turn around to look at Klaus. Over a thousand years in, I knew him just by the sound of his breath. After the whole ordeal with Anastasia, I'd turned to the balcony in our formerly shared room, one of my favourite places in the compound. Countless times I had stood on this balcony and looked down at the hustle and bustle of Bourbon Street. There was an ironic calm that came from knowing no matter what troubled our household on any given day, the world kept spinning. Though this time our troubles meant the Earth might just come to a standstill.

He shrugged, "Hayley's got it."

"You should be with your son."

"As I said, Hayley's got it," he said as he came to stand beside me. "I'm more worried about you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"I'm fine, Klaus. I'm the most—"

"The most powerful being in the world, yes I know," he interrupted. "Just because you are still standing, does not mean you're okay."

I scoffed, "Seriously Klaus?"

"I know you Fiore, as inconvenient as that is for you, I know you. And I know when you are struggling, this is where you'll be."

I chanced a glance at him, finding his blue doe eyed stare preying on me, desperate for me to give into him. I shook my head and turned away.

"You know me, do you? Even though less than a week ago you couldn't even tell me apart."

I hoped that would be enough to get him to leave me to my ruminating, but instead he laughed. A laugh I knew came from discomfort rather than humour.

"Oh?" I said, brows raised.

"I knew."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did," he continued, but I wouldn't dare to believe him. "You know when I'm lying so you tell me Blossom, do I look like I'm lying?"

I peered into his eyes, holding his stare to cause any façade to crumble. But there was no façade. He was inexplicably telling the truth.

"But why didn't you—you could've—how?"

He turned sombre now, unable to lock eyes with me any longer, "...Mr Johnston."

My blood ran ice cold at the mention of a man I hoped to never hear of again. "What does he have to do with it?"

"The other Fiore she...she told me about the day he died," he said. "Her tale was well spun, almost flawless really, but with one key difference."

Mr Johnston's plantation was the biggest in all of New Orleans, no doubt because of how cruel he was. Yet as awful as Mr Johnston was, he was a success. I was getting tired of how he was changing this city for the worse and Nik suggested we sit down with him and tried to find a solution. I knew it was a bad idea, I even said as much, but Nik was adamant that we would at least try.

And so I found myself seated at the table of the most despicable man in Louisiana.

"So the rumours are true," Mr Johnston said as he watched me with a steely gaze. "The Big Bad Wolf went and married a slave."

My body tightened, each breath fighting for escape. Nik quickly put his hand on my leg, surely hoping to reassure me.

"Actually Mr Johnston, Fiore is not enslaved, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to her as if she is," my husband corrected.