Forgotten Dreams - Klaus Mikaelson

eight

Kara couldn't shake the haunting memory of Elijah from her mind. She moved through her house in a haze, trying to convince herself that the ache she felt was misplaced. Why should she feel sorrow for a man she'd never met, especially one who had kidnapped her friend and had no qualms about hurting anyone in his path? It was illogical, and yet... it was there—a quiet sadness that settled heavily in her chest.

Kara tried to reason it away. Maybe it was just the intensity of the fight or the strange familiarity she'd sensed from the moment she saw him. But this sadness felt different, more personal, as if there were memories buried somewhere deep inside her that she couldn't quite reach. She felt a pang of empathy for Elijah, though she had no idea why.

As Kara arrived at the Salvatore house, all the bottled-up emotions from the night before surged to the surface. She'd spent hours wrestling with the strange, nagging sadness over Elijah's death, the gnawing sense that there was more she didn't understand. But seeing Rose there—comfortably nestled in the living room, the cause of so much chaos—sent her over the edge.

Kara lunged at Rose, catching her off guard. In an instant, she had Rose pinned against the wall, her fingers digging into Rose's shoulders as she held her in place.

"You think you can just waltz in here, bring danger to our doorstep, and walk away unscathed?" Kara hissed, her voice low and venomous. Rose struggled, but Kara's grip was unyielding, her anger amplifying her strength. "Elena could have died because of you!"

"Kara, stop!" Stefan shouted, stepping forward. He reached for Kara, trying to pull her back, but she was locked onto Rose with a fierce determination.

"I didn't want this!" Rose gasped, her voice strained under Kara's hold. "I was trying to save myself! I have been hunted for 500 years."

Kara's eyes narrowed, anger flashing as her grip tightened. "And you thought you could use Elena as your bargaining chip? Pathetic." 

Damon stepped forward, a hand on Kara's shoulder. "Kara, enough," he said, his voice softer but firm. "Let her go."

After a tense moment, Kara released Rose, her body still rigid with lingering anger. She took a step back, her gaze locked on Rose as she composed herself. 

Rose coughed, gasping for air. She looked up at Kara with fear in her eyes. "How are you stronger than me? I am over 500 years old?"

Kara smirked. "Meaning you are just 500 years behind." 

Rose's eyes widened. "Are you an original?"

Kara crossed her arms, her gaze steely as she looked between Rose and the brothers. "Oh please, I am not a bedtime story to make fledgling vampires behave. "

Rose met her gaze, undeterred. "Think what you want, but the originals are real. And they don't care about scare tactics, Kara. They'll tear through anyone to get what they want."

Elena arrived and her face paled as she saw Rose. "You..."

Stefan stood up to greet his girlfriend. "Elena, Rose is here to talk."

Elena warily approached the vampires and sat uncomfortably on the couch, ready to hear what Rose had to say.

Rose began to roam the living room. "Okay, you have to understand I only know what I've picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not true. It's the problem with all this vampire crap but Klaus, I know he's real."

Kara froze at the mention of Klaus, the name hitting her like a physical blow. Her hand instinctively moved to her chest, fingers pressing against her heart as if to soothe the ache that suddenly flared within. A rush of long-buried memories teased the edge of her mind, fragmented and unclear, leaving her feeling raw and unsettled.