Sunlight by Light-and-Smoke

Chapter 5

"Welcome to St Petersburg." Klaus stated as they left the airport terminal in a black car that had been waiting for them. He drove, for Caroline still knew absolutely nothing of what he had planned and therefore couldn't take the reigns on anything. That was bugging her more than she let on. She let it go for now as she took in the city zooming into view before her, the block buildings and the arcing lines of the cathedral.

"Why here? Why start in Russia?" Caroline questioned, wondering at the reasons to start here.

"Why not Russia?" Klaus answered casually. "It's a city with history, a culture completely different to America." He shot a glance at her sideways before continuing. "And I may have plans to travel from here. Not by plane." He assured her as her fingers clenched. Caroline, like many travelers, had been fine throughout the flight, but had panicked upon the landing, her nails digging into Klaus' hand. She had wondered why he had not said a word about it, even after she had drawn blood. It wasn't like him to not say anything about something like that. But he hadn't brought it up, and neither would she, for she was grateful for it.

"Good. How long will we be here for?"

"Only today. Then a night in the hotel before we board...before we board whatever mode of transport is next."

"Hmm." Caroline mused, wondering what it could be. She stared out the window at the passing cobbled streets. "I always did love Anastasia. You know, the movie from 1997." She clarified. "Not all of us are ancient enough to recall the Romanovs personally."

Klaus merely exhaled through his nose in a laugh at her jab. He was beginning to see that sometimes she meant it as teasing rather than harshness.

"Did you actually know them?" She asked brightly, trying to hide her eagerness for his tales and failing.

"Yes."

"Really? How?"

"I came as a diplomat to the court. The family took a liking to me." He glanced over as Caroline scoffed. "Well, some aren't as hard to persuade as you, love."

She rolled her eyes and nodded for him to continue.

"I became quite close with the daughters. Olga was charming, as was Tatiana. Marie was quiet but artistic. And Anastasia was very cheeky. Alexei I was never close to, he was quite shy, but he did play a few pranks on Rebekah at the state dinners." Klaus chuckled slightly at the memory. "He reminded me of my younger brother in some ways..."

"Of Kol?" Caroline asked, though she was perceptive enough to see that it wasn't Kol he thought of.

Klaus shook his head, becoming his composed, present self again, far from his memories.

"Then whom?"

"Perhaps another time, little one."

"What about the family's imprisonment?" She asked softly to change track, knowing very little about the Romanov's aside from the tragedy surrounding their death.

"They were royalty. It was a shame. But such is life."

She shook her head at his harsh words. "I don't believe that you didn't feel anything for their death."

"Well, I didn't. It was a loss, but not something felt. I rarely have feelings, Caroline." He said shortly, silencing her for the rest of the drive.

Caroline understood then that he was at a loss for why he felt anything for her, if he indeed did 'fancy' her. He rarely felt things as it was. She set it as her mission for him to feel again before the trip was through, even if it didn't stop him being ruthless. It was better to feel than to become nothing but a deadly walking corpse.