Youth ☽ ☾ Klena

17.

A/N I apologise for these chapters, they are very rushed but I will be editing soon!

Two days later and Klaus had come to his senses. Not in the traditional sense but rather the very 'Klaus' sense. He had gone back to hit brutal, blunt ways- with a hint of charm on the side. Elena had not returned to normal. She was raging the whole day and it had gotten to the point where Elijah had put her under house arrest, she couldn't even go to school. The situation only made Elena more furious; Klaus could hear the pounding on his office door but it took two days of constant tapping before he finally swung the door open and Elena flew in, almost falling to the ground.

'What?' He spat, looking down at the crouched Elena.

'You said you would tell me more about the ritual. I'm here to hear it.' She eyes Klaus dubiously, it was unlikely that he would fulfil her request but when he sat on his large armchair and motioned for Elena to sit too, she knew her luck was high. She wasn't excited but she was overtly eager to hear the story.

'I was born out of wedlock.' He began and Elena gasped, piecing some pieces of the puzzle in immediately. 'That means that I am only the half-brother of Elijah and Rebekah and the rest of my siblings.' Elena raised an eyebrow but Klaus did not elaborate on these other siblings; he had enough on his plate already. 'My father, the one different to theirs, was, in fact, a werewolf.' More information piecing together. 'My step-father despised me for it. He beat me, threatened me. He did all the things a father was not meant to do to a young boy but in those times, no one had the care to stop it. When it came to the time when my parents decided to turn us into vampires, my father almost declined me the ritual. The spell was for safety, even my mother was unsure what it would do to us. She certainly didn't except vampiredom. My mother, though, fought against my father and the ritual was finished. And then, I became the hybrid.' Elena nodded understandingly.

'But you are no different to other vampires, are you?' Elena asked curiously, looking Klaus up and down for any signs of wolf nature, finding none in his perfect skin and tall poise.

'I was, not anymore. The ritual now is to reverse a ritual done back then. One that my father forced my mother to do. It locked away my werewolf side.' Elena's eyes widened again. Suddenly, all the symbols made sense and the story flowed as smoothly as a river.

'What's my part in this?' Elena asked abruptly. Even she was unaware she had said it until moments later. Klaus smiled sadly.

'You are to die.' Klaus' face fully then and it was clear he was pained for this to happen. 'But, I'm selfish, you know that, Elena. I feel dead without my werewolf. I am a wolf and even centuries after it was denied from me, I still wish to be one with the wolf again.' Elena could see the desperation roll off him. They cared for each other and neither wanted to go through with this yet one got gain, the other got loss and only the one with gain got to decide whether it went through or not. And, of course, in that situation, it was going to happen no matter what.

'I have a way that could bring you back after the ritual.' He sighed- excuses.

'Could?' She peered up at him through saddened eyes. In that moment, she realised she wanted to do it for this man. She knew she had been used but she also knew Klaus didn't pretend to love her. Klaus was cold, even to his siblings so any warmth to her was not trickery, it was a true display of affection.

'It's never been used.' Klaus swallowed thickly and Elena nodded timidly.

'I want to do it.' She murmured. Klaus wasn't listening anymore. 'I want to do it.' She repeated, louder this time. His head shot up. He knew the ritual would always go through but he had expected that he would have to force her into it- not that he wanted to.

'You'll what?' His eyes were fearful. He had been selfish his entire life and suddenly the girl he had brought up to be like him, had done one of the most selfless things he had ever seen. She was willing to sacrifice herself for him. For him.

'I'm going to do the ritual but I want you to tell me exactly what it entails.' He nodded and went on to explain it. He told her of each sacrifice as did he tell her of the moonstone he had been looking for. Suddenly, Elena felt enraged that Stefan had stolen it from Klaus' grasp. Elena, despite being so enraged, cared about Klaus and although she hated the thought of sacrificing these people, including herself, she would do it for him.

Klaus could see her loyalty for him as wanted to run. He had never seen someone so dedicated. Even Elijah, when things had gotten so far, had run away.

'Why?' Klaus whispered, looking to the floor for answers.

'Because I care about you.' That was the first time she had admitted it out loud not as a child. This was the first time she truly meant it. This is when she realised just how true it was and Klaus did too.

'I don't understand. I don't understand how you can care for a monster.' The glass of whisky in his hand was crushed and scattered to the floor like a thousand stars.

'I can't either but that doesn't change anything.' She murmured, neither had the confidence to be any clearer.

'I know.' The conversation finished and Elena left the room without another word, leaving Klaus to his own thoughts. Both felt as if they were in the wrong but neither could see the future either- a future in which they could both be happy.

word count: 1014

published: 13.03.17