Through the Darkness

Chapter 14: Aftermath

He had lost all track of time since it happened. Every moment with her flooded his mind and the devastation of losing her caused him great suffering. She said she loved him. The intelligent and lovely Camille was in love with him. He who had caused countless deaths and immense suffering to so many had earned the love of the one woman who could look past his flaws and see the real Klaus that he hid from the rest of the world. He would find her, no matter what it would take. The sound of Hope's cries brought Klaus out of his trance as he stood in the open door where his beloved Camille had been however many moments before. The anger began to build and all he could think of was getting her back and punishing the one who took her from him. He felt like a cannon that was about ready to explode. The deadly calm that he forced upon himself took over as he turned towards Freya, who carefully approached with his daughter. She stopped a good distance away, surveying the damage as well as her brother's questionable demeanor. Klaus casually went over to Hope and gently kissed the top of her head, which instantly calmed her down and she stopped crying. He looked at his sister, speaking to her in a quiet but deadly voice, "Continue tracking him, if you can. I want that deviant found before he hurts her. I also want you to do everything in your power to remove our Aunt Dahlia's curse on Hayley. She is needed here to protect Hope once I am away. I told Camille..." his voice began to crack, then he quickly resumed his dangerous tone, "I agreed to bring Hayley home and I have every intention of keeping that agreement. Will you do this for me?"

Freya nodded. "I will try a locator spell on Cami. He may be covering his tracks now that he has her with him. I will need something of hers to use for the spell. I can go into her room..."

"No. I will go."

A true sadness was evident in Freya's eyes as she spoke to him. "I'm sorry this happened, Niklaus. I know how much you care for her. I enjoyed having her around as well."

"Apologies and thoughtful sentiments will not bring Cami back to us, Freya. I do not blame you for any of this, if that is what you might be thinking. Thank you for your assistance." He placed his hand on her shoulder for a moment, apparently startling her with his unusual show of kindness.

Klaus looked over at Elijah, who was watching his brother with careful observation. "Please do what you do best, Elijah. Arrange for this mess to be cleaned up and our house restored to its proper glory. We do have a small child to consider."

Elijah stared at Klaus with a look of disbelief. "Forgive me, but I am unaccustomed to seeing you in this state of uneasy calm. I expected to be cleaning up after you as well as the heretic."

"When I find her, the punishment for those involved with be swift and severe. Every ounce of self-control I am exhibiting is for the sake of my child and out of respect for Cami. Perhaps your hopes of redemption for me are finally seeing the light. How does that make you feel, Brother?"

"Fearful, Niklaus. I fear for you and for those that you will seek your vengeance upon. But, please know this: I wish you good luck in finding her. She is part of this family now and I do wish to see her unharmed and back here among us."

"I never thought I would say this to you Elijah, but I think it appropriate considering what has just transpired here. I will not apologize for what I did to Hayley and Gia. I do, however, regret how my actions caused you to feel a similar loss to what I am feeling now. That being said, I will leave you to do what is necessary."

As he walked away, he could feel Elijah merely staring at him. He knew that Cami would have wanted him to make peace with his family, not only because it was the right thing to do but he needed them on his side, protecting his daughter so he could focus all of his efforts on finding her. The burning rage inside of him continued to fester, gaining strength and feeding his resolve to find those responsible for her disappearance and bleed them dry. His phone rang and he stepped outside to take the call. "Gianna, I could use some assistance from you right now."