Gods and the Hunted [G D]

VII. Dying Inside

"Grayson..." 

"I love you, Gray... Don't make me leave"

"Get. Out. Klaus..."

"I love you-"

Niklaus sits up, the cut on his lip bleeding again. 

He and Jeremy searched for Tituba, but it was three in the morning... She was out doing, whatever she does. So He and Jer said their good nights and went to bed, separately.

"God... what do I do with myself?.." He asks himself.

The memories of Grayson continue to push through Klaus' mind. 

"Blondie..."

"Stop looking at me like that... You look like a lost puppy..."

"I love you too..."

"GODDAMNIT GRAY!" 

Klaus screams into his pillow.

He flips onto his back again, playing with the glass pendant that Gray made for him.

"I just wanted to help people, Grayson..." 

"The same way I helped you-" his voice cracks.

He takes the necklace off and holds it in his hands.

"I want you... I wanted to help people, but I want you more." Niklaus places it on the dresser with the obsidian mirror.

"You aren't gonna take me back though... are you?" he says, staring at the necklace.

Klaus turns to see Tituba's bright cat eyes at the door.

"We were looking for you earlier," Klaus plops down on his bed, "but you weren't here"

"I had some business to take care of, sorry dalin'. What did you need me for?" she shifts her weight against the door frame.

"My scars look like symbols... but they're too faded to be recognizable. They seem outta place too...scrambled around."

"An' you want to do what? Fix em?"

"I guess, yeah..."

Tituba turns on the light and walks over to look at Klaus' scars. She sits on the bed next to Klaus.

"Lemme see em, Nik..."

He shows Tituba the faded white marks on his arms. A look of concern falls on her face.

"These were once deep... But I do see what you was talkin' about... They are there, just in da wrong places."

Tituba touches Niklaus' arm, a vision of his father cutting a large gash into him flashes and she gasps.

"Niklaus, dalin'... that neveh should of happened to you... should neveh happen to anyone..."

"Well, it did. I've moved on, I guess."

Klaus sniffles.

"So you an' your man had a fight, huh??"

"I don't really think I can call him 'mine' anymore... but you're right..."

"I been in more fights than you can imagine..."

The cat eyed woman stood and walked to the obsidian mirror.

"Physical scars heal and fade, as you been experiencing..." She looks into the black mirror, her eyes the only visible thing, "Mental scars... you sure outta luck tryna get rid of dem..."

Tituba looks down at the necklace on the dresser, and slowly picks it up.

"I can help you see them symbols that got carved into you, but them scars in your mind... only one person can help you with."