Rescue Me

Chapter 6

Klaus lied in the darkness, his eyes fixed on the ceiling above his bed.

He hated the dark. Those moments right before you slipped into sleep, where your thoughts ran rampart. Every memory, every thought, all rushing to the surface of your mind. And him being helpless to stop them.

He shifted slightly, his arms resting behind his head as his eyes stared at nothing. A sigh escaped his lips as he let his mind wander to the events of the last few days. His visit to Mystic Falls had quickly become much more complicated than he wished.

Rebekah had been hounding him for details since he arrived. Always asking where he'd been. What had he been doing. What could possibly have been so important that he abandoned their family for so long, without even a word in between.

"It's not important, Bekah," he would stress every time her blue eyes stared up at him. She looked so much like the baby sister he'd left behind in those moments, clutching at his hand as they ran through the house from Elijah, who always found time to indulge in the youngest Mikaelson's childish games. Which was why it was so important to him to never have to break the truth to her. "I'm here now. We're a family once more. None of that matters."

He knew she'd have questions. Knew she'd voice them, every chance she got. He just didn't know how long she'd accept his deflections.

Then, of course, there was the matter of Caroline.

Klaus sighed again, shutting his eyes as images of the blonde haired beauty assaulted his mind. She infuriated him. Every word out of her mouth, every glance she sent in his direction. Every flicker of emotion across her face...it all drove him crazy.

She was a complication he didn't see coming.

He thought back on his conversation with Damon Salvatore, and his conversation with Caroline in the car soon afterwards. He hadn't missed the devastation that fell over her expression when he'd turned to face her. She'd put the pieces together quickly, noticing the drink in Damon's hand and his own quiet reflection as he'd taken her in. It wasn't that he'd seen her differently after hearing the story. He just couldn't comprehend what the Salvatore brother had said. Caroline Forbes wasn't capable of murder.

An accident. It must have been an accident of some kind. Something beyond her control, which was why it ate away at her so badly. The thought that she could have done something—anything—to prevent it.

It was an emotion he was quite familiar with.

Running a hand down his face, Klaus let out a load groan, his free fist clenching the comforter underneath him.

What the hell was wrong with him? This didn't happen to him. He didn't care. Certainly not about someone he had met a mere few days ago. He didn't feel. He certainly didn't find ways he was similar with them. He'd been living his life a certain way these last few years. Not a care in the world. Not a worry or fear. Nothing but his own interest at heart.

And one bounce of the luscious blonde curls and a blink of those cornflower blue eyes, and suddenly he was rethinking everything.

Pulling himself into a sitting position, he surveyed the dark room around him. Knowing sleep would once again be eluding him, he threw his legs over the side of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees as he sighed. "'Time heals all wounds,'" he murmured softly in the darkness. "If I ever meet the bloke who said that, I'll bloody kill him."

Sighing, he rose to his feet, the light casting shadows across his bare chest as he padded his way to the bedroom door. He silently pulled it open, his eyes adjusting the darkness in the hall, and he made his way towards the staircase, running a hand down his face. He should be used to these sleepless nights. He should be used to staying awake simply to escape the nightmares. But even if years of experience should have proved otherwise, they were slowly taking a toll. He longed for the night he could sleep peacefully. A blessed eight hours.