𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 ⎯⎯ 𝘯. 𝘮³

XXI. TIME IS NOT ON OUR SIDE

━━ ∞ ━━
𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑
[ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ᴏɴᴇ - 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦]

'you are mine and you'll go anywhere
with me - tell me can we stay right
here and never leave?'

☾ ♥ ☾ ꕥ ☾ ♥ ☾

The next morning when Thea woke up, she found herself alone in one of the many unoccupied rooms in the Compound. After saying goodbye to Kol and Davina last night, the hybrid had returned home and avoided every member of her family – or more specifically, avoided Klaus. Thea should have been delighted; their enemy was defeated and now the only thing they had to worry about was whether or not Marcel would allow them to stay in New Orleans.

But the brunette couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. It was as if she was stuck, living in her own head as she replayed the final moments she had the Hollow in her hands on a loop. Inadu had tormented her, showing her greatest fear – a fear she didn't even know she possessed, whilst she extracted Thea's blood and then allowed the hybrid to kill her without putting up much of a fight.

Thea couldn't help but to feel as though they'd played right into Inadu's hands and the spirit had a bigger plan that had yet to be brought to light. However, the brunette couldn't decipher whether her paranoia was justified or whether it was just a pass time for her to avoid the more pressing troubles that were currently clouding her mind.

Inadu had used Stefan's face – opening old wounds and creating a gaping hole of grief in the woman's heart that she had finally thought she'd moved on from. Not only that, but the Hollow had communicated old regrets Thea had regarding her relationship with Klaus. The brunette had spent so long in the beginning trying to be the peacekeeper of both sides, doing everything in her power to push Klaus away when she should have been his greatest champion.

She resented her old, stubborn self for allowing her sickening loyalty to her friends cloud her better judgement – even more so now after having to live five years without him. She resented the fact that she was weak, unable to do more to help her family five years ago and save her husband earlier. Klaus had faced five years of endless torment whilst she did nothing.

The Hollow had also created a doubt in Thea that the brunette had never had before. A doubt that perhaps Klaus wasn't her safety net like she'd always thought. She had seen him at his most ruthless, she had witnessed his darkest intentions and she'd been a part of some of his Machiavellian schemes. And through it all, she had loved him deeply.

She loved him in spite of everything he was. Others saw a monster, but she saw the man inside. And that was what scared her. Knowing that Klaus could tear through a thousand cities in the name of his family and she'd stand by his side. Thea had learnt how to be ruthless and cold, but she didn't want her children to be forced into that same way of living.