Always Yours.

Klaus, for a long time, wondered if perhaps New Orleans was the city where he’d lose everything and everybody that he’d ever cherished. He’d lost Charlotte when he left New Orleans, had no idea whether she was alive or not. And, now that he was back in New Orleans, his daughter was constantly in danger and his family was struggling to survive each day. For immortals who clung to life and believed they were unkillable, New Orleans was proving to be a city of endless possibilities - not all of them good. But, it was the city he’d built and loved, the city where he’d found himself wanting to be better for those he cared about. Now, though, he found himself wondering whether New Orleans would ever stop surprising him. After all, he’d returned to find that he would have a daughter and that Marcel was alive. And, now, he had that daughter and Marcel was going against him at every turn.

---

Clara wandered the streets of New Orleans, her eyes scanning around as she walked. She didn’t get many opportunities to just explore New Orleans - there were so many festivals and celebrations that the streets were usually too crowded to wander or it was too easy to get caught up in all the excitement. As a kid, she’d never been able to do much wandering, either. But, now, she had freedom and she could enjoy her life in the city she’d grown up in. As she walked, though, she noticed somebody watching her. She stared at the guy for a few moments, her brows furrowing, but she tried to brush off the uneasy feeling that coiled up within her. Shifting, she moved into one of the crowds, hoping to lose the attention. When she glanced back, the guy was gone, and she breathed a sigh of relief, but she felt somebody grab her arm and tug her into an alley. She was about to scream, but her eyes locked onto the man’s as he compelled her to stay quiet before he bit her.

@ momentai.
Charlotte, Charlie to most people now, wandered back down the streets of New Orleans. It had been a long time coming. Marcel had let her go to New York to handle some business she had up there. She didn't think she would be gone for this long, but she was finally back and ready to take her place back next to Marcel. Charlie walked into the compound, looking for Marcel. Something was different, though. The compound seemed off, "Marcel?" She called out as she looked around toward the balcony, "Marcel, are you here?" She asked, receiving no reply. She was confused. Maybe he was off dealing with something. There was some kind of familiar feeling about this strange feeling she was getting from the area. She couldn't place her finger on it, but she figured it was probably just from being away for so long.

----

Kol was minding his own business, a new occurrence, as he walked down the streets of the French Quarter. He very much liked to hear the rambling of the people that he passed. He was different now and didn't find it annoying anymore whenever he would hear the conversations of people going on around him. He looked over toward the alleyway and saw two people there. There was something off about the man. The girl, however, seemed to just be standing there frozen and motionless. It was an awful lot like when he used to compel his victims to stay quiet before he would bite them. Come to think of it, that's exactly what it looked like. Kol narrowed his eyes as he sped over to the man and ripped him off of the girl. He had no idea where this was coming from, or why he even cared, but he just felt the need to help this girl. He watched as the vampire tried to charge him, but Kol grabbed him by his collar and pushed him against the opposite wall, "Don't pick a fight with a Mikaelson, mate." He said before he looked the guy in the eyes, compelling him, "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave this city and never come back." He let go of the guy's shirt and watched as he ran off. Kol went over to the girl frowning, "Are you alright, love?" He asked her curiously.

Klaus had wandered into Hope’s room and watched Hope as she slept, smiling fondly at the sight of his daughter, scanning over her features to make sure that she was sleeping well. This was a distraction he needed right now; he just needed to know that his daughter was okay. But, then, he heard a voice that he so easily recognized. His brows furrowed together. How was that possible? Marcel would have told him if she was still around - and, moreover, she hadn’t been in New Orleans. Watching his daughter for a long moment, he eventually stepped away from her crib and headed out of the room, towards the balcony that overlooked the compound, only to pause at the sight of Charlotte. “Charlotte?” he called out with shock, taking her in. She was still alive? Still in New Orleans? But, then, where had she been since his arrival? Why hadn’t Marcel mentioned her? He felt that twinge of betrayal, a feeling he was beginning to attach to Marcel easily, and he made his way downstairs. “Why are you looking for Marcel?”

---

Clara struggled to understand what had happened and she stared at the man before her with shock, trying to process everything. She wasn’t sure whether she should be afraid or grateful, and she found herself tense despite that the man had… Well, saved her. “I’m… I’m okay,” she confirmed with a small nod, trying to avoid panicking. Whatever danger she’d just been in was over, it seemed, since the guy seemed more concerned about making sure she was okay than picking up wherever the other guy had left off - whatever he had been doing, that is. “What just… What just happened?” She was still struggling to comprehend it all, and she could feel the panic weighing on her as she leaned into the wall and tried to calm herself down. But, then she felt the pain in her neck and she lifted her hand to it, finding blood there and she felt her panic rising. “He - He bit me.” Why had he bitten her? Why hadn’t she fought him off? Why hadn’t she been able to scream. “Oh, my God, what the hell just happened?”

@ momentai.
Charlie spun around when she heard her full name. She knew that voice better than anything. Her eyes went wide at the sight of him, standing at the balcony, "Klaus?" She asked, desperation literally dripping off her voice. When he asked why she was looking for Marcel, she wasn't sure on how to respond, "Well the last time I saw him, he lived here." She replied, half avoiding his question. She wasn't sure on how she had to respond. She was Marcel's right hand and she was back in the Quarter to reclaim her position, but would he want to know that? Charlie couldn't even comprehend the fact that he was in New Orleans again, in front of her. It had been so long. Almost a century since she last had seen him. She slowly started to walk up to where he was on the balcony, "I never thought I would see you again, Klaus."

---

Kol gave her a moment to realize what just happened, "I don't know how to explain it to you gently so I'm just going to be honest. That man that bit you was vampire. Yes they're real. I am one as well, but I don't want to hurt you. He compelled you so you wouldn't move or scream. It's an easy way to keep you from struggling against him." Kol explained with a small frown on his face. A one time it was something that he used to do himself, but he's since changed and doesn't do things that way anymore, "I can compel you to forget if you'd like, but we should probably take care of your neck first, love." He said before he lifted his arm to his mouth and bit down, holding his arm out to her, "My blood will heal you." He stated.

A deep frown formed on Klaus’s lips when she mentioned Marcel living there. Of course he knew that, but that didn’t explain why she was looking for Marcel. Why did Marcel matter to her? “When did you last see him?” he asked, figuring that was a better question. Had she seen him since the fire and since Mikael had ran him and his siblings out of the city? Why had she stuck by Marcel’s side, if that was the case? Had she known that Marcel and Rebekah had called Mikael there in the first place? “Marcel no longer resides here. After it was revealed that he was the reason Mikael came here, he was banished across the river. He’s been there ever since.” He watched her for a few moments. “But he said nothing about you being alive.”

---

Clara closed her eyes tightly, struggling to wrap her head around all of it. “How… How are vampires an actual thing?” she asked with confusion, trying to breathe through her shock and panic, though she blinked her eyes open at the offer to get rid of her memories. “Would that be… Okay? Would it be better?” Could she really forget about this? Was it even a good idea to forget about it all? She wasn’t really sure. Maybe it was better she knew that vampires apparently existed. But, knowing that frightened her. Staring at his arm, she watched the blood for a moment before she nodded, but she hesitated before lifting his arm to her mouth, cringing with the taste.

@ momentai.
Charlie shrugged, "I had some business to take care of up in New York, and I was gone longer than I thought I was going to be. Ended up spending three years there. Finally have everything straightened out and I'm ready to return home." She explained. There was a pinch of anger that poked up to the surface as she looked at him. He just left all those years ago. He left without her. When he explained where Marcel was and that Marcel had never spoken that she was alive, she frowned, "I'm alive because of him. When Mikael came, I was so scared, Klaus." She started as she stepped closer to him, "I was here and Marcel vanished. I was alone. Alone and terrified. I had no idea what was happening. All I knew was I needed to find you, Rebeckah, Elijah, and Marcel, but when I found you, you were fleeing the city. With your siblings. I never thought I would feel like an outcast in your family, but that day I had. I asked you, begged you to take me with you." She could feel the tears threatening to spill over her lids at any second. Charlie took a breath and stood up straighter, "I didn't want to feel that helpless ever again, so when I finally got Marcel back to full strength, I asked him to turn me. He did. He and I worked together at rebuilding this city." She stated with a touch of force behind her words.

---

Kol frowned at her words and nodded, "I'm afraid so, love. I am on. That man you just encountered is one." He explained. When she asked if it would better for him to compel her, he gave her a small smile, "It's your decision. You have to be the one to figure out if you can handle this or not." He stated. Kol wasn't sure why he was helping this girl like this, he just felt a strange pull towards her that he couldn't ignore. Once she took his wrist to her mouth, he nodded, laughing when she visibly cringed at the taste, "You get used to it." He joked. He looked to her neck to see the wound healing and pulled his wrist away, "You'll be sore for a couple days, but the bite is gone." Kol said before he looked her over, "What's your name, if you don't mind me asking, love." He questioned her.

Klaus could feel his jaw clench as he processed everything she said. “Marcel is the reason we had to run in the first place!” he told her, “He and Rebekah called Mikael here. So, this entire time, you’ve been working with the man who ruined everything my family built here, everything that we’ve ever cared about.” He moved closer, watching her with a deep frown. “And we couldn’t take you with us because Mikael was content to destroy everything that mattered to us, including you.” And, he couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t voice those words, though, because he’d never admitted them back then and admitting them now wouldn’t be the best time.

---

Clara made a face with the thought of getting used to it. Personally, she found herself hoping that she wouldn’t have to get used to it, because she hoped that something like this wouldn’t happen again. And, really, after hearing that, she wasn’t entirely sure that she could handle this information, either. She wasn’t sure she could handle it even without that information, though. It was still difficult to wrap her head around in general. “Clara Fontaine,” she murmured eventually, lifting her gaze to watch him for a few moments. "And yours?" She arched a brow in curiosity, pausing for a few moments. “I think… I would prefer to forget it,” she said quietly, chewing on her lip as she dropped her gaze. “It’s just… Too much to take in and the knowledge that the things that go bump in the night are apparently real is just… Overwhelming.”

@ momentai.
Charlie could see Klaus getting upset, but she was upset herself. She was upset that Klaus had fled without her. She was upset that he hadn't taken her with him. She was upset that it had taken her this long to see him again because he didn't even know that she was alive. But most of all, she was angry. Angry at herself that she was allowing herself to feel this pain again. Angry at Klaus because of how he was speaking about Marcel. And she was angry that even now, after all these years, Klaus still couldn't admit how he felt about her, "Niklaus! Can't you see? Mikael did destroyed me!" She exclaimed at him, "The moment that he set foot in this town, I was a goner. You and your siblings leaving broke me, Niklaus. Hell, I made Marcel turn me so I wouldn't have to feel helpless. Mikael destroyed me the second he set foot in this city and he never even had to touch me."

---

Kol laughed lightly at the second face she made before he smiled at her name, "Nice to meet you, Clara Fontaine, I'm Kol Mikaelson." He introduced with a grin. When she decided that she would rather forget, he nodded in understanding, "Well, love, I can definitely help you forget." He replied before he stood directly in front of her, looking her in the eyes, "You're going to forget everything that happened here. The pain in your neck is because you slept wrong last night. Things that go bump in the night are just for stories and childhood nightmares. You don't have to worry about them ever coming after you. You're going go back to the way things were before today, and it's going to be great." Kol said before he stopped compelling her and watched as she reacted to coming out of the compulsion, "You lost, love?" He questioned her, as if he hadn't met her before.

Klaus’s jaw clenched as he watched her. “Marcel destroyed you and all of us!” he corrected her, “Marcel brought Mikael here. Mikael would have never come to New Orleans if Marcel hadn’t brought him. Everything would have been just fine if Marcel hadn’t betrayed my family’s trust in him.” And, even lately, all Marcel had done was betray them, go against them, try to make them leave New Orleans. He’d stolen Klaus’s city and somehow convinced himself that he was a King, when Marcel was little more than a coward, always having others do his dirty work and sending his friends off to slaughter.

---

Clara blinked several times, coming back to herself as she glanced around with confusion, her gaze soon falling onto the man who had spoken. “Oh, um… I don’t really know,” she said eventually, glancing towards the exit of the alley. “I don’t really think so, but… I don’t know how I got to this area.” She’d never bothered going into alleys after all, so she couldn’t really understand how she’d ended up in one now. Shaking her head slightly, she tried to push the concern away and looked back towards the guy. “Sorry, I, uh… I hope I didn’t bother you in some way.” Not that she could really think of any way she could have, but still.

@ momentai.
Charlie scoffed at his words before sighing, "Klaus, Marcel saved me. Whether or not you choose to believe that is your choice, but I was ready to give up after you left. Marcel found me and talked me down. I was alone, my family all dead, my second family fled. Marcel was the only one I had left, Klaus. I asked him to turn me so I wouldn't be helpless ever again. I asked him to turn me because I didn't want to leave him without family." She stated, "Now where can I find him?" She questioned as she stepped closer to him. Charlie had never been afraid to challenge Klaus. She and Marcel were the only two non-family that weren't.

---

Kol grinned slightly at her words before he shook his head, "Not a bother at all, Love." He replied. He looked around before he smiled down at her, "It's kinda late. Do you need someone to walk you home? I just don't want you wandering again." He said softly. He didn't want to have to deal with a vampire trying to attack this girl again. He felt something different about her, and he wanted to try and figure it out the best that he could, "It's not hassle to me, Love. I've got a free night. I just want to see you home safe."

Klaus stared at her for a while, his jaw still clenched, his anger still flared. Why did she care so much about Marcel? Who cared what he had done for her? After everything that Marcel had done to him and his family, he couldn’t just accept that Marcel was the person she wanted to see the most. Scowling, he moved away, grabbing a strip of paper as he wrote down the address and handed it to her. “You can find him here,” he said simply, “And you can tell him that he best hope I don’t see him any time soon.” Because, this was unacceptable and he wouldn’t forgive it so quickly.

---

Clara paused as she thought over his offer, debating the options for a moment. A part of her was sure that she didn’t have anything to worry about - things that go bump in the night were just for stories and childhood nightmares; she didn’t have to worry about them coming after her. But, another part of her didn’t really mind the company. She didn’t get to really spend time with people much outside of family. As big and wonderful as New Orleans was, people tended to be too busy to bother. “Um, sure, if you’re sure you don’t mind,” she decided eventually as she watched him for a moment. She offered a small smile before she began leading the way.

@ momentai.
Charlie could tell that Klaus was angry, it was the last way she wanted to be reunited with him again, but she was angry with him. He couldn't understand that Marcel saved her. He made it so the two could be reunited once more. She took the piece of paper from him before she placed a hand on his cheek, "Niklaus, please don't be angry. You know I hate seeing you angry." She stated before she gave him a small smile, "I'll pass along your message to Marcel, even though I don't want to. I will see you soon." She said before she turned and walked out of the compound, heading to find Marcel. She was bitter at Marcel for not telling her that Klaus was back in New Orleans, but she knew he would say he was only protecting her. Charlie had always had a soft spot for Klaus, and Marcel knew this better than anyone.

---

Kol gave her a warm smile, "I would be delighted, Love." He said before he followed her. Kol stuck out his hand as they walked, "I'm Kol, by the way. This way we aren't total strangers." He joked as he looked down at her. He wasn't sure what it was about her just yet, but she had a certain appeal and softness to her that he could very much need in his life at the moment. He needed someone to humanize him every once and a while, and he believed that Clara could be the one to do that if he could make friends with her.

Klaus watched her for a while, taking her in as she left. He couldn’t stop being angry, though, with the fact that Marcel had turned her, had kept this from him. Another thing that Marcel had kept secret. Another thing to add to the list of Marcel’s betrayals. His jaw clenched slightly once she was fully out of sight and he quickly went back upstairs, first to check on Hope, but then to paint in hopes of getting his mind off of everything or plotting. Plotting came easiest, but he wasn’t sure what he could plot for right now, not when he was still overwhelmed by the knowledge that she was alive.

---

Clara perked up slightly as she stared at him, relieved to hear his agreement and she nodded as she walked. When she heard him introduce himself, though, she offered a small smile and placed her hand in his to shake it. “Clara,” she introduced gently, “It’s nice to meet you, Kol.” She nodded once, watching him for a moment before she turned her attention ahead as they walked. “Are you new to New Orleans? Or no? Not that it would be surprising either way… This city attracts a lot of attention and it’s constantly growing.” She liked that about New Orleans - well, that and the celebrations.

@ momentai.
Charlie soon arrived at Marcel's new place. She knocked lightly before walking in, "Marcel? You here?" She called out. She watched as her friend emerged from the top of the staircase, "Marcel!" She exclaimed as she ran over and hugged him tightly. When she pulled away she gave him a forceful slap to his chest, "What was that for?" He questioned, "I just was at the compound! How dare you not tell me he was back!" She yelled at him and huffed before walking away and down the stairs, "Charlie, I know what he does to you. I knew that you still had business up in New York. I didn't want to distract you." Marcel explained. Charlie sighed and shook her head at him, "He's not happy with you." "When is he ever?"

---

Kol smiled, "Nice to meet you too, Clara." He replied before he continued walking with her. When she spoke again, he shook his head, "I am not new. My family and I have traveled to New Orleans a lot. We've been back and forth between here and other places, but it seems like we've finally settled here." He explained before looking over toward her, "And you? Are you a New Orleans native?" He asked curiously. Kol wanted to get to know her better, and this was the perfect chance seeing as they were essentially strangers to each other.

Klaus still found himself reeling from everything that had happened and it was difficult to concentrate, even on the simple task of painting. When he did start painting, his mind kept wandering and he’d have to pause to ensure that he didn’t ruin the painting in some way. Eventually, though, he debated on giving up and set his paint brushes aside to go check on Hope once more. Perhaps that would put his mind at ease a lot quicker than painting would.

---

Clara listened to him quietly, admittedly enjoying the sound of his voice. She didn’t often get to speak to others, so having somebody else’s voice fill the silence or block out the noise of the city was fairly nice. “Do you like New Orleans?” she asked with curiosity, peering up at him for a moment before she looked ahead, nodding slowly. “I’ve lived here my whole life. My mom’s side of the family has lived here for generations. My dad moved here from Shreveport.” She shrugged before blinking as she spotted her house up ahead.

@ momentai.
(I'm just going to hold off on Charlie right now since it's not really furthering the plot)

---

Kol smiled and nodded, "I've always loved New Orleans. It's a very beautiful city with very beautiful sights." He said and gave her a small smile, "Do you like it here, despite being raised here?" He questioned. He thought about her words about her mother's side being here for generations and wondered if he knew of her mother's side of the family and if they were essential to New Orleans. Usually if a human family has been around for awhile in New Orleans, they were pretty much essential somewhere.

(That’s fine; it’s why I had Clara see her house, so that she and Kol can part soon and we can skip)

“And beautiful music. You can’t forget the music. Oh, and the celebrations!” Clara said cheerfully, though she blinked when she realized she felt like she was rambling a bit. Ducking her head out of mild embarrassment, she nodded to his question. “I do,” she confirmed after a moment, “I like the noise and the excitement. I like that there’s always something to do and there’s never a dull moment.” She liked that the city kept her mind occupied. She doubted she’d enjoy herself as much in some quiet area or a small town. Looking up, she spotted her house and moved to the door. “Well, this is me. Thank you for walking me here, Kol.”

@ momentai.
Kol nodded at her words, finding her rambling quite adorable, "Well then this city is the perfect place for you if you like noise. It feels like there's always some sort of party going on here." He replied with a laugh. When they arrived at her home, he stopped and smiled at her, "You're welcome, Clara. I'm glad to get you home safely." He said. Kol paused for a moment and looked at the ground before back up to Clara, "Clara, would you like to go out to dinner with me sometime?" He questioned curiously. The worst she could say was no and he would totally understand that, but he knew he had to ask.

Clara smiled as she moved to unlock her door, though she nodded with the mention of it. “New Orleans seems to be the city of parties,” she admitted as she opened the door before she blinked, pausing with surprise when she heard his question. Turning to face him, she stared at him with shock for a few long moments, trying to process whether she had heard correctly, before she debated her options. Eventually, though, she offered a small, shy grin and nodded slightly. “Sure, I think… I think that would be really fun and enjoyable.”