built this town from dust

Marie sat quietly in the room, waiting for Marcel or Stella or one of the others to come up, though she hadn’t paid any attention to anything going on downstairs. She toyed with her hands nervously, unsure of why everybody seemed so bothered by Klaus - she didn’t understand it, he had seemed just fine to her. He’d seemed kind, charming, and she’d found herself wanting to spend more time with him, wanting to get to know him better. But, with the way Stella and Marcel - and even Thierry and Diego - had reacted, she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not. If they were so against him, there had to be a reason as to why that was the case, didn’t there? All of the people who mattered to her wouldn’t be completely against somebody for no reason at all - but she couldn’t think of what the reason might be.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a knock at the door and, blinking, she peered over. For a moment, she hesitated, wondering if it was Marcel there to scold her for speaking to a stranger, or Stella to warn her away from a guy she didn’t know, or Thierry or Diego to tell her how worried they were about her. Eventually, though, she stood up and made her way over to the door, opening it carefully, though she was surprised to find Klaus there on the other side, her heart swelling, almost bursting with the sight of him - even though she’d just seen him a few minutes ago and barely knew him at all, some part of her was desperate to keep him in her line of sight, to be in his presence. “Klaus,” she greeted quietly, offering a smile as she watched him, “Have things calmed down downstairs?”

---

Kol held Stella to himself, rubbing her back gently, reminding himself that she was there, she was safe, she was with him, and she was alive - he’d believed for so long that she wasn’t, that she had died, and that he had lost her. It’d broken his heart, shattered him, to think that he had lost her, that she was no longer a part of her life, that he hadn’t even been there for her when she died. But, none of that had turned out to be true, and the relief he felt with the knowledge that she was alive and with him again was immeasurable - he’d never felt anything like it, and he knew that was because of the immense love he felt for her. “You do not have to thank me, love,” he assured her quietly, peering down at her, taking her in, watching her, admiring her, committing her to memory, because she meant more to him than he could put into words.

Breathing out with the thought, he rubbed her back gently, holding her closer to himself, and listened intently to what she had to say, though he arched a brow when she mentioned wanting to make a request - and he couldn’t help the snort that left him when she spoke the request aloud. “They started it, love,” he pointed out, “They were hostile before you and I were even here. And I could not just stand by and let either of them grab you the way the one did.” He frowned deeply with the thought, because he never wanted to let anybody lay a hand on her, not for as long as he was around, and not when she deserved to be treated so much better than that, with all the kindness and love in the world. He made a face, though, amused with her later words, and he arched a brow. “I will refrain from killing them so long as they do not give me a reason to kill them, love. That’s all on them.”

If Klaus’ heart was beating, he knew his heart would have skipped a beat when the door slowly opened to reveal the beauty that still held his heart in her grasp. The way her voice had remained gentle and sweet did surprise him, she would have seen horrible things and her heart would have been broken, mostly by him. Yet her voice, remained the same. Many that was from the witches hiding her memories, Klaus had a gut feeling that no matter what Marie went through or was put through, nothing could possibly change her. She would hopefully stay the calm and innocent woman that Klaus loved so deeply that it hurt sometimes, a true love that he had never experienced before he met Marie or after he had abandoned her. She was his soul mate and someone was granting him a second chance to be with her, a chance that he wouldn’t dare mess up. He couldn’t live without her again, he didn’t want to live without Marie and he knew the world wouldn’t survive if she was ever taken from him.

“Marie,” Her name rolled off his tongue with such ease, it was a name that always sounded perfect when he spoke it. “Yes, everything has settled back down. I must apologise for the scene that I had caused earlier, I never wanted you to witness that.” Her warm chocolate eyes melted him yet he didn’t dare look away from her, she had been utterly confused downstairs and he hated that. He hated that he couldn’t explain what had happened, he felt like he was lying to her and he had promised never to lie to her many centuries ago. “I have spoken to Marcel, it was all just a misunderstanding. Nothing for you to worry about, but are you alright?” His voice lingering in the air as his whole attention was placed onto her, the love of his life. The love that Marie would need to develop on her own and in her own time, as Klaus wouldn’t risk her life and cause her the witches spell to break.

---

Stella felt like she was dreaming and it was a dream she never wanted to wake from, there had been countless times when she thought she saw Kol in a crowd of people or when she thought she had heard his voice. Each time giving her hope until one day when she voiced these sightings to Marcel, he was quick to shut them down and took away any hope that Stella had felt. Kol was gone for good, as was the rest of his family. They had left and moved on with their lives, or they weren’t living any more. Marcel was wrong, she knew that now. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling as Kol’s deep but soothing voice hit her ears, “I know that they started it, but the situation also didn’t need to be handled that way.” She knew that he would protect her from every single threat, he’d keep her safe no matter the cost. “And they were hostile because of your brother, which I don’t blame them for.” Hostility seemed to follow Klaus wherever he went.

Listening to his later words, Stella smiled as she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “That’s all I’m asking for,” As she knew the temper that Kol had, if a vampire was in the wrong and it affected Kol, then he would take care of it. Stella knew that wouldn’t change even if the vampire in the wrong was a friend of her’s, it was how Kol was and always had been which she did love him for. “Now, lets get you something to drink.” Pulling back from his grasp, her fingers found his as she guided him out of the room and down the hallway. Away from the room where Marie was, glancing over the railing to the downstairs area, she saw Marcel was quietly speaking with both Thierry and Diego yet she wasn’t able to hear what was being said. Taking Kol into her old bedroom, she closed the door behind them and moved over to a hidden mini fridge. It was hidden so Marie wouldn’t come across it if she happened to be in the room, taking out a few blood bags she turned to face Kol as he would need to drink more than he normally would as he hadn’t tasted blood in who knows how long. “Take as much as you much,” She needed Kol to not hold back, because she knew what would happen if he was still hungry and they went outside into the streets of New Orleans.

Marie watched Klaus, a part of her certain that she could get addicted to the sound of his voice, and her gaze never left his as she listened to him, feeling herself calm down and untense with his explanation. “It’s okay,” she assured quietly, offering a smile as she watched him, admiring him for a moment and trying to understand why or how he seemed so familiar to her, how or why she knew she could trust him, or even how or why she felt so comforted and at ease in his presence. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, really.” The last thing she wanted was for Klaus to feel obligated to do anything, after all - she was just glad to hear that things were okay now, that was what mattered.

She wondered what exactly had caused the misunderstanding, why everything had happened the way it had, but she didn’t question it, not wanting to pry, and certainly not wanting to make things worse in any way. “I’ll try not to worry about it, then,” she murmured, shifting a bit, though she wasn’t sure how well she’d be able to hold to that promise - she easily worried about the simplest things, especially when it came to people who meant so much to her, who mattered to her. Hearing his question, though, she blinked with surprise and smiled slightly, nodding. “I’m alright. Really. Are you alright, though?”

---

Kol arched a brow as he listened to Stella. “As hostile as my brother can be, I doubt he initiated any hositility with Marie around,” he pointed out, “Which leads me to believe that the fault of who started the entire situation falls on your friends - and their behavior towards you does not help their defense, it does not help to lead me believe that they are at all innocent in all of this.” And the fact that Stella’s friends seemed to be wholly responsible only served to make Kol dislike them all the more - after all, who did they think they were? And how stupid were they to try to start trouble with Originals? Personally, he felt like Stella deserved better, more responsible, smarter friends, and he didn’t bother to hide that thought process.

“But, I will try not to kill them, for your sake - that is the only promise I can make when it comes to them,” he told her gently, watching her, though he enjoyed the feeling of her lips against his for the moment it lasted. Taking her in, he let himself enjoy the fact that he finally got to have her back in his life after all this time of thinking she was dead. Losing her, thinking that she was dead, had destroyed him in so many ways, and he was so relieved to see that she was alive and well - well, as alive and well as a vampire could be. Still, when she took his hand in hers, he squeezed her hand and followed her, taking in the sight of the compound, taking note of the things that had changed and the things that hadn’t changed in the place he’d once called home. When she offered blood to him, he offered an amused look. “Drinking from a blood bag is not nearly as fun as drinking from a vein,” he teased lightly.

It took all Klaus’ control and strength not to reach out and wrap his arms around Marie, all he wanted was to hold her and kiss her with the love his heart held for her. Run his fingers through her dark hair, feel her soft delicate skin under his palm, inhale the scent of her shampoo. He hoped one day soon he would be able to be closer to her, to have Marie remember him but that time would only come as long as it was safe for her. He wouldn’t risk her life or her humanity, he would fight for Marie to keep her humanity and stop her from ever considering turning that switch off. He wouldn’t allow Marie to do that, no matter what she needed to go through. He knew that it would be something Marie would regret in the end, it would ruin her and Klaus would do whatever it took to stop that.

Hearing Marie ask how he was doing, it caused a grin to form across his face as she had always put herself last. “Yes darling, I’m doing alright. I am more concerned about you, I always will… that will never change.” He looked at her and admired her as he had missed her more then she would ever know, he missed the sight of her and how she managed to calm him without doing anything. Her presence kept him calm, even when his emotions got the better of him, which happened more since he had abandoned her. “I do hope that this hasn’t ruined your day,” The last thing he wanted was to have Marie be upset, she was always so bubbly and happy, and Klaus wanted to keep it that way.

---

Stella smiled as she knew Kol did have a point, “Perhaps Klaus did not start that situation, but he also did not help it by coming into the compound.” She looked at him as Klaus would have known what would have happened if he stepped inside the compound, yet he arrived like he still owned the place. It was obvious to her that Kol loathed the vampires that she surrounded herself with, however many of the vampires inside the compound had been friends of Stella’s for many, many years and she couldn’t simply push them away because Kol didn’t approve of them. Rolling her eyes slightly at his comment, she looked at him and shook her head. “I know that, but you’ve just had a dagger removed from your heart, let’s take things slow.” Stella gazed into the eyes she loved as she reached up, her hand resting on his chest where the dagger had been.

She didn’t want to tell Kol what he should and shouldn’t do, yet Stella knew what could very well occur if she did let Kol drink from a human vein. His hunger may take over him and he might lose control of himself, she had witnessed that part of Kol herself and if she could stop it from happening again, then she would. “We could go out later, if you feel up for it.” Her hand moving to cup his cheek, her thumb running over his skin gently. “Besides now that you’re back here with me, we have all the time in the world. We can do everything we spoke of when I was sick,” Stella wasn’t going to lose Kol again, once had been hard enough to live through without losing her humanity. Stella wasn’t sure if she could survive a second time.

Marie blinked when she heard Klaus’s words, though her brows furrowed with confusion as she registered the last bit of his first statement. “What do you mean?” she asked with curiosity. The way he said it made it seem like he cared deeply about her, like he worried a lot about her, but that didn’t make sense, considering they’d only just met a few hours ago. She wasn’t sure it’d be a good idea to put too much attention on it, though, not wanting to question it too much and certainly not wanting to embarrass Klaus in any way or make him feel awkward in any way. Instead of putting too much attention on it, she offered a small smile. “Well, I’m glad that you’re alright,” she told him honestly, because the last thing she’d wanted was for her friends to cause trouble for him.

As Klaus continued to speak, her smile grew a little, widening a bit, and she shook her head slightly. “No, it hasn’t,” she promised, smiling as she took him in for a few moments, allowing herself a moment or two to admire him, though she tried her best not to be too obvious about it. “Really, it’s just… Made the day a little more exciting, it’s not as routine as it usually is.” She lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, watching him before she shifted a bit, moving out of the way. “Do you want to come in, Klaus? We can sit down and talk? Instead of you having to stand there the whole time?”

---

Kol arched an amused brow as he watched Stella for a few long moments. “The compound which my family called home for a very long time, in a city we practically built,” he reminded her easily - it was something that Marcel had no claim to, no right to take from them, no right to call his. If anything, Marcel was trespassing, and, more than that, he had Stella believing that he was innocent in all of this, that it was all the Mikaelsons’ fault. The thought that Marcel had that much power over Stella annoyed Kol more than anything; he knew Klaus’s actions didn’t help at all, since his brother had daggered him, but Marcel was no more innocent than Klaus was, he’d played a part in ratting Kol out to Klaus in the first place. He wondered if Stella knew about that or if Marcel had kept it from her so that he could turn Stella to his side, have her defend his every move.

Still, hearing her later words, he couldn’t help but grin. “Since when do I take things slow, love?” He eyed her for a moment, taking her in, just enjoying knowing that she was there, almost fearful that she could disappear at any moment. It had been so long since he’d had her in his sights, since they were this close, and he wanted nothing more than to enjoy every moment of it that he could. As she continued to speak, he found himself leaning into her touch, letting himself relax, wanting nothing more than to just stay like that with her for as long as he could, to relish in the feeling of her skin against his, to bask in the light that she held within her. “I think we certainly deserve that much after everything we’ve been through.”

Klaus looked at Marie and slightly shook his head, “Nothing for you to worry about, darling.” He couldn’t tell her the reason behind his words, he couldn’t tell her just how deeply he cared about her because it would make no sense to her. And if he did then it would also be putting her life at risk, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He almost chuckled when Marie spoke, only because she couldn’t remember him and what he was like. She didn’t know that the people she surrounded herself with, weren’t going to ruin his day because he had found out that the woman he loved and adored had survived and had been living her life all this time. As much as he loved her, he knew the enemies he had and the trouble that seemed to follow him. Did he even want to put Marie in the way of those enemies and that trouble again? She had been living her life all this time without him and she appeared to be very happy, Klaus wasn’t sure if he wanted to come into her life and ruin everything she had built for herself.

When her voice hit his ears and her words confirmed that the tension earlier hadn’t ruined her day, but had actually made it more exciting. He couldn’t help himself but chuckle only a little, his eyes softened as he looked at her. Clearly, Marcel had been keeping Marie closer than he first assumed. If Marie thought earlier was exciting, then maybe she didn’t have the amazing life that Klaus had stuck in his mind. Marcel may not have only kept trouble away from Marie, but maybe Marcel kept everything from Marie including fun and excitement. “I would like that, thank you love” He smiled as he stepped past her and into the room, her scent and perfume mixed together perfectly. “If you thought that was exciting, you haven’t seen anything yet. If you would allow me to take you out, I’ll show you how exciting life can be.” He grinned as he looked at Marie, his light eyes held a cheeky spark as he looked at her. He wanted nothing but to spend an entire day with her, show her what his home really had to offer.

---

Hearing Kol speak about the compound, it wasn’t that she had forgotten what his family did for New Orleans and who the compound truly belonged to. Even though Kol had several issues with his family and at times were betrayed by his own siblings, he was still proud of what they have achieved in their long lives and it was something he often spoke to her about when he had been human and sick. “I know that and I’ll never forget,” She told him as he had only taken her to the compound a few times when she had been human, and once she had been turned and found out that Kol was gone. It had taken her almost an entire year before she stepped foot inside the compound again, because the only times she had been there was with Kol. It felt wrong to be there without him, it felt like she was now betraying him though she pushed those emotions aside because the compound was the safest place in New Orleans for Marie to be.

Smiling Stella looked at the man in front of her, “Ever since we first met, you’ve never taken anything slow. Not even when you decided to tell me that you were a vampire,” She smiled at the fond memory, it had been their third date when she found out about him and then also his family. Stella knew there was a chance that Kol could lose his self control when it came to drinking blood, but she would be right there beside him and she knew how to stop him and remind him that he was stronger then the urges he felt. Her thumb lightly moved over his cheek, “We certainly do. We can now take on the world together, like we’d always planned.”

Marie blinked as she processed what Klaus said, though she wasn’t sure he was telling the truth. It seemed like something important, after all, so shouldn’t she worry about it? Still, she offered a small smile and nodded regardless, figuring it wasn’t her place to bring it up. She barely knew this man, after all. “If you’re sure,” she decided quietly, taking him in for a few long moments, wondering what was going on in his head. She couldn’t help but be curious; he seemed like such an enigma to her, and she wondered why that was, she wondered what all there was to him.

When Klaus stepped into the room, she smiled and watched him before she moved to sit down, letting herself relax a bit. Hearing his offer, she blinked with mild surprise, and she offered a small grin. “I’d like that quite a lot, actually,” she admitted quietly as she watched him, “It sounds like fun.” And it would get her out of the compound for a bit, which was even better.

---

Kol nodded slightly when he heard Stella’s words, relieved to hear it. “Good,” he said quietl yas he took her in, relieved, because the last thing he wanted was for her to forget something as important as that. She meant everything to him and he hated that he hadn’t been there for her in the moments she needed him the most. She deserved so much better, and it made him angry with his family, that they took him away from that when she was the only good thing in his life - she was everything to him, and he didn’t want to lose her again. Especially not when he finally had her back in his life, when he knew she was alive and safe - though he was still upset that he’d missed out on so much of her life.

As she spoke of their past, though, he couldn’t help but chuckle quietly, and he shook his head slightly. “I couldn’t help it,” he told her honestly as he watched her, admiring her, “I didn’t want to hide anything from you. I wanted you to know the truth about me. I wanted you to be a part of my life, a part of my world.” He’d never wanted anything more than that, he knew that. And he hoped she knew that. Still, he grinned when he heard her reminder of their plan. “We certainly can, love.” And, with the thought, he leaned forward to kiss her deeply.

All Klaus wanted to do was be around Maria, spend all of his time with her. Get to know her again as they had been separated for such a long time, he didn’t want to miss out on anything again. He desperately needed Maria in his life as he remembered how much of a monster he was, the first time he had lost her and the world couldn’t handle him if he went back to being that monster. Smiling he looked at her once she agreed to go out with him, “If you don’t have any plans today, we could head out now?” He asked as he wanted to spend time with her when it was just the two of them, he didn’t want Marcel lingering around with his group of pathetic vampires.

He hoped that Maria agreed to spending the rest of the day with him, as he wanted to get her out of the compound and into the fresh air. As he always used to take her out and show her everything that he could, he had wanted to show her the world and maybe he’d get the chance to do that, as long as she wanted him in her life. He had no idea what was going to happen with the love of his life, if she’d ever remember the life they shared or if she would only have the memories from today.

---

Stella laughed softly as her eyes focused on the only man she has ever loved, “I know that and I’m glad that you were honest with me. I knew what I was getting myself into from the very beginning,” She gazed into his dark eyes as she moved her hand to the back of his neck, her fingers playing with his short hair, which definitely did suit him. “Your lucky that everything you told me, didn’t scare me away.” She grinned knowing deep down that nothing Kol told her would have scared her away, it should have, and she should have ran away the first chance she had. But she had already fallen in love with the vampire, she had wanted to be in his life even if she knew the risk and the danger that could bring her. She didn’t care, all she wanted was Kol and that hadn’t changed.

Now they could take on the world together, without her slowing him down or worrying about her aging as a human. They had all the time in the world, Stella finally had him back in her life and she felt like she could do anything again. That was something she had always felt with Kol, the second he came into her life, she felt like she was unstoppable. She hadn’t realised how much she missed that feeling, until now when the feeling returned to her. She smiled watching as Kol leaned in closer to her, feeling his soft lips press against hers. She returned the kiss, putting all the love she felt for him into the kiss. “I love you,” She murmured against his lips as her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him as close to her as possible, still scared that he would vanish again.