Nothing Without You

Going on a road trip with a guy I’d just met was bad enough, it was worse that the guy I’d just met happened to be the most powerful being on the planet. It was like riding in the car with A potentially evil version of Superman.

I’d told Emma I was going by myself, to visit family. I didn’t want her to know what was going on, especially the fact that Klaus was going to be around. I knew she’d make it a huge deal and I wasn’t prepared to deal with it.

I met Klaus at the compound where he was putting a suitcase in his car. “Right on time.” He said as I stepped out of my car. “Did you get things squared away with your friends?” I’d told him that they were unaware of the vampire thing and even more unaware of the fact that I wasn’t traveling alone.

“Yeah. It’s fine.” I handed my suitcase to him not thinking a whole lot about it.

“Did I just become your bellhop? ” He said, and as I met his eyes, I noticed a playful smile on his face.

I was going to apologize, it was my first instinct, but I wanted to start feeling comfortable with joking around with him. I hoped it would make this 13 hour drive a little easier. “Well I’m not going to tip if that’s what your asking.”

He laughed, to my surprise. “Fair enough!”

I climbed into the car and immediately noticed the smell of him again. It was an oddly comforting sensation I got when I was in his car, which seemed super weird. I just began trusting him far too quickly and I only hoped it wouldn’t get me in trouble later.

“You’re nervous.” He said once he got in the car. I knew he was right, but whether the cause of that nervousness was going back to figure out my old life or being in a car with Klaus for 13 hours was a mystery to me.

“Yeah I guess so.” I shrugged.

“It’ll be alright. Just remember, you’re being protected by a hybrid. There’s not a force on this earth that could get by me.” His reassurance made me feel better to an extent. I had definitely been worried about if there was someone back in Mystic Falls that wanted me dead or something.

We drove for what seemed like ages, though in reality we were only about 3 hours in. We’d talked a lot about Klaus’ past, specifically the fun he had in the 1920’s. He’d talked of the speakeasys, the underground bars illegally selling alcohol during the prohibition, the scandalous lives the rich lived, and the beauty and mystery women had about them back then. It was hard to believe, just by looking at him, that he’d lived that long ago, and even that was recent for him compared to how long ago his life as a human had been. I couldn’t fathom living that long ago, being born in an era where cars or electricity weren’t yet created, where things like firewood and and forest animals were your only means of survival. He was as close to primitive as anyone had ever been, being one of the few original vampires to exist. It almost put me in an existential crisis just thinking about how many life times he’d gotten to live. I was enthralled by his stories and the answers he gave my questions, so enthralled, that I’d forgotten how hungry I was until my stomach growls interrupted my talking. “Can we stop to eat soon?” I chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed. He must have forgotten that people needed to eat a bit more often than he was used to.

“Oh, of course.” He said as he began looking for a decent restaurant. We made the mistake of passing the last city for god knew how long. We drove until we came across a small town, the whole thing looking a bit worn down and out dated. It was one of those towns that you could blink and miss. “What do you think?” Klaus asked as we drove slowly passed an old looking dive bar.

Honestly I wasn’t so sure about it until I felt my stomach churn. I felt like, if I didn’t eat soon, my insides would just melt away. “You’re going in with me, right?” I asked, only then realizing that I sounded like a frightened child.

I noticed a group of men outside as we parked, they looked like they were arguing and thankfully there was no violence. “I would’nt let you go in otherwise.” He admitted, and I was unsure of what his thoughts were, and that of course worried me.

We went in and the chattering of the small building fell silent. Apparently these people were not used to strangers. “Welcome.” Tha bar tender greeted us, though his tone was anything but welcoming. “What can I get for you?”

“Just a burger is fine. To go please.” I said only just loud enough for him to hear me. I was actually shocked he’d heard me at all, and it made me wonder about the whole place.

We sat at the bar and were given untrusting and suspicious stares. I felt awkward and Klaus looked like his guard was up. “Should we just go?” I asked him quietly.

“That’s a good idea princess.” Some guy standing at the pool table across the room called to me. “We don't like blood suckers in our town. Y’all should get on your merry way.”

I looked straight to Klaus who I expected to look angry. He was smiling. At the time, I didn’t know that Klaus smiling over someone being rude was far worse than him being angry. I wouldn’t quite learn that lesson yet, but it would come in time. “Blood suckers? How bold of you.”

“Why don’t yall just go now before we got any issues?” He approached Klaus with a pool stick in his hand, trying to threaten him. Of course, being as indestructible as he was, he found this humorous.

“Go back to your little game, wolf. You’re treading dangerous waters.” He warned, and all of me just wanted to leave.

“Is that a threat?” The mad said as he stepped up to Klaus, puffing out his chest.

Klaus laughed and stood, showing no signs or fear or intimidation. Suddenly, the whites of his eyes turned black and his irises turned an intense orange. Dark veins crawled toward his cheek bones from his eyes like snakes. He was terrifying, the man and the rest of the bar fell dead silent, only just realizing what he was in that moment. Even I was startled, and he was on my side. This side of him was totally unknown to me and as curious as I was about this darkness that was blatantly written on his face and in his history, a huge part of me wanted to stay far from it. He was wild and unpredictable, and although I had yet to experience that myself, it was easy to tell and I was slowly figuring him out.

“So you’re the famous hybrid, huh?” The man choked out, though still trying to be tough.

“Like I said, you’re treading dangerous waters.” He repeated, looking a little annoyed.

“Alright man, it ain’t gotta be a fight. No one needs to get hurt.” He put up his hands in defense, as if it would help. I thought it was ironic that just a minute earlier he’d been handing out threats, but now that he knew it was a losing battle he suddenly thought violence was unnecessary.

Klaus’ eyes faded back to normal and the veins slithered their way from the depths they’d come from. “That’s what I thought.” Klaus said as he took his seat back. He had a confident and almost arrogant composure, and I was starting to learn that not only was this just for intimidation, it was also a defense mechanism. He did not walk around like a king because he had a superiority complex, he walked around like a king because he had to. I was realizing that he had a massive target on his back, not only because of his original blood, but because he was one of only two hybrids in existence. He had a lot of weight on his shoulders, and if he looked weak for a moment, someone would certainly try to strike him or those around him.

Klaus ordered a drink and slammed it back, and I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. I got a sense of annoyance from him, but he looked cool as a cucumber, not to mention he looked as if he owned the place. People even started talking quiter as to not draw attention and the bar tender gave us our drinks and my food for free saying “Sorry for the trouble, it’s on us tonight.”

And as much as I expected Klaus to say something snide, he didn’t at all. Actually, he ended up leaving a hundred dollar bill on the counter and silently walked out with me, and it was so obvious that he had a hold on everyone in that bar, so much so that he’s probably never have a problem in that town again, not that I thought he’d ever go back.

I quietly got in the car and dug into my food. I was absolutely starving and just couldn’t wait anymore. “Sorry about the trouble, love. You’ll get that a lot traveling with me, unfortunately.”

“It’s fine, I’m just glad it didn’t escalate.” I smiled, unsure of how to handle the situation. I didn’t want him to know that he’d scared me, he was just trying to avoid a larger confrontation. Making him feel bad would do no good and honestly I didn’t want him to feel bad.

“Well it isn’t always so easy. There’s often those who think they’re above the laws of nature, thinking they can slay the ‘great Klaus Mikaelson’ or something.” he laughed, knowing how ridiculous he sounded.

“I guess I don’t understand the obsession with killing you.” I shrugged, and he gave me a confused face. “What’s the point? You don’t personally know 90% of the vampires and whatever else that exist. Why try to hunt and kill someone if they don’t know you?”

“I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way, and apparently others haven’t either.” He looked a bit enlightened, but I could see it only brought questions to his mind. “I guess most supernatural beings don’t like knowing someone out there can kill them with a bite.”

“I guess.” I sat and thought for a moment, not sure if it was okay to ask questions about him. He seemed pretty open about it so far. “What does it take to cure a bite?”

“My blood.” He answered, simply. “That’s the only possible cure.”

“Have you ever cured anyone?” I asked, feeling like maybe I was overstepping my bounds.

“Yes. A small handful of times I have, I’m not a complete monster.” He chuckled, keeping the conversation light.

I smiled, feeling good about his answer. Of course I knew he wasn’t a monster already, I could see that in his eyes. But it was nice to know that he was aware of the goodness in himself, I felt like it was what kept him grounded and reminded him of the humanity he once had and should retain. It was nice to know he wasn’t completely the horror stories I’d heard of him. Which made me wonder... How did I know that I’d heard horror stories about Klaus when I hadn’t even known him that long? And who told me? And what stories? I was realizing that this part of my memory was foggy too. I knew a lot had been erased, but I had only scratched the surface. I had no idea what was yet to come.