chapter 21

You ought to know that
I think we're one and the same
I don't think we could help it
No, I don't think we could help it

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

SOO, SHE HAD NO IDEA what the hell was that the other day. It was as if something inside her... moved?  She didn't fucking know, so all she did was... forget about it. And got drunk, of course.

Duh.

Oh, and in case anyone's wondering━as soon as she walked deeper into the bar, Klaus moved away from the cat as if it was going to burn him.

It made Jade smile too━stop!

So, the four of them set off first thing in the morning━yes, first thing in the fucking morning━for a little stroll into the mountains. Smoky Mountains? Dorky? Chokey? Who the fuck knows.

She would definitely like to chokey someone, that's for sure.

Did she ever mention that she hates hiking? It was just as awful as running, at least as a human being. Now maybe she didn't get so tired, she wasn't breathless at every step━vampirism has taken all those things away. But it didn't change how annoying it is. And, Jade would like to point out that she was still wearing fucking heels!

"I hate this." Jade muttered, her head shaking as she trailed behind the two men. "I hate you, I hate you." She spat, pointing at their backs with her free hand. After a fleeting moment, her gaze softened as it dropped to the ground, fixating on the cat at the end of her little red leash. "Not you." She murmured, blowing her a kiss, earning a soft meow in response. Second later, her loving face fell and she caught up to her companions, leaning towards the temporarily dead werewolf in Stefan's hold. "But I definitely hate you and your stupid litter. Seriously, couldn't you choose another place? For example, one that you can get to by fucking car?" She grumbled into his bloody, unconcious face, earning exasperated eye rolls from both men.

"Shush now." Klaus' voice carried a warning, his eyes narrowing as he shot her a stern look.

Jade's lips curled into a dismissive scoff, a spark of offense in her eyes. "I'll shush you, in a second." She grumbled, eyes narrowing at the Original, who merely sighed in exasperation. "I'm fucking sweating! Can any of you believe that?" She exclaimed, pointing at her slighlty glistening forehead. When they didn't even turn around, she threw her free hand in the air, eyes fixed to the side in nothingness. "Oh, fuck you too, then!" She shouted to herself, mostly. "Morti, you're the only one that gets me, aren't you?" Jade mused, a long and annoyed sigh escaping her lips.

Morticia meowed in response, making Jade smile.

"Are you okay? Is Ray getting heavy?" Klaus taunted with an amused look, making Stefan sigh.

"I'm fine." The vampire responded shortly, eyes fixed ahead.

"You sure about that? We've been walking for quite some time now." Klaus continued, his lips curling into an amused smirk. "If you need some water... or a little sit-down..."

"Hm." Stefan nodded at the hybrid, lips tightened into a straight line. "You know, I get that we're, uh, stuck together..." He trailed off, eyeing the baby vampire trailing behind them, who kept mumbling to herself or to her new pet. "But if we could maybe skip the chit-chat, it'd be great."

"So much brooding." Klaus tutted at him. "Your self-loathing is suffocating you, my friend."

"I'll suffocate you if you don't shut up." Jade spat quickly under her breath. "Morti, get him." She urged the cat, nodding at the Original, who didn't even bother to turn around.

He got strangely used to her dramatics, it kinda bothered her.

Stefan clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Maybe because I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves. We've been at it all summer."

"Oh! And that's something I'll agree with." Jade chimed in, catching up to them and pointing at Stefan with her free hand. "I'll probably never wash the wet dog smell off myself." She muttered, eyeing her clothes in distaste.

Suddenly, the all the heads of all the unusual trio turned to the side, and to their eyes appeared a forming camp. "No matter, thanks to our pal, Ray, we've found ourselves a pack." Klaus said, his triumphant eyes darting between the werewolves.

"Thank fuck." Jade breathed, letting out a large sigh in relief and reaching for her cigarettes, Morticia hissing at the pack at the same time.

Stefan walked ahead of them, drawing all the attention of the camp to himself. When he finally threw the temporarily dead alpha off his shoulders, shocked gasps spread through the forest.

"Ray! Oh, my God." Some woman cried out, running to the soon-to-be-hybrid in a blink. "What's going on?" She whispered under her breath. After a second, she slowly raised her head, her terrified gaze locking with Stefan's indifferent one. "Who are you?"

Jade opened her mouth to answer, but Klaus quickly cut her off. "The important question is━who am I?" He asked in arrogance, making the blonde's eye roll. Letting him having his moment that he desperately needed, she lit up her cigarette and sat down on some rock nearby. "Please, forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus." The Original said knowingly, stepping in front of them, a triumphant smirk curling his lips.

The woman slowly raised to her feet, realization crossing her features. "You're the hybrid."

"You've heard of me," Klaus' smirk turned to a menacing smile. "Fantastic."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Some time later, the vampires joined her on the rock, Klaus busy daydreaming about... breeding. Literally. Or cloning himself, potatoe, potato━it all sounded the same to her. He said the same thing he's been saying all summer━how being a hybrid is great, awesome, freeing, blah, blah, blah.

Jade furrowed her brow as Morticia rose from her lap and began rubbing herself against the Salvatore's shoulder. "She likes you." Observing Stefan's response, she noticed how he gently scratched the cat's forehead, causing Morti to emit a contented purr. "Weird, because I don't. I thought it was the rule." Jade grumbled under her breath.

Stefan shot her an unamused look. "Well, I don't really like you either, if we're so honest."

"Shocking." She whispered with a gasp, putting her hand on her chest where her heart was.

"But the cat's kinda cute." Stefan added with a little smile as Morti let out a soft meow.

Jade raised her eyebrows. "Kinda? Watch your mouth━"

"Jade." Klaus called out.

"What? I'm busy." She muttered with a hint of annoyance, her curious gaze still fixed on the cat.

"Jade." Klaus echoed himself, this time much more firmly.

The Forbes woman groaned and stood up from the rock with a sigh. "You. You're human." She pointed at some guy, who just gulped in fear. "The mutt needs a bit of human blood in order to live." She said, nodding at Ray laying on the forest floor. When nobody didn't even move an inch, she arched her eyebrow. "Do you get what I'm saying? If you don't, he'll die." She said with a scrunched nose, emphesizing the last word.

"Doesn't take much." Klaus added casually, his voice carrying a sinister edge. "Just a sip." He drawled.

When no one spoke up, Jade rolled her eyes. "Oh, for fuck's sake." She muttered under her breath, running up to the man with a flash and driving her fangs into his forearm.

Oh, fuck. She didn't even know she was that hungry. As soon as she felt his blood sliding down her throat, she grabbed him tighter, refusing to let him escape her iron grip. She felt his fear, his hopes of survival, his pain━it was all so delicious that she couldn't stop herself from drinking.

Although her euphoria was quickly interrupted, Klaus flashing to her from his place on the rock and yanking her away from the man, shoving him quickly towards Stefan, who pressed him to the ground, arm outstretched towards the almost-hybrid.

"No!" The brunette werewolf's scream echoed through the forest, her eyes blazing with a feral gold as she desperately lunged toward her injured friend. In a split second, Mikaelson's reflexes kicked in, diverting his attention away from Jade. He swiftly moved, his powerful grip locking around the woman's neck, effectively immobilizing her. Meanwhile, Jade's focus remained fixed on the sight of the bleeding man, her own eyes now bloodshot, a manifestation of her primal hunger.

Klaus's instincts were sharp as he quickly shifted his attention to Jade. Cursing under his breath, seeing her about to lunge towards the human, his hand darted out to seize her waist. With a swift and fluid motion, he pulled her close, her body pressed against his chest, preventing any further movement.

"But━" She started, struggling against his hold, a mix of frustration and desperation evident in her features.

"Quiet." He immediately retored, tightening his grip on her bare waist in a warning, tiny bruises forming on her skin.

"If you don't drink it, Ray, I will." Stefan spoke up, keeping the trashing man under his hold. "Problem is, I don't know how to stop." He said lowly, his lips curling into a smile. "Neither does she, as you already noticed." He glanced towards Jade, who still had her crimson eyes locked on the man's wound.

"It's the new order, sweetheart." Klaus murmured to the werewolf in his hold. "You join us... or you die." He glanced at the top of Jade's head, his lips curling into a smirk.

"I'd rather die than be a vampire." The werewolf spat, throwing Klaus a hateful look.

As Ray finally decided to drink, Jade blinked, shaking herself slightly off the blood mania. Hearing the brunette's words, she snorted, twisting her head around to her, Klaus' grip still tight. "That's literally the same thing, idiot." She barked, her face scrunched.

Klaus huffed in amusement, nodding at the girl. "She's actually right. Also━wrong choice." The shift in his demeanor was palpable as his inner beast began to emerge. The veins under his eyes throbbed, turning them into the striking gold that marked his hybrid nature. Jade's gaze remained locked on him, her lips slightly parted.

Oh, my.

When he took his hand from her waist to bite into it, his double fangs emerged, making Jade's breath kinda heavy. Yes, she'd seen his hybrid face a million times, especially as she pissed him off a hundred times a day, but up close like this? Never.

It was... quite the sight.

When he had finished giving the werewolf his blood and snapped her neck, he turned his gaze to the blonde who was still standing beside him. Raising one of his eyebrows, he jolted the girl out of her momentary trance. "Something on your mind, sweetheart?" He asked, his voice a low murmur as his lips slowly stretched into a knowing smirk, dimples on display. "Your pulse━"

Jade shook her head rapidly, brushing past him with a pout. "Nope." She immediately interrupted with a pop.

Klaus huffed in amusement, his eyes lingering on the Forbes woman for a few seconds. "Okay, who's next?" He exclaimed, clasping his hands together, eyes darting around the pack in anticipation.

"Morti, scratch me." Jade murmured to her cat, eyes fixed on the forest floor as she sat down on her place on the rock.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Some time later, the whole clearing was covered with temporarily dead pack of werewolves. Jade continued to sit in her place, mindlessly stroking the sleeping cat.

"There. Good as new." Klaus breathed, pulling his bloody wrist from the human's mouth. "Now, you relax, okay, mate? We're gonna need you when rest of them wake up." He whispered, his pupils dilating as he compelled him.

"They're dead. They're all dead." Ray muttered, his whole body shaking as his frantic eyes flicked over his companions.

"No shit." Jade murmured under her breath, resting her chin in her palm.

"Well, he's through his transition, he should be feeling better soon." Klaus said, and Jade didn't know if that was meant to comfort the werewolf or him.

"So, is this your master plan?" Stefan spoke up with an amused look in his eyes. "Build an army of hybrid slaves?" He mocked, glancing at the dead bodies.

Jade snorted. "You're the one to talk."

"No, not slaves." Klaus denied, narrowing his eyes at the Salvatore. "Soldiers, comrades."

"For what war, might I ask?"

"Well, you don't arm yourself after the war has been already declared, Stefan." Klaus answered, his lips curling into a smirk as he shot him a knowing look. "You build an army so big, that no one ever dares pick the fight."

Jade glanced at the Original, her eyes slightly narrowed. That's kinda smart. Or maybe that's her villain side talking.

She also noticed a weird shadow crossing Mikaelson's features, it disappeared just as quickly as it formed. Was it... sadness?

"What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?" Stefan questioned with a shrug of his shoulder.

"It's not difficult to be loyal, when you're on the winning team." Klaus huffed with a smirk, eyes darting around the forest for a second. "That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder." He added, his voice mocking.

Stefan chuckled with a little shake of his head. "That's why you're keeping me around? To witness my attitude━"

"━Mikaelson." Jade interrupted, backing away from the werewolf with a disgusted look on her face as he began to cough and cry blood. "Something's... leaking." Klaus immediately sat down beside Ray and twisted his head to himself, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided to let you know." The Original mused, examining the werewolf's bloody face.

"That shouldn't be happening, should it?" Stefan asked with a frown, also leaning towards the alpha.

"Well, obviously." Klaus murmured with an annoyed twitch of his head, sending the vampire a look.

The alpha started to tremble even more, as if he was on Syberia. "You said it was gonna feel better." He muttered, his voice weak and shaky. "Why doesn't it feel better?"

"Some master race." Stefan quipped.

"Lose the attitude." Klaus snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. Second later, he glanced towards unusualy quiet Jade, who was still sitting on the rock, petting Morti with a blank look on her face. "Even Jade's keeping her mouth shut." He said, nodding at the blonde. As he returned his gaze to Stefan, he furrowed his eyebrows, turning to Jade again. "Hm, that's kind of concerning, are you alright, sweetheart?"

"Fuck off." Jade grumbled.

"There it is." Klaus forced a smile. As soon as he did that, some woman woke up with a gasp. "Derek." He beckoned. "Come feed your girlfriend." When he grabbed the human's bloody arm, Ray let out a primal growl and sped out of the clearing in a blink.

"The fuck?" Jade blinked, twisting her head around, eyes trailing behind the rapid werewolf.

Klaus' face hardened. "Go get him." He nodded at Stefan, who let just let out a sigh and flashed away.

Klaus dropped the human's hand forcefully, running his hand through his hair in exasperation, taking a seat beside the blonde. When no one spoke a word for a good thirty seconds, the Original spoke up. "You're strangely quiet." He murmured, eyes fixed in the distance. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"When are you going to wake up Elijah?" Jade asked, her eyes also locked in the distance. "I miss him." She added quietly.

It's true. It had been three months since she hadn't seen her favorite Original, and she really missed him. Jade tried exactly six and a half times to wake him up, each time Klaus caught her doing it. Once, she just got up and he immediately told her to sit down, as if he read her mind.

It was weird.

Klaus hummed. "Ah, yes, I heard about your particular... friendship," He said in a low voice, eyes darting around the woods for a second. "With my darling big brother."

Jade furrowed her eyebrows at his reaction, glancing at the side of his face. "So?"

The Mikaelson gave her a patronising smile that lacked any warmth. "Soon enough. Don't worry your little head about it."

Jade let out a small puff of air in exasperation, shaking her head as she glanced away from the Original. "What about Rebekah and Kol?" She asked after a few moments, giving him a cold smile.

Klaus slowly turned his head towards her, his face hardening in a blink. "It's a deeper kind of friendship than I thought." He snapped, narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion. "What do you talk about with him, huh?" He asked, his face dangerously close to hers.

Jade reciprocated the expression. "Curiosity killed the cat." She spat, not backing down.

"Hm." Klaus let out a low, contemplative murmur, a malicious smile dancing on his lips. After a brief moment, he grabbed her firmly by the throat, pulling her closer to him. "I will wake them," He started, his voice a low and dangerous murmur. "When I bloody decide to do so!" He shouted, a single gold spark flashing in his eyes.

"How long are they asleep, huh?" She snapped, anger blazing in her stormy eyes. "How much longer Elijah will have to wait as you finally decide to grace him with the ability to fucking live?"

"You dare question my choices?" His voice was a venomous hiss, laced with a dangerous edge. "Sweetheart, who do you think you are?"

"Elijah's friend." A sharp note sounded in Jade's voice and her steelnes remained unwavering despite the grip on her throat. "Someone's gotta fight for him."

Klaus' head twitched to the side in fury. "You know nothing about my family. About the burdens we challenge." He sneered, his head tilting back as his hot breath fanned over her face. "About what I have to do to protect them!"

"You're the one killing them!" She shouted back.

Klaus' seething fury went to another level after hearing her words. Suddenly, his expression changed. "What do you even know about family, huh? Siblings?" Klaus mocked, a sinister smirk stretching his face. "The only one you seem to have is your polar opposite, which beggs for a question━what exactly happened behind the perfect walls of the Forbes house?" He questioned, shooting her a deadly grin.

Jade narrowed her eyes, her breath getting heavy. "Shut up." She growled, her eyes flashing with crimson.

"You are an enigma, Jade. It's a pity I don't have time to solve it." The Original chuckled darkly. "It probably won't be worth it, anyway." He added, his eyes blazing as his lips curled into a menacing smirk.

Jade's chest was now raising and falling at a rapid pace in fury. "Get out of my fucking face." She practically snarled, inching herself closer to him. "And go back to making your miserable hybrids." She said venomously in a low tone.

They stared at each other like this for another moment, Jade's eyes slightly bloodshot and Original's shot through with a faint golden hue. For a good minute, the only sound surrounding them was the hum of the trees, along with the birdsong and their deep breaths.

Second later, Klaus flashed away.

Jade leaned on her hand, lowering her head down and shaking it in anger. "Fucking bastard." She whispered under her breath, rubbing her aching throat. Pulling a much-needed cigarette from the pocket of her shorts and firing it up, she looked at the sleeping cat beside her. "He's right, though." She murmured, exhaling the smoke upwards, her head tilting back.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade was sitting on the ground, leaning with her back against the stone on which Morticia was still sleeping. How much do cats sleep? All in all, it works out for the better. It had been maybe two hours since her argument with Klaus, and the Original was still gone, as was Stefan. When it started to get dark, Jade lit a bonfire and stole some alcohol from the dead werewolves' bags.

Her gaze was focused on the campfire, her face blank as she took a sip from the almost empty whiskey bottle.

God, how she didn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to be here, in these fucking mountains, she didn't want to be in fucking Mystic Falls, she just wanted to go home. Her real home, in New Orleans. She couldn't even call━nor did she have a phone, nor did she know Cami and Marcel's numbers. Everything sucked.

Cami will fucking kill her!

And Marcel probably thinks she's dead.

Great.

She took a deep breath out of exhaustion and leaned her head against the rock, her gaze raking over the dead man she had managed to eat an hour ago.

Awesome, she didn't have anything to eat, either!

Suddenly, she heard movement not far away. Furrowing her eyebrows, she followed the sound with her sight, her eyes momentarily rolling as she saw some werewolf who had just returned to the living, walking towards her.

"I'm not in the fucking mood, dog." She grumbled under her breath, setting the now empty bottle aside and rising slowly to her feet, assuming a fighting stance, her eyes watching the hungry werewolf's every move.

In an instant, the werewolf lunged at her with a vicious growl and bared teeth. She dodged his attack, quickly delivering a blow to his side, making him cry out in pain. Second later he spun around and threw himself again, but Jade was too quick━she grabbed the werewolf by its throat and, with a roar of rage, ripped out its heart.

Dropping the organ with a satisfying smack, her head snapped around in a flash, her eyes widening at the sight. "What the fuck is this? Night of the Living Dead?" She muttered under her breath, eyes darting between dozen of werewolves rising from the forest floor, their vicious eyes fixed in her.

Shit.

Jade took a cautious step backwards, her eyes flickering over each of her opponents. Yet, it was too late, the werewolves had sensed her vampire blood and darted forward.

The first of them, a blonde of some sort, rushed at her from the side, Jade anticipating her attack and, in one swift movement, decapitated her with her palm.

Elijah would be proud.

Then she felt a pull on her shirt. Turning her head slightly to the side, she spat out some curse and hit some blood-eyed guy with her left hand, momentarily knocking him away from her.

In the next moment, she felt a shrill pain in her right arm. Quickly shoving away some man who was tearing at her skin, she kicked another who moved at her from the front, snapping her knees out. The werewolf, who had tasted her blood, rushed back at her, knocking her over onto her back and biting into her neck.

"Shit!" Jade hissed in pain, thrusting into the werewolf's chest, ripping out his heart.  "Get off." She grunted, throwing the dead body off her.

When she stood up and saw the forming wound on her forearm, her veins pulsing with werewolf venom, her eyes widened. "Shit, shit, shit." She mumbled under her breath. Second later, she brought her hand to her neck, feeling the blood dripping down."Shit!" She spat, her eyes immediately founding the woman responsible. "You're gonna fucking pay for that, bitch!" She hissed to herself, throwing herself at the werewolf and tearing at her neck with her teeth. Seconds later, she ripped her head from her shoulders, throwing it at another one she saw out of the corner of her eye.

However, a moment later, she screamed in pain, falling face down on the forest floor. Feeling a searing pain in the side of her waist, she turned quickly onto her back, finding a branch beside her and plunging it into the rabid werewolf's heart.

Before she could get up in any way, another threw itself at her leg, latching onto her bare thigh. Jade let out a pained hiss, pushing herself slightly off the ground and snapping his neck.

Quickly looking around her, she saw that she finally had a chance. Rising quickly to her feet, she fled the camp in a blur.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Klaus entered the camp site with momentum, his steps determined and quick as he muttered to himself in anger. Yet, he paused as if caught off guard when he saw the werewolf pack sauntering towards him, their faces all bloody, their bodies shaking, only hunger visible in their eyes.

He squinted, his head turning from side to side in search of his blonde companion. However, some woman interrupted him, walking towards him with murderous eyes.

"Careful, love. There's only one alpha here." He warned, eyeing her every move.

As he looked around once more and saw that every werewolf looked the same, which is not how they should look, he took a deep breath, driving his gaze back to the woman creeping towards him. In one swift movement, he thrust his hand into her heart, ripping it out, her suddenly limp body falling down like a marionette.

"Jade?" He called out, his eyes darting around the pack, trying to find her annoying blonde head.

Taking a step back, his foot bumped into something. Twisting his head, he crinkled his eyes when he saw the severed head of one of the werewolves. When he turned completely around, his eyebrows jumped up at the sight of a couple of dead bodies, most of them massacred.

No blonde in sight.

"Bloody hell." He murmured, his head snapping to his failed hybrids, his eyes turning into wolvish gold, black veins throbbing underneeth his furious eyes.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade leaned against a tree, her breath slightly shuddered as she looked around. "Where the fuck am I?" She whispered, pushing herself off from the bark and moving forward, looking and listening for anyone. Lifting her gaze upwards, she saw that the moon was already hanging high in the sky, which meant that her trek had already lasted... for quite some time.

Great.

Each step forward was a battle against the pain that radiated from her oozing wounds. If she were fully...  functional, she probably would've found her way back pretty quickly. Yet, the only thing she could hear now was her own blood pumping through her veins, along with wolf venom. If she doesn't find Klaus in the next hour, her mother may start picking out clothes for her funeral.

Besides, who knows if he'll even heal her? He said it himself, she's not worth it.

Suddenly, she heard something from behind her back. A whisper, a voice, a murmur. A whisper, belonging to a person she knew all too well.

"Caroline?" She mouthed the name, her words barely audible in the hushed night as she turned, squinting into the inky darkness. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked when she saw the familiar blond curls flickering in the distance.

Then, she turned abruptly, a familiar uniform shimmering in front of her face. "Mum? Wha━" She started, but her mouth immediately clumped shut when she saw a person she definitely shouldn't be seeing.

"...Vicky?" She whispered, her eyes bulging as she fixed them in her dead former best friend. The brunette turned around with a smile, disappearing into the midst of the maze of trees. "Vicki, wait!" She cried out, her voice echoing through the night as she sprinted forwards, forgetting about the pain.

However, before she could catch up with her friend, she collided with something solid. The impact sent a shock of pain through her already battered body, and she stumbled back a few paces. Gazing upward, her breath caught in her throat as her heart seemed to skip a beat. Dread coiled around her like a vise as her wide-eyed gaze locked onto the person she had hoped to never see again. "No..." She whispered, her voice barely audible. "No, no, no." She mumbled, taking small, weak steps back, her eyes not leaving his.

"Hello, Jadie." William Forbes' voice slithered through the night, a terrifying smile twisting his lips, a sight she hadn't seen in five long years. "Long time no see." He muttered, a chill accompanying his seemingly casual words as he took a step closer. His voice, warm on the surface, resonated with a chilling breeze she knew all too well.

"Don't you fucking come any closer, you piece of shit." She growled with frantic eyes, her voice low and laced with venom, a stark contrast to the panic that gripped her heart.

Klaus let out a long breath of relief, seeing her━clearly not well━but alive. He raised his hands, taking few, cautious steps towards the terrified blonde. "I know you're mad at me now, but let me just━"

"Look at you, little Jadie." Bill's voice dripped with a condescending tone, his words punctuated by a mocking nod. "The embarassment of the Forbes family." He spread out his hands in the air, still moving forward as his lips curled into a menacing grin.

"━Shut up!" She screamed, eyes flashing with crimson, fangs on display. As her back collided with some tree trunk, she grabbed her head, eyes fixed on the forest floor. "You're not real, that's not real." She mumbled under her breath, her head shaking rapidly. "It's the werewolf bites talking. You're in prison." She whispered and her father's laughter rang in her ears, a chilling echo that reverberated through the forest.

Klaus narrowed his eyes, his head twitching to the side as he focused his momentarily confused gaze into her. Seeing her four seeping bite wounds, he immediately realised that this amount of venom had quickened the hallucinations. He cursed himself in his mind for leaving her there alone.

"Sweetheart, you're right. It's not real." He said, his tone low as he slowly walked towards her. "Just try to listen to my voice." He said a little hesitantly, wondering if his voice would somehow be better than whatever she was seeing at that moment.

"Jadie, did you forget? I was released." His voice carried a twisted sense of fondness, a façade of care masking the darkness beneath."I thought you were at your worst when I last saw you, but this? This takes the cake." He scoffed, pointing at her trembling form."Tell me, Jadie, how did you mother react after she saw you becoming the thing she hates the most?" He leaned in, his presence oppressive as he closed the distance between them.

"Don't fucking call me that!" Summoning every ounce of her remaining strength, she vanished into thin air, reappearing a distance away. Leaning against a tree, she clung to it, her chest heaving with each ragged breath, her hand trembling as she rubbed her face.

"Why?" Bill drawled, appearing right beside her. She flinched, her eyes never straying from his menacing ones as she instinctively took a step back. "You're still my little girl, my beloved daughter. I'll always be here. In your mind, in your heart, in your veins━it's all me." He said, his voice a mockery of affection. "You even have my eyes." He whispered, leaning towards her face, his words sending a shiver down Jade's spine.

The next moment, he grabbed her firmly by her arms, preventing her from escaping. Jade threw herself in his embrace, her gaze, now fraught with terror, locked onto his chilling eyes, the abyss of his stare drawing her in like a nightmare she couldn't escape. "I was never your fucking daughter, you made sure of that."

Klaus' eyebrows jumped up at her words, his grip on her shoulders loosening slightly in momentary shock.

Was she seeing━?

He looked at her heartbroken eyes full of hatred, listened to her panicked heartbeat, felt her shaking form and saw... himself.

As she started to trash again, he shook himself off his trance. "It's alright, love." He whispered, his voice a low, soothing murmur. "Just calm down. It's me." He added, eyeing the pulsing wound on her neck. Second later, he let go of one of her arm and bit into his wrist.

"But you are. All this violence, this hatred, this resentment." Bill pointed at her with his free hand. "It's all me." He hissed into her face, his expression full of satisfaction. "You're my mirror."

"I am not like you." She growled, pushing him away with all her strength, his back hitting a neaby tree.

"You look the same to me. The same to your mother. The same to Caroline." Bill said with a knowing glint in his eyes, his laughter holding an eerie edge, his gaze unrelenting as he advanced like a predator closing in on its prey."Especially after you failed to protect her." He taunted, making Jade let out a quiet sob. "Did you ever thought how many times she wanted to call you, but didn't? Thinking that you don't care about her?"

Jade shook her head, her weak body sliding down a tree. "No, she━" Her voice cracked, a small cry escaping her lips. "Please... go away. Please..." She mumbled, closing her eyes. "You're not real, you're not real, you're not real..." She repeated like a mantra, pulling the roots of her in desperation as she slid down to the ground.

Klaus crouched down beside the shivering girl, extending his hand and softly stroking her hair. "That's right, sweetheart." He whispered, his eyes tender as she looked at her crying face. "He's not real." He murmured, biting into his wrist once more and putting it to her mouth. "Now c'mon, drink."

"I am, Jadie. And I will never leave you. Isn't that what a good father should do?" Bill's voice was a false tenderness as he crouched beside her, his fingers brushing her hair in a twisted display of affection.

Jade let out a shuddering breath, flinching away from his touch. "You're not my fucking father!" As she shouted, she grabbed his outstretched arm and twisted it, his bone letting out a satisfying snap as she rose to her feet. "I'm going to kill you," She spat, her face drenched in tears and smeared makeup, her voice full of hatred. She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him towards herself, her frantic eyes locking onto his cold, indifferent ones. "I'm going to peel the skin off your bones," She laughed maniacally as she plunged her hand right into his ribcage, her fingers curling around his heart. "Tear your rotten heart out and eat it, while you're dying eyes will be focused on me━"

"━And you're still thinking you're different?" Bill interrupted her madness, his head tilting to the side as he pierced her with a knowing look.

"I'm━" Jade bit out, her face falling in an instant. "I'm not..." She chuckled, her voice strained as she glanced to her hand in his body. "I..." Her fingers, now coated with his blood, trembled as they pulled away from his body, plunging them into her hair. "Please...just..." She whispered, her back colliding with a tree, her body sliding down once again. "Shut up." She cried out, her voice barely audible.

Suddenly she tasted something. A small spark in the midst of a sea of rage and hatred, but she felt it━quiet and unmistakable. She felt... worry? Regret? Anger? Bringing her hand to her mouth and running her fingers over her lips, she saw that they were all covered in blood. But not hers. Tearing her gaze away from them, her face contorted in confusion, she looked up, her father's face melting away.

Another, very familiar one, taking its place.

"Jade?" Klaus breathed, his bloodied hands holding the confused woman by the sides of her face. "Jade, sweetheart? Can you hear me?" He asked, his voice a mix of concern and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Wh━" Jade blinked, her lips parted as she raked over his face with her still frantic eyes. Suddenly, they softened, relief crossing her features as she relaxed in his hold. "Mikaelson?" She whispered, her voice hoarse as she locked her gaze on his.

"Yeah." He whispered with a little nod. They stayed like that for a couple of seconds more, too transfixed on each other to do anything else.  A few moments later, Klaus blinked, withdrawing his hand from her face, though a trace of reluctance lingered. "You're safe now." He murmured, his eyes tracing the closing wounds on her body.

They continued to look at each other as it slowly dawned on Jade what had just happened. Her breathing was still heavy, her eyes focused into his as they spoke to each other without using words.

That never happened.

Klaus clenched his jaw, feeling an odd mixture of protectiveness and unease━this woman stirred something in him, a sense of familiarity. She shared his pain, she knew what was that like. She could understand him. 

He didn't like that. It was too... personal.

Because she knew.

For a good minute, they remained locked in a silent staring contest, the world around them fading into insignificance. The only sounds that reached their ears were the haunting howl of a distant wolf and the gentle rustle of the wind through the trees.

Jade's gaze remained fixed on Klaus, and her confusion was mixed with a sense of unexpected calm. It was a strange paradox━he was the one who annoyed her at every turn, quickened her pulse with anger, literally killed her plenty of times. And now? Her raging heart gradually slowed, and a strange warmth spread through her chest that she struggled to understand.

It's the fucking werewolf bites, yeah, that must be it.

Klaus prided himself on his detachment, his ability to shield himself from his feelings, and yet here he stood, captivated by the woman before him. Why does he even care? Klaus had gone through centuries of life, witnessed countless faces and stories, but Jade was doing something to him, and he absolutely hated it. 

He wanted to ask━why, what, when, for how long? But he looked at her again, and realised that he wouldn't have got any of those answers, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Sorry about your hybrids." Jade spoke up, her voice slightly hoarse as she cleared her throat, her gaze drifting to an indistinct point in the distance "Killed some of them." She whispered, her fingers instinctively wiping the remnants of the chaos from her face as she began to gather herself, rising to her feet.

"I killed the rest."  Klaus murmured with a little shrug of his shoulders, his tone carrying a note of detachment, his eyes momentarily distant as he, too, stood up.

"Oh." Jade glanced at him, her perceptive eyes catching the sorrow that flickered within his gaze. "Sorry." She murmured softly, a genuine sympathy coloring her voice.

Klaus managed a fleeting smirk, his eyes finding a connection with hers, however brief. "You don't have to keep saying that, you know?"

"Sorry." She whispered, still a little dazed from the previous... events.

Klaus tightened his lips. "I don't think you should be alone." He murmured, eyes flickering over something in the distance. I'm sorry for what I said earlier.

"I..." Jade began, caught off guard. She looked at him for a few seconds, her jaw slightly clenching. "I'm always alone." She said with a humorless, little smile. "It's no biggie." She shrugged with a wave of her hand, turning around.

"Me too." Klaus said in a low tone, looking at the back of her head. The blonde stopped, slowly turning around. "Now more than ever, I suppose." He added, huffing a strained chuckle, eyes darting around the woods for a brief moment. Jade looked at him with an unusal sympathy, taking a step towards him, but the leg which was previously bitten, slumped a little. She quickly leaned on some tree bark, cursing under her breath. "Want some help?" He asked with a small smile on his lips.

"No." She drawled as if it was the most obvious answer, making the Original truly smile for the first time that evening.

He took a few steps away, Jade following him with her eyes, eyebrows furrowed. "Your pest missed you." He remarked, a red leash held loosely in his grasp, a small black cat trailing behind him.

Jade released a sigh of relief, her fingers closing around the leash as she accepted it from him. "Hi, Morti." She whispered, her eyes cast downwards as the animal brushed herself against her leg. "Was the big bad wolf good to you?" She muttered, side-eyeing the Original with a slightly cheeky smirk on her lips. Klaus rolled his eyes in response. 

As they moved forward, Jade's knees gave way once more, her body almost collapsing to the ground. Almost, because Klaus appeared beside her in an instant, his arm wrapping around her waist to steady her. Her head turned toward him, her gaze holding his for a lingering moment. With a subtle nod of gratitude, they began to walk together, their steps in sync. 

"I still hate you." She murmured under her breath as she found herself leaning into his side.

"I still hate you too, sweetheart." Klaus said quietly with a little amused smirk on his lips, his grip on her bare waist slightly tightening.

So, they were still alone, but together this time, their minds too preoccupied with each other to talk.

a/n: #idiotstolovers

sooooo its my b-day today, so why not gift you with some delicious angst???