Cuba, Havana

6 Years Ago

When you're a child and thought that anything and everything was possible, you're often asked this question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" There would be two types of people in this situation; dreamers who would reply with impractical (and most often nonexistent) jobs like "an invisible ninja!" or "a fairy!" and then you have achievers, the ones who would reply with professions such as "a doctor" or "become a national artist". Havana has been labeled a dreamer since she was six years old.

Unlike most dreamers who later grew up and changed their dreams into logical more stable ones, Havana would always have the same answer when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. "A traveler!" Havana didn't know why she loved traveling and seeing the world so much, maybe it was her far too curious personality who had the need to investigate every little thing she notices, a trait which can be handy and a curse at times. No matter how much her parents and friends tried to persuade her into something more "financially stable", Havana's stubbornness never allowed herself to be pressured into doing something she's not in love with. So after getting her high school diploma, she said goodbye to her neighborhood in Sydney and boarded a plane to Havana, Cuba. She thought it was destiny, starting her journey in the place where she was made. And she thought that it was going to be an incredible start. However, when a certain hybrid walked into the bar where she was dancing the night away, her journey was about to get a lot bumpier. Two years forward, she was here in Havana again with that same hybrid. She was compelled to not remember anything from her first visit to this historic city though...

It was crazy that she said yes to this stranger whom she just met a week ago in Bali. This stranger seemed nice to her though, he was charming as hell and had an accent that made the Australian's cheeks flush every time he spoke. However, it was not his gentleman-like manner and his physical appearance that got Havana to agree for him to take her here, no, it was his seductively alluring and extremely mysterious nature that pulled her into this rabbit hole. The two seemed to hit it off; aside from the constant flirting and the fact that they shared the same sheets in their first meeting, they seemed to relate to each other's humor and personality. So what the hell, she thought. She said yes, now here she was with this man named Niklaus (whom she calls Nik) in a foreign country expecting the time of her life. But she was wrong. This man's promise of adventure while in Cuba seemed to be always interrupted by his secretive meetings with strange people who seemed to be wearing the same ring as him. Havana's curiosity sparked up again, was he a leader in a cult? The Illuminati? However, She controlled herself not to intrude into this man's personal life since she was practically a stranger to him. So she spent the first week all alone continuously wandering the streets of Old Havana, staring at the strangers who seemed to be dancing in every corner and savoring Cuba's delicious delicacies in the market place all by herself. She didn't expect traveling alone to get this lonely. But she respected that Nik was indeed a busy man, and then again, she was just a stranger to him. But by the end of the first week, in the middle of the market she, she snapped, this may be my first and last time being associated with this man, better make the most of it. Havana knew that Klaus Mikaelson was in another meeting yet again, but she got her phone out of her bag and dialed his number anyways. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Do you need anything", he said trying to sound not as annoyed as he was. Unbeknownst to Havana, Klaus was in the middle of ripping the heads of Cuban vampires questioning his authority.

"I know you've been busy lately but I was wondering if you're free for dinner tonight?" Havana asked biting her lip nervously.

Klaus rolled his eyes sensing the nervousness in her voice. He was starting to regret giving Havana leeway time before he snaps her neck. Klaus cursed at his attraction towards her from distracting him from his true purpose; to fulfill the prophecy. A cunning smile formed, "Yes love, is seven okay for you?" He already knew information about his doppelganger thanks to her.

Havana's purpose was done and it was time to discard her.

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The sound of the door closing made Havana look up from the counter. "Nik? Is that you?" She asked aloud waiting for his response. She walked to the dining table where the dinner was set up. Two dishes hidden by a cloche at the opposite ends of the long table and candles occupied the long table. It was eerily quiet, whoever had entered the house still hadn't responded. Havana cursed under her breath regretting that she made everyone in this large house (maids, butlers, and chefs) go for the night. Now she was alone with whoever had walked in. "Nik?" She called out again, still, no reply. It was eerily quiet inside this house. The only sound that she could hear was the faint Latin music coming from the street. The floorboard creaked behind her, but before she could turn around, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, "Boo!" Nik whispered into her ear.

Havana yelped and almost jumped out of his arms in reply. "Oh my God! Asshole!" She screamed at the man behind her but later laughed covering her face with her hands. "I thought a ghost would pop out or something."

Klaus, who still had his arms tightly wrapped around his victim chuckled, "There are more creatures scarier than ghosts love." He smelled her neck, his fangs coming out. "Dinner smells divine Havana."

Havana felt a shiver down her spine the moment she felt his breathe on her neck. She chuckled nervously before unwrapping his arms around her waist and sat him down the chair oblivious to the fact that his pupils turned pitch black and two sharp hangs stuck out of his mouth. "Okay, so I gave the chef the night off because I wanted to thank you by preparing dinner. I do appreciate and am grateful that you made my dream of coming into this country true." She reached over and after counting to three, she removed the cloche revealing 'dinner'. The darkness around Klaus's eyes disappeared, and his fangs retracted. The look of hunger was now replaced with confusion on the Original's face.

"Coffee?" He stared at the mug of coffee in the middle of a ceramic plate. There was nothing else on the table except for the candlesticks, there wasn't any sign of food, human food.

"Drink up Nik! You're gonna need a lot of energy for tonight."

"What are we doing tonight love? Another round of that night in Bali?" He winked taking a sip.

Havana punching his arm blushing, "Noo...You're going to need that-" she pointed at the cup "-because you're going to honor your promise to me tonight. I know that you're a busy man Nik, and I'm sorry that you had to drag me into this city when the timing is slightly inconvenient for you and your not so suspicious meetings but you made a promise to have fun, and since you're always preoccupied during the day, why not be a tourist at night. " She explained before going to her seat and sipping her coffee from the other end of the table.

Klaus chuckled, an odd girl indeed, "So you wanted to be a tourist for the night?"

"Yup," She said popping the 'p'.

"You do know that the museums and markets are closed at this hour right?"

Havana grinned, "You don't have to go on tours or in museums to be considered a tourist Nik."

Klaus nodded then raised up his mug, "To tonight."

"To tonight."

I'll kill her when the sun comes up then,  he thought to himself while taking a sip.

"AHHH!" Havana screamed into the dark empty streets whilst running. She ended her shrieks by bursting into fits of drunken laugher. She held onto Klaus who seemed to be doing the same thing. "AHH-" She was silenced by Klaus's hand covering her mouth. He was drunk too, though not as drunk as the giggling Australian.

"Hush love. They might catch us!" They continued to run still laughing at what had just happened a couple of moments ago. "I can't believe you just did that." Klaus referred to what had happened moments ago. He had to admit, he was actually having fun.

"It wasn't the first time I punched a cop. They were disrespecting my body! It was disgusting!"

"They were just telling you to put your top back on and not to jump into the pool. You were lucky I jumped in after you and carried you out, not before you punched a cop and ran leaving me behind!" The two were still drenched leaving trails of water dripping off of them on the road as they ran.

"Have you ever heard of Free The Nipple Movement? It's not right how guys can just take off their shirt anytime they want and not be discriminated against while women have to 'cover-up' even though that they have tits too! Their tits are just more bloated and can sometimes have milk. That's it!" She drunkenly rambled throwing her hands up before looking at Klaus smirking. "And I thought that you were a bad boy who could handle himself Nik. Didn't know you'd be scared of being alone with two overweight cops-" She yelped when he pushed her on the trunk of a random car on the street and placed his hands between her sides trapping her in the process.

Klaus growled, "Oh, but I am." His face was inches from hers. "But I am not a boy. I am a beast. And I'm not just bad, I'm worse than that," His eyes turned dark and he licked his lips starring at her. Havana's lips parted feeling herself getting hot. Klaus brushed a strand of Havana's damp hair away from her shoulder revealing more skin, but before he can carry with anymore teasing, two police officers who were chasing them came into view and yelled at them in Spanish. "Jump on my back!" He ordered Havana who wasted no time wrapping her legs on his back and her arms around his broad shoulders. Klaus began to run from the furious Cuban police officers. Havana was amazed, she didn't know if it was the alcohol effect on her imagination but Klaus was running incredibly fast. He put her down when the coast was finally clear.

"Woah," Havana's head started spinning again. Klaus caught him before she fell. "My hero." She mumbled onto his chest. Klaus involuntarily smelled her head. Even if she jumped into a pool full of chlorine, her light brown hair still smelled like strawberry.

The two started their night partying at a hotel bar with other drunk tourists who were also looking for adventure in Cuba. However, it wasn't an "authentic experience" according to Havana. She wanted to salsa to Latin music, and not grind to some EDM. So after she was satisfied with the party scene at the hotel, she dragged Klaus to the streets not before seeing the hotel pool that made Havana took off her top and jump in half nude.

Havana gasped standing up straight when the sound of music entered her ears. "Music! There must be dancing Nik, c'mon I wanna dance." She excitingly squealed and grabbed his hand before dragging him to where the music was coming from.

At the corner of the street, people were gathered dancing salsa with their partners. A live band playing instruments and a singer entertained them with their Spanish music. Now, this was an authentic experience. The Cuban culture was beautiful and alluring to Havana's eyes. Men and women lively went with the rhythm, some were singing along while some were focused gazing into their partners' eyes. Havana continued dragging Klaus close to the scene before they ended up in the middle of the dance floor. However, when they were about to start dancing to the lively music, the singer stopped singing and announced to the microphone, "Espero que no te importe, pero el ritmo sera lento para esta canción."

Havana's eyebrows furrowed at what the singer had just said. Klaus noticed this and explained, "She'll be playing a slow song now love."

"Oh," She didn't know he spoke Spanish.

The singer started singing a song called Eres Tu, all the couples on the dance floor held onto each other tightly as they continued to salsa at a slower pace. Klaus twirled Havana before dipping her. So he knows how to salsa too. Havana blushed as they continued to dance with one of his hands on her lower back guiding her and his free one intertwined with her hand as her other hand went to the back of his neck. They silently danced enjoying the pleasure of each other's company. Klaus sighed in peace, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time, and compared this dance to their first dance in this same city two years ago. Their first dance together could be described as seductive, they had their hands all other each other while exchanging suggestive gazes, (and occasionally Havana bit her lips which made the Original want more than dance). It made Klaus feel alive dancing with her that night. Though he relished that memory, this one was different. Everything was slower, the song, the rhythm, and their pace. It felt more intimate, with them just holding each other while staying as close as possible. Klaus listened to Havana's heart beating softly, he knew that she felt at peace too. Havana laid her head on his shoulder and he, on the side of her head not speaking a word but just enjoying each other's company.

That's when they noticed a long table at the front that was elaborately decorated with flowers and twinkling LED lights. A couple sat in the middle giving each other light kisses and laughing. They both looked happily in love as they fed each other cake.

"I think we just crashed a wedding reception," Klaus said smiling.

"Better cross that off my bucket list then." Havana stared up at him and also smiled. The pair continued dancing whilst staring at the newlyweds. "It's amazing how these two people will spend an eternity loving each other"

"What makes you so sure?"

"True love beats anything."

The Original held back a laugh, "I don't mean to ruin your fairytale Havana, but in the years I have been alive, I've noticed one particular fact about this thing you called 'true love', love is real yes, but does it last forever? No, it doesn't. In fact, love (no matter how much you claim to have it), it will always and eventually turn to hate. And when you hate someone so much, that passion you once had for that person will just be a memory." He remembered his dysfunctional family, his abusive father, his manipulative mother,...

"But the love of a family lasts forever."

"That's not the case of every family love. There are just some deeds that are simply unforgivable."

Havana sighed, "Yes, some family members can be pricks, and some just get on your nerves for entertainment, but I bet that there is at least one or two people in your family who you can rely on. That's the beauty of family. You'll always have people who are willing to help you stand up even when you're pushed to the ground. Even if you were the one who ends up hurting them. There's always room for forgiveness. Plus, who says that you can't pick your family? The people who love you are your family."

An old family motto was stuck on Klaus's mind as he contemplated Havana's words. 'Always and forever'. He remembered his own siblings, especially Elijah, Rebecca, Kol who have been for him the most, even when he was at his worst. Those three always have a special place in his heart. Klaus smiled reminiscing about happy memories in his mind.

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The sun started to rise greeting the town with its bright orange hue. The sounds of birds chirping and flying through the sky piqued Havana and Klaus' interest. They continued walking towards Klaus's house while staring at nature unfolding above them. His jacket was on Havana's shoulders and her head rested on his side. His arm was tightly wrapped on her waist as they silently walked through the street. His other hand was carrying Havana's heels. The house came into their view, it was just like every other beautifully preserved house in Old Cuba with its colonial architecture still intact after the Mikaelsons lived in it almost two hundred years ago.

Before they entered though, Klaus lightly pulled Havana's other hand making her face him. He dipped down and kissed her before she said anything. Havana sighed kissing back interlocking her arms to his neck. Klaus dropped Havana's heels to the floor before wrapping his arms around her small waist pressing her against him. Havana didn't complain that her strappy heels were on the floor, she relaxed in his soft touch. Their gentle make-out session turned into a more heated one as they made their way inside the house. "Jump" He ordered Havana who gladly complied. Her legs were wrapped around Klaus' waist as he left trails of kisses to the nape of her neck to her exposed chest above her white one strapped top. She let out a little moan throwing her head back before Her right hand made its way to his cheek and brought her slightly red swollen lips back to his. They made it into the hallway where each of their bedrooms was located. Klaus was a gentleman, he made sure that Havana felt comfortable by having her own room instead of sharing.

"Whose room love?" He mumbled between kisses.

"Neither." She replied. Klaus stopped kissing back and brought her down from his waist. Havana giggled at the confused looking man, her hand was still cradling his light pink cheeks. "Just because I gave it to you so easily in Bali, doesn't mean that it'll happen again...not right away anyways." She winked before tiptoeing to kiss his cheek. "Goodnight Nik." She walked away teasingly swaying her hips as she made it to her room and shut the door, she didn't even glance back at the dumbfounded hybrid.

The sound of the door closing made Klaus jump out of his trance. He composed himself before awkwardly saying, "It's actually good morning love!" She didn't reply, but he knew she heard him. He could hear her heart beating loudly for every vampire in town to hear. Klaus caught himself smiling. He seemed to be doing that lately, smiling, it was a rare sight for the Klaus Mikaelson to smile since he was known for his mischievous smirks. But with Havana, he was smiling all the time.

"At peace indeed." He said to himself before making his way towards his bedroom.

Maybe I won't kill her...for now.