A Twist Through Time (A TVDU fic)

Chapter 16

"What place do you most look forward to visiting once we go traveling together?" Klaus asked Hope as he looked over at her. He had been out on the road for a few hours, and while he was focused on finding the werewolf pack he wanted to turn, he couldn't deny he was also excited at the possibility of traveling with Hope.

Hope shrugged lightly at that. "Im not really sure" she said, looking at him.

"I believe you'll like Paris. There is always something so inspiring everywhere you look. Well. So long as you stay away from all the tourist spots." Klaus chuckled. "If not then it is incredibly obnoxious."

"I'm not a big fan of crowds. Of people" Hope said with a small chuckle. "I mean sometimes its not bad, but regularly I just tend to avoid people. Though I don't do it as much as I used to"

Klaus chuckled softly. "I suppose for me it depends on the crowd. Cities are always a preference of mine. But it's tourists I cannot stand. Unless they are used as a meal."

Hope nodded a bit. "I don't mind certain aspects of the city. I just don't like being in the middle of the crowds"

"Is it a personal preference or is there a particular reason why you dislike crowds?" Klaus asked curiously.

"Personal preference mostly" Hope said, looking at him. "I prefer being alone. Though I do have some friends now. And a boyfriend as you know. Before I was a complete loner"

Klaus smiled a little. In a way she reminded him of himself. "Hm." He said thoughtfully. "Can I give you my opinion?" He asked glancing in her direction.

"Go ahead." Hope said, looking over at him

"I do not think anyone prefers being alone." Klaus said softly. "Humans have a need buried deep inside them. A need for human interaction and finding connections with people. I only believe some recognize that need more than others do."

Hope was silent for a long moment. "I didn't want to risk hurting them. Being what I am, I'm powerful. I thought if people got close to me that they would get hurt. But like I said, I have friends now. And Landon. So I don't think that way anymore"

Klaus glanced back at her curiously, her words catching him by surprise. It revealed something about her he hadn't yet seen. She was kind. Not just to people she cared for but to everyone. She cared so deeply about other's wellbeing that she preferred to stay away even if it meant she was miserable. 

"I have never felt that I suppose. That need to protect others. Perhaps I did once, when I was human. But now...those are nothing but distant memories of a past life. You are kind, Hope. You live your life thinking of ways to protect people, with no regard to how that makes you feel. I am the opposite. I don't think of anyone unless it benefits me in some way. Which I suspect you already know. Which is why I cannot understand how someone like you could want to be near someone like me."

Hope didn't reply. How could she explain it without telling the truth? Which the truth was the one thing she couldn't say. "I just do" Hope said finally

Klaus shook his head. "I hate that you do." He whispered quietly. If someone like her had the ability to see beyond his monstrous side and still see him as someone worth knowing...then what did that say about his family? His siblings who had spent the past thousand years betraying him over and over again? It said this was always possible. It was always possible for him to be loved. They just didn't agree. They didn't care enough to find out.

Hope looked at him for a long moment before finally looking away and starting to sketch a silhouette of Landon in front of trees with a white space for where his wings would be

Klaus didn't bother to explain why he felt that way. Part of him wanted to, but the other part, the part that was always closed off from everyone forced him not to. "Who are you drawing?" He asked instead when he glanced at the sketchbook on her lap.