Body & Soul - Klaus Mikaelson

Thirty-Two

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"You shouldn't be here," He mumbles as I softly stop in front of the cell. He's on his back on the stone slab they call a bed, and his eyes barely move from the ceiling. 

It wasn't an easy endeavor getting past all the guards and it wasn't until Liz saved me, did I finally get to descend the steps to visit him. None of the guards seemed too keen on letting a teenage girl visit a suspected murderer. Liz told them to stuff and opened the door herself. 

I swallow hard. He looks tired and so out of place. A history teacher behind bars, it feels like there should be a lesson plan with this. But this isn't the classroom and this isn't where Ric is supposed to be. This can't actually be happening. He's the history teacher, not some mass murderer. A lot of crazy things have happened in this town, but Ric murdering the Founder's Council isn't one of them. "Neither should you."

Ric pulls himself off the stone slab and meets me at the bars that act as a doorway to his cell. "Apparently Meredith Fell has pretty convincing evidence, or I could be pressing charges for her shooting me."

I shift slightly, my eyes dancing across his peck. The bloodstain makes his gray shirt darker and the hole clearly tells the story. If Meredith attacked him, why is Ric behind bars? "They really think you're the one killing the Founder's Council?"

He shrugs, "They don't really have a choice, Meredith has evidence-"

"But you didn't do it," I insist with vigor. I can't lose somebody else today. If he gets tried for those murders, I won't be seeing him again in my human life. They'll ship him off to prison with a life sentence and probably without good behavior guidelines. "You couldn't have. We could find something to prove your innocence-"

Ric wraps his hands around the bars, bringing himself as close to me as possible through the metal, "No. You're not going to do anything. You need to stay out of this. I'm not bringing you down with me."

"I can't just let you sit behind bars and wilt," I whisper. "Besides, I kind of need you."

He scoffs, but his eyes glimmer with pride, "You survived without me once before. You could do it again."

That's the thing, I didn't survive. Before Ric, I had my parents and when I didn't I took off and lived in the woods with various wolf packs until I found one that kind of felt like home. I came home after months and associated myself with vampires, my blood enemies, chasing crazy demons, and fighting battles that shouldn't have existed. Ric came in and finally kept everything organized. We were falling apart before Ric stepped in with all his weapons and his research. 

I shake my head, barely mumbling, "Can't exactly go on a pre-college-find-myself-trip with you if you're behind bars, Ric."

His eyes flicker with amusement, almost like he had expected me to forget about that promise that he made so long ago on the first morning of my return. That promise is one I'm not soon to forget. Nor is it a promise I plan to miss out on. It's something I so desperately need with someone willing to take the time to care about me. 

He chuckles lightly, "Then we'll figure this out. The right way, no meddling. Let Liz do her job."

"Ric-"

"No!" He growls harshly, his grip on the metal tightening. "I don't want you getting yourself into trouble for me. Stay out of it."

My shoulders sag under his determination. "Ok."

Ric nods looking like a huge burden just got lifted off his shoulders. A bigger one just beginning to settle on mine. He so easily took that lie. There's no way I'm not going to do anything to help him out of this. I can't just sit back and watch another person get torn from my life. I'm not just going to watch as Ric gets sentenced for something he didn't do. That's not who I am.