Savior | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 72

It was nighttime when she returned to the Compound.

Everything was quiet. She figured Elena had already put Anita to bed. Klaus might not be back yet, considering that there was no broken furniture to suggest he might have beat Elijah up. Strangely, however, Maddy didn't sense Elijah was home either. She did a quick sweep of the house, finding that the only one home was Freya, who had finally returned from whatever she was up to all day.

Maddy hopped into the shower, cleaning off the buildup of dirt from her time in the gym. When she came out, she fetched her phone, messaging Klaus to ask where he was. He responded a few minutes later letting her know he'd be home soon. She asked if he was okay, and he did not respond. She deduced that he likely wasn't sure how to feel. She didn't allow it to bother her.

Not long after, she heard movement downstairs. Seconds later, Klaus was in her doorway, and she leapt to her feet. "Nik," she said immediately. She figured she ought to say something after that, but she was at a loss for words. The distraught look on his face kept her from being able to discern what was appropriate in this situation. Should she say she was sorry? Should she say that she would be okay if he needed time to process everything?

She caught sight of a tear stain on his cheek, and she immediately moved closer to him, putting her hands on his arms. She slid one of her palms to hold the back of his head, the other looping around his shoulder blades. She brought him against her body, resting her head on his chest.

"I'm not upset," he insisted, his voice cracking and suggesting otherwise.

"You can be upset," she whispered. "It's okay."

"To think of the man I could have been," he said, starting to tremble. "I became so bitter... so cruel... convinced I was not worthy of being loved. Had I not experienced that, I would have been a better man for you from the start... a better father and better husband..."

"Nik," she said, pulling away. "You are a wonderful husband and father. I am so, so sorry that you had to go through that heartbreak. You didn't deserve that."

"I understand Elijah's aim," said Klaus unsteadily. "Just as I daggered my siblings, sabotaged their relationships, he did the same to me. He was furious. And he sought to harm me. He managed it. I cannot even blame him... I might have done the same to him." He shook his head. "The past cannot be changed. What happened has... happened. And it changes nothing. I ceased loving Aurora centuries ago."

He withdrew, and started to head to his art studio. Confused, Maddy followed him, watching from the doorway as he moved a dresser out of the way, before punching into the brick wall behind it, which had apparently been concealing a painting of Aurora. Maddy kept still while he went to fetch a tool that would scrape the paint off of the bricks. She wasn't sure whether to tell him to stop or whether to allow him to continue. She opted to stay silent while he scrubbed the wall, allowing the colorful flakes to fall to the floor.

"That's it," he said, stepping back when the portrait was gone. "No more." She noticed his hands had gotten very dirty once he set down the tool. She followed him to the bathroom, where he started to clean himself with the soap, rubbing his own palms very hard.

"Nik," she said gently, placing a hand on his arm to stop him, worried he might actually split his skin open. "Talk to me. Don't just bottle it up. Tell me what you're feeling."

"It doesn't matter," said Klaus. "She will be dead soon enough, mark my words."

"What did she say that makes you want to kill her?"

He huffed, looking at her through the mirror. "She threatened you. She was raving about how our love was never meant to end. How she had been loyal to me all these years. I told her that I felt nothing for her." He offered her his hand, and she realized he was allowing her into her mind. To let her see his memory and to prove to her that he felt nothing for Aurora. She decided to dive in.