The One You Once Were

The Ones I Would Leave Behind

"What are you doing, babe?" I asked, hugging Klaus from behind. Amused, I heard him chuckle.

"I'm painting. Or trying to, at least." He bent his arms backward to return the embrace. "But someone is distracting me."

Standing up on my tiptoes, I rested my chin on his shoulder with a smile.

"I must say, this distraction is a rather welcome one," he admitted and turned his head to kiss me on the cheek.

We had been this lovey-dovey since I rejoined them, which Rebekah often jokingly dismissed as "disgusting". We all knew it was actually long overdue and Klaus and I spent every second we could together.

We were still on the run from Mikael, but that didn't stop us from trying to make the best of our time. Klaus had taught me a bit about painting, though I was not particularly good at it. I guess, this was just more his talent.

I did, however, memorize details about this time. Had I known all this during the time I was still in high school, I would have aced every history test.

"What are you painting?" I peeked at the canvas in front of him.

"Just a landscape."

An incredibly beautiful one as I found when I caught a glimpse of it. A sea of flowers in every shape and color and amidst it all, a red rose, which stood out from the rest of the plants.

"Why draw the rose this significantly?" I asked and earned a smile from him. He let me go and I went around him, standing in front of him as a result.

"Because this flower is special. I wanted everyone to know how beautiful it is and that no matter who else is around, she still captures your eye amidst the crowd."

"She?"
"My love, the flower is you."

Trying to hide my blushing cheeks, I leaned against his chest. He put his arms around my hip, giving me a kiss on the head.

"Have you heard anything new from Ellie?" he whispered, changing the subject to something we'd avoided the past few days.

Ellie, now an old lady with grandchildren of her own, usually made sure to communicate with me 2 times a week minimum. The conversations oftentimes included recollections of what the family had done during the week, sharing stories of memories long gone and reminiscing about her by deceased parents. Kilian had left us at a proud age of eighty-one, living a happy life with his family. My wish for him had been fulfilled.

However, the past two weeks, there had been no word from Ellie or her family, which worried me deeply. Her last words had been: "I have something important to discuss next time we see each other". That made me worry even more.

If it had been so important, why not contact me? Had something happened to them? If so, shouldn't I go check it out and help them?

"No, nothing," I answered Klaus' question. Calming, he caressed my back in sympathy.

"She'll come talk to you again," he tried to reassure my nerves. "Maybe one of her kids has gone into labor?"

I certainly hoped there was such a simple explanation. Not knowing, whether she was alright or not, was killing me and weighing heavily on my conscience. I had started questioning if leaving them all these years ago had been a mistake, a selfish decision based on my love for the Original.

"Hey lovebirds!" Rebekah interrupted our alone time with a bright smile on her face. One thing, I was proud of changing during this timeline was her not being daggered so easily. Elijah had once said, I had Klaus on a leash when it came to arising issues.