"Nothing is with me now but a sound,
A heart's rhythm, a sense of stars"
- W. H. Auden, Compline
In which Charlotte Salvatore wakes after a 145 year slumber and is thrust into a supernatural world before she can cope with the modern one.
(THE VAM...
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"What do we do now?" asked Charlotte.
They were still in bed, of course, Charlotte was laying propped up against a few pillows whilst Klaus leaned against her. His head was leaning on her chest, while his fingers drew circles on her leg beside him, hers were running softly through his hair. Charlotte felt nervous bringing it up, the memory of the day before still so strong in her head though she knew they needed to talk about it.
"Again already," Klaus twisted to his front, leaning forwards to place another kiss on Charlotte's lips, "dear me darling you're insatiable," he had a grin on his lips right now, he looked like a child telling a joke, so eager to hear the laughter that he forgot the pretence of it all, he loved teasing her because he loved the smile that followed.
Charlotte pushed his head away playfully, fighting back a grin as she replied, "Nik, I'm being serious. What happens now?"
Klaus stayed still, he was watching her brow furrow again and he wished it would stop just a little longer. He still hadn't decided what he'd do about her brothers, he didn't know what course of action was best, he couldn't let them live after such a blatant attempt on his and his family's life. Klaus wasn't exactly the merciful type but he knew if he hurt them he'd lose Charlotte again and he wasn't sure if he could risk it.
"Now we get cleaned up," Klaus told her, finally tearing himself from the bed and towards the bathroom. He could hear Charlotte calling after him but he ignored her, turning the taps of the bath on and filling it.
"Nik," Charlotte whined playfully, "come back I'm bored and cold."
Klaus still enjoyed the way her breath caught in her throat when he sped in front of her appearing in an instance, "Well, we can't have that now darling, can we."
This was the Klaus that won her over, he was so playful and cheeky, kind and caring, she liked the grin he gave her each time their eyes met. Klaus scooped her up and Charlotte let out a squeal of surprise, she wasn't particularly used to being carried and so when he pulled her up into his arms she wasn't quite sure the correct protocol.
They were in the bathroom and her eyes finally landed on the ornate bathtub rapidly filling with both bubbles and hot water. Klaus had briefly considered placing her directly in the bathtub but the possibilities of one of them slipping and Charlotte getting hurt crossed his mind and so instead he set her down on her feet in front of him. This solution was definitely the winner it seemed because not only did he get to watch as Charlotte climbed carefully into the tub, he also got to watch as she flipped her head upside down to tie her now loose hair on top of her head in a tight bun.
Charlotte and Klaus were both in the bathtub, sitting on opposite ends and facing each other, Charlotte had unsurprisingly curled into a ball whilst Klaus had spread out, his feet tickling either side of her. She was watching him now and he looked so serene, his cheeks were tinted ever so slightly pink from the heat of the bath and he had a slight sheen on his face from the steam flowing up around them. His arms lay on the sides of the bath and his head had fallen back to lean against the wall while his eyes fluttered shut with contentment.
