Empath ‣ Klaus Mikaelson [1]

Forty-Two

Talia watched in awe as her fiance painted in the study, a concentrated look plastered onto his face as his hand drifted across the canvas. She couldn't quite tell what he was painting yet, but it still looked great. Perhaps it was abstract. She did not fail to notice the excessive use of the black oil paints, wondering if it was a stylistic choice or if he had been seeing the world more darkly after Finn died.

"It looks lovely," Talia complimented, standing up and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Thank you," Klaus responded, still working with his paints.

"Thinking hard?" she asked.

"I am," he replied. "Once Rebekah gets hold of the last stake, I want to get out of town."

"Wait, what?"

She saw him stop painting at the sound of shoes tapping against the floor. Talia turned around and saw Rebekah, still holding herself in a manner that was just a bit unlike herself. 

"What took you so long?" Klaus asked.

"Alaric didn't want to hand over the stake," Rebekah replied, holding the stake in her hand. "Luckily, I'm quite the charmer."

"That's it?" he asked.

"The last of the white oak stakes that can kill us," she said. "Do you want to do the honors or shall I?"

Klaus took the stake she held out and tossed it into the fire, watching as the flames rose with a tiny smile.

"Well, that's that, then."

"Pack your bags," he said. "We're leaving."

"Today?" she asked.

"Why not?" he responded. "There's nothing keeping us here. Talia will pack, we'll grab the doppelganger, and be off by sunset."

"But tonight's the decade dance."

"So?"

"So I'm the head of the committee. We have to go."

"I'm not going to any dance."

"Please? Talia will go."

"Um, since when, Bekah?" Talia asked. "I'm not crashing a high school dance, especially a Mystic Falls Decade Dance. I hear they end up disastrous for everyone."

"Please? I have big plans for tonight."

"Fine," Klaus conceded. "I'll go."

"And Talia?"

"I don't want to be the pathetic grown up hanging around high school kids because my life has no fulfillment."

"I'm insulted."

"Oh my God, that is so not what I meant at all." She chuckled. "I mean, like, I went to high school there and I don't wanna look like the adult pining to go back. You know, the ones that supply alcohol and drugs to the kids to seem cool."

Klaus chuckled. "You won't look like that."

"Still."

"It's 20s themed," Rebekah said. "Come on. It'll be fun."

"Why not?" Klaus conceded. "One last hurrah."

"One last hurrah," Rebekah echoed, giving Talia puppy dog eyes. "Please, Talia?"

Talia sighed. "Fine, but I'm chaperoning. Not partying. Someone has to be the responsible adult."

Rebekah smiled and rushed upstairs, Talia sat back down and huffed.

"We're leaving?" Talia asked Klaus.

"There's nothing keeping us here," Klaus said.

"Maybe for you, but I have my mom and Caroline," she responded. "I wanna see Caroline graduate and for my mom to maybe fall in love again. I want to see Caroline get married. Even though this town sucks and has caused me...us a lot of pain, I still have family here. I-I can't leave yet."