Eventually, I ended up falling asleep in Klaus' arms, never letting go even once. It was also the first time since coming to New Orleans that I didn't have a dream-memory-thing. It was a foreign feeling that I never thought I would feel again. I had grown accustomed to waking up in agony and in tears, and when I awoke to warmth and comfort, it was a bit of a shock. Especially when a kind, gentle, soft sounding Klaus Mikaelson was the first thing to greet me.

"Good morning..." He near whispered, stroking my kinky curls softly, watching me with kind, sympathetic eyes.

"What's so good about it?" I asked groggily.

The Hybrid just said nothing as I rolled over onto my side, resting my head on his thigh whilst he continued petting my hair down. Honestly? I hadn't felt this relaxed in a while. And I just murdered a teenager.

"How did you sleep?" Klaus asked after a little more silence.

And without so much as peaking up at him, I kept my eyes closed and mumbled an answer to the man.

"I haven't slept that well since before I discovered I had magic," I explained. "Things were so much simpler back then, weren't they? Didn't have a worry in the world except wondering what the fuck I'm going to do when I'm eighteen after being kicked out of the orphanage. But, then again, who doesn't worry what they're going to do after eighteen?"

"...No dreams?" He asked quietly, sounding slightly relieved.

"Not tonight." I sighed. "But you never know. I could get double tonight. You know, to make up for lost time."

I couldn't exactly see him, that being because of my shut eyes, but I could feel his mood change. The atmosphere of the room changed. It was more somber ― I know it sounds completely "cliché witch" of me, but I could just feel it. I felt the hurt. The pain. It sent a shiver down my spine.

"I don't wish for you to feel pain or come to harm either," Klaus confessed. "You've done so much for me... For my family... And all you have gotten in return is an impossible weight to carry upon your shoulders."

"Did Eli set you up to say this?" I asked. "Because if so, I don't want a goddamn teleprompter left in my apartment. So, please, be sure to take that with you when you're done here."

"My brother hasn't set me up to do anything." He spoke honestly. "I came because I saw what you did for me, and I know your burden, as I, myself, was the one who has added the most to it. And for that, I am sorry."

At this, I opened one of my eyes and looked at him, trying to see if he actually meant a single word of what he said. And to my shock, he did. He was telling nothing but the truth.

"No," I said quietly, shaking my head. "You're, like, the second biggest contributor. I would say the ancestors are the biggest pains in my asses at the moment."

Klaus let out a deep chuckle and continued to let me lay in his lap, content and comfortable.

"What did you love most about her?" I asked, looking at my fingers as I weaved a bit of purple stardust in between them. "Your sweet Ophelia?"

Klaus' breath hitched slightly, just barely loud enough for me to hear it. He swallowed, then averted his eyes to my fingers as well.

"Everything." He said solemnly. "I loved everything..."

"Oh, come on," I muttered. "There had to be something that stuck out to you the most, regardless of whether you loved everything about her or not. There's always something."

"She had this aura about her." He spoke, seeming more distant with each word. "She was fierce. Fearless. Intellectual. And she, too, held great powers. Although it was no comparison to yours, it was still a great deal more than most who shared her gifts. She was a warrior. She fought for what she saw right, and for her family. And, boy, did her battle cry deafen those who opposed her."

I laughed and continued to play with my little piece of the universe, making it wax and wane in the palm of my hand.

"She had the liveliest spirit I'd ever seen," he continued. "And... I think that's what I miss most about her."

"How'd you meet?" I asked again, looking up into his pretty blue eyes.

At this question, he smiled. A real, genuine smile. My guess was that this was his favorite story to tell.

"I was taking some time for myself," He said, shaking his head in embarrassment. "I was traveling, and for some reason thought it'd be a good idea to wander through the forest just outside the village I had arrived in. I wanted to explore. So that I did. And out of nowhere, I heard a cry, and then there was a spear thrown at me, just barely missing my head. And there she was, standing there in all of her glory, trying to kill me."

"I thought you would have had her killed before she had the chance to even lift her spear," I chuckled. "And besides, if she possessed magic, why was she a warrior?"

"Because she saw nobility in the fight. She had something to fight for. Much like you, no?" Klaus answered, sounding proud. "And I usually would have, but there was something about her. She was... special. I could feel it. I reckon she felt it too, because the next thing you know, we're in love."

I smiled at that, thankful to whatever powers that be in the world that he got a shot at love in his lifetime. Everyone needs that in their life, especially those as far damaged as one Klaus Mikaelson. He needed it more than anyone.

"Did you ever marry?"

Klaus chuckled and shook his head, as if the idea was totally dismissable right off the bat.

"Where she came from, marriage wasn't something that was necessary. In fact, she didn't even believe in it. She loved me, yes, but she would always love something more. Her freedom." He explained, smiling softly. "She belonged to no one. No man, no god, no country, no coven, no husband, no wife, no world. She was free, and she would strike down all those who attempted to strip her of such."

Then, it was silent for a while. The air was thick with the unasked question of mine, the question that I had so far avoided, as he. We both knew what I was going to ask, and I suppose that Klaus just saved me from asking it.

"There was a battle." He whispered, no longer having that certain sparkle in his eye, nor his smile. Just a dull sense of a void that consumed us. "It was us against an army of witches. We were able to hold them off for a while, but... Her powers got weaker with time. She overexerted herself, leaving herself vulnerable to attacks. And attacked she was. Even still, she used her last bits of power to protect me. To protect us... I think you know what happened next."

I nodded solemnly, now feeling fifty shades of pitiful for the man whose lap I was currently resting on.

"What about you?" Klaus forced himself to ask. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Can't say that I have, actually," I whispered in reply. "Never really got a chance to love or be loved in my life."

"How do you mean?"

"We all know I'd never been adopted, but you don't exactly know the details of such." I chuckled, thinking back on the multiple places I'd been moved. "I was the eldest person there, and that was hard. Seeing all the babies and little kids be welcomed into brand new loving home with two parents and a dog named Fido or something. At first, I had hope for myself. I mean, I'd been there since the day of my fucking birth. Someone had to take me in, right? Wrong. No one ever did. So I was left alone all my life, slowly becoming independent and not even caring anymore. Then I started blowing up shit with my mind, and that's when things took a turn. And a little while later, I was being hunted for being the 'Coven-less Queen'. Which, by the way, is a totally lame sounding title, and kinda just rubs in the fact that I don't have a family in my face. Also, it has the worst ring to it I have ever heard."

"Wait. If you were never adopted, where did the last name Armstrong come from?" Klaus asked curiously.

"That? Oh, well, I kinda hit this big Green Day phase once upon a time, and there we go." I said jokingly. "But, honestly? I don't really know where it came from. I think when I was a baby they kind of just... Gave me a last name. But fortunately, it wasn't something lame, like Mikaelson or something. Could you imagine that? I already have kind of a fucked first name, but with a dorky last name to go with it? Ew. Ophelia Mikaelson. Now that's just gross."

Klaus rolled his eyes at me with a small, wolfish grin on his tired features. But, once again, it settled into a sad expression, a frown replacing the small piece of sunshine.

"I-I'm sorry to switch the subjects back to such dark topics, but... Is... Is there any way to... channel her?" He asked tentatively, as if he was afraid of my answer.

And, in the heat of the moment, I decided that although this guy did not deserve a lot of things in life, but one thing he did deserve was a little bit of time with his fallen beloved. Even if she was using my body with a completely lucid me still inside of it. But it's a small sacrifice that I am willing to make.

"I don't know," I answered, making his face fall even further. "...But I'm always down for a good challenge."