n// look how perfect she is wow

"How dare you?!" I asked, throwing my chalice at the wall in rage. "How could you?!"

"It had to be done." Klaus said monotonously, still covered in blood and looking absolutely murderous. "Feelings don't matter at this point. They were a threat, and they had to be vanquished."

"They were my family!"

"I am your family!" He roared. "They are the people that just died in their efforts of trying to kill the both of us. The people that have been jealous of your power since you were born. The people who want to take you from me! The people who would rather see you dead than happy. They are not your family. I am."

"You don't know a thing about family." I bit back. "You claim that you do, and that family is the only thing that matters to you. And yet, here you are, keeping that same family in boxes, toting them around because you got angry at them or they wronged you in some sort of way. So if I'm your family just as much as they are, will that be my fate if I defy you, too?"

"I would never hurt you, and we both know this!" He shouted before trying his hardest to calm down so that he could formulate a coherent sentence. "I know you're mad, and I know that you are beyond your own feelings at my actions. But like it or not, they were going to hurt you in ways that I simply cannot allow due to my feelings for you, my Sweet Ophelia. Things that cannot be simply undone. So guess what? That makes me one hell of a better family member than those people of whom you barely know. So, yes. I killed them. I slaughtered them all and reveled in their screams for what they attempted on your life. I made sure they suffered and I don't regret a single thing, nor will I ever do such. Even if you hate me right now, or even for the next hundred years, it won't matter. Because I did the right thing in killing them, and I would do it a million times over if it ensured your safety."

"You will always find a way to defend your actions, Niklaus." I growled, walking away. "You can never just admit, for once, that you're wrong. I could have handled this on my own, and we both know it."

"I do what I do in service of those I love," He responded. "And I will do nothing less."

I woke up with a start, clutching my head and chest, not ready for the feelings of excruciating pain caused by yet another flashback. It'd been a few days since I had gotten one, seeing as Klaus and Elijah spend more time in my apartment than theirs, and Dylan and I have been getting closer and closer with each passing day, so I'd never really slept. Just shallow naps and a lot of coffee. I mean, I really should have seen it coming. The only person that can really prevent the dreams from happening is Klaus, and eventually, he went home to do... Well, whatever the hell Klaus Mikaelson really does. Apparently, however, one of his main hobbies includes slaughtering his lover's entire townsfolk and reveling in their screams.

Old me sure does know how to pick 'em.

Fighting back the tears, I grabbed my phone off of the bedside table and quickly selected the man of the hour's ICE contact, trying my hardest not to wake up the whole of New Orleans with my cries of agony.

"Ophelia?" Klaus asked upon answering, sounding confused. "Is everything alright?"

"N-No," I gasped out. "Not o-okay."

And as if the metaphorical light bulb in his pretty, evil little head went off, he was struck with the realization of what was happening.

"I'll be right there, just hold on, okay?"

"I-I don't s-see why I would d-do anything else, b-b-but whatever you―"

And before I could even finish my sentence, my door was over-dramatically thrown open and in walked in a rabid looking Klaus, ready to save the day. Rushing to my side, he was quick to slide behind me so that his back was against the headboard and that my back was against his chest, he cradled me and did whatever sweet little nothings he could to get my pain to subside. And, as always, it worked. Soon enough, the pain had subsided into a dull, pulsing ache that still hurt like a bitch, but was manageable.

"God, why did you have to date a psycho?" I groaned as he held me. "And why did you have to slaughter her whole village?"

He seemed shocked at first at my statement, seeming to have just remembered the incident of which I just dreamed.

"Because they posed a threat on the only thing I ever found so dear." He spoke after a moment.

"Cute, but you still massacred her whole community."

"And had I not, she would have died before we had truly had a chance to discover how deeply our love truly ran."

Groaning a little, I rubbed my temples, trying to relieve some of the pain before speaking again.

"Would that have been such a bad thing?" I asked sarcastically, making sure he knew that I was kidding. I didn't want to have to deal with an angry Klaus on top of everything. "I mean, look at us. Well, more specifically me, but that's beside the point. Your psycho ex is in my head, I'm plagued with painful memories that feel like nothing short of hell, you seem to be the only cure for those dreams, and I'm seeing my own damn boss. This is not how I pictured my twenties to be going."

"Well, had it not been for that event―"

"I wouldn't exactly call a massacre an 'event', Klaus-y boy."

"Fine. Had it not been for that massacre, you probably wouldn't even be sat here right now."

"Again, you keep saying these things like they're bad."

"You're insufferable."

"I'm your best friend."

"Are not."

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Prove it!"

And suddenly, I was being kissed.