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"Where there is a flame someone's bound to get burned." 

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A DAY  has passed since James discovered there was in fact only one dosage of the cure, meaning between Rebekah, Stefan and Elena, only one of them was going to have the satisfaction of being human again. As much as I hate the fact of my brother taking the cure, I want him to have it. He deserves happiness, although I know that if he knows there's only one cure, he'll never take it. He'll leave it for Elena.

My mind keeps drifting to James as well who had expressed interest in the cure. I know however that as long as I don't want it, he won't take it either as it means only one of us can become human. However, I know deep down he doesn't stand a chance at having at, and that makes me feel even more guilty. I want him to get everything he wants; he deserves just as much. 

Bonnie's spell has been holding strong by keeping Klaus contained, but that however didn't stop Klaus from making threats, specifically towards Tyler.

"Can you please let Tyler go freely? You don't need to satisfy yourself by killing another one of your hybrids, not to mention your only one left," I plead while holding Theo in my arms.

Joel and I took the responsibility of watching Klaus this afternoon since James was busy helping Tyler figure out where to go. Klaus wants him dead which means he has to go on the run. With James being one thousand years old, he knows the best places around the world to escape.

"I don't expect you to understand my reasoning Blair. My ways are too bad for you to understand," Klaus states slyly.

"Are you really mad about yesterday?" I scoff, noticing how he managed to incorporate my reference from yesterday.

"What happened yesterday?" Joel asks while casually eating a sandwich he made from the ingredients found around Elena's kitchen.

"Nothing," I grumble.

"Oh, well yesterday Blair and I had a little chat. Cleared the fog between us. We're good now right Blair?" Klaus asks.

"Peachy," I scowl, not wanting to elaborate more to Joel about what was discussed yesterday when he wasn't here.

To be completely honest I never will be good with Klaus. All the things he's done will stick with me forever, but I have learned to tolerate him much like James and Joel have. I don't respect who he has become as a person and who he is know, but I understand that he wasn't born evil. His parents made him into a monster, like they did Elijah and the rest of the originals when they turned them into vampires. And for that, I am understanding.

"Please Klaus, Caroline needs Tyler. She loves him, and he has a full life ahead of him. Caroline is my best friend, and I am asking you to let Tyler go," I say, trying one last time to get through to Klaus.

"Sorry, love. Tyler Lockwood turned all my hybrids against me, led them into chaos which ended up in all their deaths; he tried to plot to kill me and he sided with some Hayley who was working with Professor Shane to raise Silas. There's a lot of negative things shining off of that wolf, and I plan to end him," Klaus growls, standing confidently against the barrier of the prison he's in.

"I think when this is all over, we should sign you up for some anger management classes," Joel remarks, standing opposite to Klaus while safely outside the border.

"You know what I think Branson?" Klaus questions deviously.

"Joel," I warn, not liking where this is going, not to mention how incredibly close Joel is standing to the border.

"What Niklaus?" Joel asks, pushing Klaus further to the edge of explosion.

Before I can step in front of Joel, Klaus grabs a near by lamp stand, stabbing Joel in the stomach before pulling him into the space, his fangs bared and ready to bite Joel in the neck.

"NO!" I yell, when suddenly Klaus freezes, his fangs inches away from Joel's neck. It's as if somebody pressed the pause button, but only on Klaus.

As Klaus stays frozen, Joel scrambles out from his grasp and outside his confinement as we both watch in awe at the scene unfolding in front of us. Once Joel steps foot outside the living room, Klaus unfreezes and instead begins to crumple to the ground in pain. His head is clutched in his hands as if from some pain infliction spell, but there's no witch here.

And then I realize I'm holding a witch in my arms.

"Oh my god," I gasp, nudging Joel in the arm.

Joel pulls out the lamp stand from his stomach before turning to me, shocked just as much as I am. "It's Theo. He's doing this to Klaus," I whisper, watching as Theo just stares at Klaus who is now crying on the ground in pain. Theo is causing all of that harm to Klaus with nothing but a thought in his mind. No spells, no movement, only thought. He wanted to protect Joel, he wanted to protect the ones he loves.

It's beautiful really, but before I have time to think of what to say Klaus begins to cough up blood.

"Blair?" Joel questions, watching as Klaus pukes the red liquid all over Elena's carpet.

I scrunch my brows in confusion as I look down at Theo only to see he's still staring directly at Klaus. Theo's not stopping. Instead he just keeps causing Klaus pain, pushing as far as his little magic abilities will go, and so far, that seems like infinity.

"M-make it s-stop," Klaus yells in between coughs of blood.

Sighing, I turn Theo away from Klaus and pick him up high, bringing him to my eye level. "That's enough Theodore," I say, looking him sternly in his baby blue eyes.

He stares back at me and grips on a few strands on my hair as suddenly Klaus stops yelling. I slowly turn around to see Klaus struggling to get up, the spell no longer affecting him as Theo has stopped.

"I don't think he likes you very much," I grin as Klaus wipes the blood from his mouth.

Klaus only scowls as I head to the kitchen to fix Theo and I some lunch.

∆ ∆ ∆

The sun has just started to set, and I begin to get a little edgy and worried that all hell has broken loose on the island. I left Stefan several messages, all of which he has failed to return a call to.

So many things could have gone wrong. Rebekah could have taken the cure and stolen it from everybody else. Professor Shane could have lied about the whole thing just to awaken Silas, or worse, use the cure on Silas, letting it go to waste. As legend goes, that was the only reason the cure was made in the first place. 

Joel sits across from me on the kitchen stool playing god knows what on his phone while Theo and I read a picture book together. The only children's book I could find in Elena's house was 'Green Eggs and Ham', which I hear is a classic.

"You've never read that book before?" Klaus asks from where he's seated inside his confined quarters.

"I've never really read it personally, but I've heard ravishing things about it," Klaus continues when I don't respond. I know all too well he's just bored, as the rest of us are.

"Do you hear something?" I ask Joel.

Joel looks up from his phone and tilts his head to the side. "No. Must be some rats in the ceiling," he shrugs.

"We should get that checked," I say.

Joel nods. "Yeah, we should." 

"Alright, I get it. You three can't ignore me forever. Once this spell lifts, I'll be out of town in search of Mr. Lockwood," Klaus says, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Too bad he'll be half around the world before you get out," Joel snickers.

I conjure up a laugh as Theo suddenly begins to cry, altering my attention from the book to him. I pick him up and cradle him against my chest, patting his back soothingly as I stand up to bounce lightly on my step.

"Oh the joys of parenting. Of course I wouldn't know. I'm not a parent and mine weren't good ones," Klaus says with a sly chuckle. "Tell me, Blair, what made you decide to keep him?" 

"I'm not keeping him. I'm giving him a home until the adoption agency can find him a new one," I explain as Theo stops crying.

"Ah," Klaus says. "Do you want to give him away? Or are you too scared of yourself? Too scared that you'll just end up ruining him?" Klaus asks, knowing all too well how to get on my nerves.

"You want to zip it, Mikaelson?" Joel snaps, defending me.

"Don't get me wrong here. You seem to be doing an outstanding job Blair. But tell me, when the time comes, and they've found him a new home, are you going to be able to give him up?" Klaus asks sincerely.

I glare at him, but quickly turn away knowing he's right. I've never really thought that far ahead. It's always been about saving Theo and giving him a home. I never intended to keep him for life, nor did I ever think that was a good idea.

Thankfully the house phone rings, breaking the tension building up inside of me and directing our attention to something else.

Joel gets up and picks up the phone, greeting the other person. Several seconds later he passes the phone to me. "It's for you," he says.

"Hello?" I greet.

"Blair. How are you? How's everything going?" Stefan asks on the other line.

At the sound of his voice my heart jumps out of my chest, my eyes widening in surprise. "Stefan! Everything is going.... the best you could expect I guess. How are you? Did you find the cure yet?" I ask.

"Shane just led us to the cave and we're searching for it now. I just wanted to return your calls before we come out the other end. We should be back tomorrow morning," Stefan says.

"Okay," I say. "Hey Steff, I know there's only one dosage, so before you do anything maybe we should all talk about it here first." 

"Yeah, we figured that out. We'll think of what to do with it when we have it," he says, but I can tell he doesn't agree with me. "We came out here for Elena."  

"I know that Stefan, but-," Suddenly there's a sudden crash on the other line, making me jump slightly.

"Got to go, sorry Blair. I'll call you when it's done," Stefan says.

"Wait! Is everything okay?" I ask, but he's already hung up.

Sighing in frustration, I put back the phone and walk outside to the front patio, Joel following behind me.

"Here," I say, passing Theo off to him. "Can you take him home for me please? I need some time to think, and someone needs to stay here with him," I say, referring to Klaus.

"I know you don't want Stefan to take it, and that's perfectly fine Blair. He's your brother," Joel says, placing a hand on my shoulder. 

"Did you know James wanted to take it?" I ask. 

Surprisingly, Joel nods. "Yea, he mentioned it briefly. We brothers do talk ya know." 

"Would you take it? If it was offered?" I ask him. 

"Nah, the human life isn't for me. Being a vampire is more fun," he says, nudging my elbow playfully. 

I know he's trying to keep things light, but this is something that's been bugging me. "You've never thought about what it would be like to have to actually fight to stay alive, to actually grow old and to actually have a family?" 

"I have a family now, one that will be around for a long, long time," he says. "So no, I've never thought about it. Have you?" 

I shake my head, feeling slightly embarrassed. "No I haven't. Is that bad?" 

He lets out a small chuckle. "No, it's not a bad thing, Blair. You do what you want." 

"But what about James? He said he would take it if it was offered-" 

"You and I both know none of us are getting that cure, so all this talk about 'would you take it' is nothing but a fantasy. In a perfect world we would all be human, but we're not. We deal with the cards we've been dealt. James and I were forced into vampires and so were you. We've made the best of it. James saying he would take it is just him exploring what life could've been, not what it has turned into. I guarantee that if taking the cure meant losing you eventually, he wouldn't do it in a million years," Joel says. 

I purse my lips and nod, not wanting to say anything more knowing Klaus might as well be listening. Joel takes Theo from my arms, turning to walk to James's truck when suddenly the front door of Elena's house opens.

Klaus walks through the door, trotting like a free man as he stops in front of us. "It appears something's happened to your dear friend Bonnie," he says nonchalantly, the spell keeping him contained broken.

"Oh my god," I say, recalling the phone call with Stefan moments earlier. Something's not right, I can feel it. Something has gone wrong.

Klaus walks up to me rather urgently before abruptly stopping about a foot away from me. I stay frozen in place as Joel watches cautiously from the sidelines with Theo.

"I would like to thank you Blair for being honest with me. I know I was never in the right place to do all those terrible things to you, and I know this is no where near close to making up to it, but I sure hope it's a start," Klaus says, causing me to become confused.

"What are you talking about?" I question lowly, not daring to move out of curiosity and fear of where this is going.

"Blair Salvatore, I would like you to remember all the memories I compelled away from you all those years ago," he says, making my blank mind fill rapidly with sliding pictures of the parts of me I've been missing for 145 years.

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[completed & edited: 09/07/2021]