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↳ 029, heart of darkness

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𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆. It had been three days since her brother had died and she couldn't focus on anything. Not even the dance Caroline was supposedly in charge of nor the mission to find Jeremy and have him locate the spirit of a vampire named Rose.

There was just too much going on.

Police had arrived at Naya's home sometime after she'd set it on fire three days ago. Sheriff Forbes had come to her privately, discussed what had happened to her brother and all she could do was nod her head. Play the victim.

But wasn't she the victim? It was her brother who was dead.

Naya had been at school, sobbing into the arms of some girl Colette couldn't recognize the day after the tragedy. Her wailing sobs made her the perfect mark for attention but only if she knew how the police were coming up with a case against her.

It wasn't much, but Liz told Colette as much as she could. Naya was their prime suspect for Tommy's death and the house fire after finding the cause of the fire being the pillow inside the oven and the gas stove turned on. It also seemed, thanks to Liz's handle on the case film and insider scoop with the medical examiner, that Tommy's cause of death was stabbing. His body had been badly burned when the fire department arrived, no one could see his true death.

Not like Colette had. No one would ever see what she had.

The grayness, the coldness, the stillness.

He'd been obsessed and cruel to the very end. It was only the emotion creeping up his skin and into his eyes that she could see the fear, she could sense he was regretful. But was regret the same as remorse? Was he at all ashamed of what he'd done to her? To their family?

He'd been her brother, her blood, but did that really matter at all?

Colette had tried to keep the news of her brother's demise a secret but once it reached headline news and the papers, the gossip was too much to control.

"Elena and Damon left," said Stefan, walking into her bedroom. She glanced at him from over her shoulder, she'd been standing at her dresser lost in complete thought.

"Okay," she muttered, trying to find a way to relax her shoulders as she pulled out a shirt to wear. She wasn't going to bother herself with school but she figured she'd get dressed. It was time to ditch the pajamas.

Stefan didn't leave like she thought he would and she glanced at him for the second time with a frown. "What do you want?"

"Come with me," he said, motioning with his head for her to follow him. "Let me keep you distracted."

She turned, putting a hand on her hip. "If your idea of distraction is seeing Alaric, then count me out. He's so moody down there." Turns out Alaric's evil side personality had taken his white oak stake and hidden it and the only way to keep evil Alaric from going rogue and killing off their entire bloodline, he was stuck inside the Salvatore cells in the basement. "And it smells, can't you let him out for a shower every now and then?"

"It's only been three days," said Stefan, rolling his eyes. "He doesn't smell, you're just making excuses and hey, that's fine, but if you're going to sulk and pout like a baby, do it somewhere else. You're bringing down our mood here."

She narrowed her eyes. "If I go with you to see Alaric, will you finally leave me alone?"

He shrugged. "Depends on if you're really okay or not."

Her narrowed eyes turned into a glare. "I think you already know your answer."

"Come on," he said, this time with a sigh as she began to approach him. "I promised him a drink."

On their way to the basement, Stefan grabbed two glasses as Colette picked the finest bourbon from their collection (in reality, she chose the cheapest; she wanted to see throats burn). She'd only been in the basement a few times and she really should just call it a dungeon but dungeon made it sound creepy and she didn't need anything else haunting her here.

Stefan stopped outside the closed cell, peaking through the bars where Alaric lay with his hands folded behind his head on a cot.

"Do you know how hard it is to fall asleep when that's what you're supposed to do?" asked the man, opening his eyes and shifting his weight against his pathetic bed. It seemed he had even tried to read because a book lay open on his chest but somehow, Colette couldn't believe he'd be relaxed enough for that.

"Well, look, I know it's not easy," said Stefan, "so, Damon suggested I bring you to help speed up the process."

Colette stepped up beside Stefan and held up the bottle. "Drinks and annoying company should do the trick."

Alaric grunted, sitting up as he said, "Yeah, what the hell."

Colette noticed Stefan's smile as he opened the cell door and went inside, pulling two crates up to the cot for them to sit on. She followed him inside, slightly more cautious because she hadn't exactly met Alaric's evil side and she didn't know how easy it would be for her to spot the difference. Would he smell different?

She handed him the bottle and he looked at it in his hands as he spoke. "You know, I'll feel decidedly less pathetic if I don't drink alone."

"Already one step ahead of you," said Stefan as he placed the crates down. Alaric opened the bottle and Stefan held out his glass and hers for him to pour the golden liquid. Once their glasses were full, they cheered silently and drank.

It burned her throat only for a second and it satiated any hunger she might've had moments before. She didn't remember the last time she'd fed properly. Having a sip from a blood bag didn't count, mostly because it had been a small little sip between tears in her room.

Alaric cleared his throat, placing the bottle down. "So, uh, road trip, huh?"

Stefan made a face and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I, uh, needed to stay here."

"And what about you?" Alaric's eyes were on her.

"Didn't want to be a third wheel." Truth be told, she hadn't been asked to go, nor did they say goodbye.

Alaric eyed them strangely before he settled back on Stefan. "Why you? Why do you need to stay here? It doesn't take much to babysit me while I sit here waiting for a psychotic break."

"Well, unfortunately, we only have a limited amount of time," said Stefan.

"Before what?"

"Before we have to resort to other methods."

Alaric leaned forward, his forearms against his knees. "So you're worried you're going to have to torture it out of me." Stefan raised his brows and didn't say anything. "And you don't think Damon could've done that?"

"Look," he sighed, "Elena needed to go on that road trip with Damon. No matter what I go through to get her back...fighting my blood lust, trying to gain control of my life again...none of that matters if she has feelings for someone else."

Colette wanted to choke on her drink. Last time she'd truly checked, Elena was still madly in love with Stefan, so...when did that change? Did Damon and her have a moment she wasn't aware of? Or was this because of Rebekah's strange compulsory dream she'd forced upon him while peeling back his skin and draining him?

"Damon...he..." Alaric shook his head. "Things are different between them now since the start of the year."

All those times Colette had smelled lust pooling from Damon, it made sense for her to think it was because of Elena but what if she had been wrong? She looked down into her drink, sloshing the liquid around in a small circle. There was no point in having false hope, not when it was so quick to die.

Quick to rot away.

She felt eyes on her and she glanced up, meeting Alaric's strange gaze. "It's because of you, you know. You've changed him."

"Not by much," she muttered, holding her hand out for the bottle as she downed what was left in her glass. She gulped it down smoothly, licking her lips. "He's still a dick."

He shrugged back, pouring more into her glass and she wondered how much more it would take for him to pass out.

It clearly wasn't enough because he was still sitting up and talking over an hour later.

"You think they got Jeremy by now?"

"They should," said Stefan, now sitting up against the wall on the floor. "Haven't heard anything from them yet." He sighed deeply. "Elena's worried about him, now that she can't rely on his ring anymore."

"Who knows," said Alaric, fiddling with his own ring, "maybe his alter ego's a pot-smoking, hippie pacifist."

Stefan laughed softly but Colette couldn't find herself to even smile. Alaric should've been knocked cold by now, or at least a little tipsy. There was an inch left in the bottle and it had been relatively full when they arrived here.

"I can't say I thought mine would be so hostile and militant."

"Actually, it makes perfect sense," said Stefan with a lazy smile. "Your wife left you to become a vampire and your girlfriend was killed by one."

Alaric's hands clasped together. "He must really hate me. Here I am, the failed hunter-slash-drinking buddy of vampires."

"At least we can keep up with you," muttered Colette, raising her glass. "Not so fun when your drinking buddy is already on the floor."

Stefan nodded. "He's too judgmental."

Alaric shook his head, not looking at them but rather the ring on his hand. "The thing is...he's me. I'm not compelled, I'm not possessed. There's no humanity switch. What drives him...is me."

Colette rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, dramatic much?" as Stefan shook his head and murmured, "No. No, he's not you. He's the darkest parts of you. Parts we all have."

A smell slithered into the room and Colette became much more alert as a new voice filled the room.

"Well, this is depressing, isn't it?"

Stefan stood just as she did.

"Oh, and I found this upstairs," said Klaus, holding up one of the white oak stakes Stefan was waiting to give to him. "Now, by my count, there should be one more."

Stefan narrowed his eyes into a glare. "Yeah, well, it's going to take a little more time."

"Why, because we're waiting for that one to pass out?" he asked, motioning to Alaric who slowly stood. "No, thanks. I think I'll just kill him."

"Then you won't know the location of the other stake," said Stefan with a smug grin.

"If he dies," said Colette, her glass by her side in a tight grip, "then what happens if someone just so happens upon your precious stake? Like...one of us or someone worse?" Someone like your mother, she wanted to say but held her tongue.

"I can live with that–"

"I can't," snapped Stefan, stopping him from passing. "When we staked Finn..." She tried to hide her wince at his name. "...we discovered that killing an original vampire killed its entire bloodline. Now, I don't know which one of you I'm descended from, but I'd really rather not find out by dying. So, why don't we just find the stake, destroy it, so we can all be safe?"

"So the fate of the entire vampire race depends on you finding the stake?"

"Well, us, actually," said Colette.

"And to get it," continued Klaus with a soft glance towards her, "we must wait for this one to pass out?" Colette smelled something hungry come from him, a ripple of anger and excitement. "Then this means I feel totally justified doing this."

He raced forward and took hold of Alaric's neck in both hands, snapping it.

"There," he smiled, "sleeping like a baby." He looked back at Stefan and Colette, holding out his hand towards her. "Let's go out for a while, shall we? Just until he wakes?"

"Like...both of us?"

He shook his head at her. "Just you, love."

She looked towards Stefan and he gave her one firm nod and she let out a little breath. She tipped her glass back and finished her drink in two giant gulps before handing it off to him.

"Where do you want to go?" she asked him, knowing it would be a bad idea but she had a feeling she could find out more information. It would also keep her distracted from her own awful thoughts and allow her to hide within Klaus's power. She didn't want to run into a grieving and rageful Naya.

"My home."

Stefan stifled a laugh and she glared at him.

"Call me immediately when he wakes up," she snapped towards him and he nodded, whispering to her as she passed, "Don't drown in his sheets."

"I'll kill you," she muttered back as Klaus chuckled behind her.

She went to her room to fetch her phone and purse, surprised to find Klaus waiting for her by the front door. His hands behind his back because he never did have any other natural stance and a strange look in his eyes that read on the side of hopeful and deranged.

He offered her his arm and she brushed past him. She didn't deserve anything from him, especially after how she'd turned him down. When he opened the car door for her, she didn't speak, nor did she speak on the drive over to his house. She didn't even know why she was truly going with him since they hadn't been on true speaking terms since his mother tried to kill him and did kill her. There was no reason they should even be in the same shared space together.

But when they arrived, she still got out of the car and she still walked inside the mansion. The air was heavy when they entered and Colette held out a hand but Klaus had smelled the same thing she had.

He motioned with his head for her to follow him and she did, wordlessly. Walking through the home, they arrived in the living room and stopped dead in their tracks.

"What's going on?" murmured Klaus, his posture going stiff. "What is this?"

Colette smelled something foul, something rotten, but it wasn't coming from the body on the ground.

"She's dead," whispered Rebekah in a tone that didn't sound right coming from her. It was too soft. Too light.

Looking down at the body in front of her, Colette traced the smell through the room. It was not coming from Esther's body but rather, it was circling Rebekah. She could see the thorny vines of the aura wrapping around her and she took a small step back but pretended it was only her faltering for a moment at the sight of Esther.

But Esther was not dead. No. Colette could smell her all over Rebekah but she couldn't speak on the truth. She didn't want Klaus to harm Rebekah's body because she was only transferred over.

"What–" Colette swallowed thickly. Play it cool, she could do that. "What did you do?"

Rebekah glanced up, her cold eyes running over Colette but Esther was good. She could play this out smoothly. There was no spike in her emotions, her smell even and strong. "She was here when I arrived, told me she was dying and..." She shook her head softly. What an actress you are, Esther. What an actress indeed.

"We need to dispose of her body," snapped Klaus. "Now."

"You–you just want to throw her out?" gasped Rebekah. "She's still our mother!"

"Put her in a coffin, I don't care," he snarled back with a dismissive wave of his arm. "The bitch is dead which means she's no longer my problem."

"You can't mean that–"

"Get rid of her, Rebekah," he said, his brows narrowing as his jaw clenched and jutted forward just slightly. "I don't wish to see her when I return here." He glanced back at Colette and said in a lowered voice still tainted with rage, "Let's go."

"And why is she so much more important than mother?!" The look on Rebekah's face was pulled taut by Esther. There was disbelief in her son, her brows raised in fear, the uncoiling in her jaw from surprise. How could her beloved son turn his back so quickly?

"There's business we must discuss," he snapped back. "In case you've forgotten, sister, there's still the matter of the stakes."

"And how is she going to help?"

Colette gripped the strap of her back tightly in one hand as she took a few steps forward to stand beside Klaus. "I have a few ideas of how to get the answer out of Alaric and thought we'd run through them before rushing in head first without thinking through the consequences. Wouldn't want to accidentally wipe out the entire vampire race, would we?"

Rebekah said nothing in return but her eyes did lower back down to Esther's body. Beside Colette, Klaus took her hand in his and led her away silently. Where she thought they were going, they did not venture towards. He led her back through the house, avoiding the staircase to his bedroom and instead took her to a place she'd been only briefly.

His study. His drawing room. His studio.

Inside, she noticed a few new drawings he'd been working on resting against his large table meant for landscaping. She dropped her bag in one of the chairs and walked to the table, stopping before it to see what he'd added to his collection.

"Oh," she breathed, not sure if it was from surprise or disappointment.

"Do they not impress you?" he asked, stepping next to her. He didn't dare touch her again.

"No," she breathed, shaking her head, "they're beautiful. I...I forget that you're talented like this sometimes." She carefully picked one of the drawings up, noticing the intricate lines of Finn's strong jawline. His hair was longer here and Colette recognized it being this long when she'd first met him during their disaster of a dinner party. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Longer than you'd like to know," he said back as she lowered the paper back down.

They were all of Finn here on the table and she had the urge to ask him where he kept the rest of his drawings. Did he have portfolios spanning years? Did he sell his paintings when he got tired of them or did he simply destroy them?

"Why am I here?" she asked him in a soft voice, pressing both hands against the table to keep herself grounded. Finn's face stared up at her and all she could see in his dull and vacant eyes were Tommy's. "I know it's not to talk about Alaric and stakes, or just to keep busy."

He shifted, taking a small step away from her to keep the distance before he walked away entirely, going to the fireplace. He bent down, lighting a match he'd grabbed from the mantle and tossing it alight inside. It took several minutes before the fire grew and the warmth slowly began to spread out through the room.

"We haven't spoken for a while," he said, "just the two of us."

"There's a reason for that and you know it."

He looked back at her, his hand gripping the mantle as the fire began to cast shadows across his always brooding face. "I'm trying to change."

"Are you?" she whispered. "Just the other night you were torturing Damon. You were threatening to kill us all, wait–" She held up a finger with a stark laugh. "You still are threatening to kill us."

"I need to protect my family."

"And I get that! But you say you love me, that you want me, but you turn around and hurt the ones I love. You don't care about anything unless it benefits you." She dug her nails into the table and wondered where he kept his drawings of Caroline. She was certain there were some. He always drew the girls he wanted to impress in some way. Even if she couldn't see them right in front of her in her own hands, she could see visions of them behind her eyes. They existed and they had been burned, but he still thought of them. He thought of all his girls.

"Colette," he breathed, "please. If you'd just let me in, I'd do anything for you."

"And I don't believe you."

He looked away from her with a scowl.

"But I know you brought me here for a reason," she said, urging him to look at her again and he did. His eyes bore into hers and she thought she saw gold surrounding him. Shimmering specs of golden light. "You didn't want to do it in front of Stefan or your–your sister." Your mother is inhabiting your sister's body, she wanted to add but stopped herself. He'd find out soon enough. It wasn't her place, not yet. "So, I'm going to ask you again and you better tell me the truth. Why am I here, Klaus?"

He rubbed his jaw and she sensed a nervousness around him before he finally spoke. "I know about your brother, his true death."

Her eyes narrowed. "And what makes you think you know anything about him?"

"Although his body was damaged beyond any reasonable means because of the fire," he said, "there was a lack of blood at the crime scene. Compelling the medical examiner was easy and he told me the state of his body but don't worry...I compelled a different story for him to follow." He crossed his arms, looking at her now fully. "There was no evidence of your brother being staked or bitten by a werewolf of any kind therefore the question as to why his body was preserved in a true death beyond the fire damage was curious."

She tried to stop her glare but she couldn't help herself. Why couldn't he just stay out of her business? Her life?

"I know one of Finn's sires sired him, it was the only obvious explanation especially after what Stefan told me tonight." He shrugged, shifting from side to side. "I'd had my suspicions, especially since Sage never returned nor her own sire."

"And is there a point to all this?" she snarled. "Or are you just proving that you can't leave things well alone when they don't pertain to you at all?"

His brows faltered into a glare before he relaxed. "I'm beyond the point I was trying to make," he said in a softer voice and stepped forward towards the table. "I took care of the funds for Tommy's cremation or burial, whichever you choose. I've even covered the costs of a funeral service, if that's what you'd like as well."

Her breath stilled for a moment in her chest. She hadn't really considered such options, she hadn't thought much of all about it. In all honesty, she didn't want to do a goddamn thing. She wanted her brother's body to go unclaimed and to lay burnt and rotted for eternity in some dingy morgue or in an unmarked grave. But that was just her cruelness speaking.

Did he even deserve to be buried beside their parents?

"If this isn't something you wish to have..." said Klaus, continuing to speak once he'd realized she wasn't. "...then I'm sure I can find a better place to put my money, for you, for instance."

She sat down slowly in the stool under the table, pulling it out with one hand so she could rest for one moment. Stella and Adam did not deserve their murderer resting beside them. It seemed almost blasphemous for such a thing but they'd loved their son. Hadn't they?

Her hand went to her ear, the little earrings she'd worn since Stella had given them to her moved slightly against her lobe. She forgot about them, like most things. Like the necklace around her neck that had been gifted to her from Naya and had been secretly a daylight protector. Her eyes found Klaus's neck where it was bare of the necklace he had given her.

"Do you miss him?" she whispered, her fingers still playing with the earring.

"Who?"

"Your brother."

He moved slowly through the room, going to the small couch he had positioned against the wall to her left. There was a crate of paint supplies on one side of the leather and he took up the empty spot with a sigh. "Of course, I do." She could smell the genuineness from him. "Do you miss yours?"

"I–" The words died on her tongue and she had to swallow, dryly, to find them again. "I don't know."

Klaus rested his arms on his legs as he leaned forward. "It's okay not too, you know."

Her hands fell into her lap and she suddenly felt very vulnerable and alone where she sat. "He didn't love me," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Not–not in the way I loved him." He only wanted what I could give him, like most men in this world. "I could've...maybe I could've saved him in the end? If I had given him some of my blood before he died, it might've stopped the bloodline from attacking him."

"You and I both know it wouldn't have worked."

"But–"

"It's best not to dwell on such things," said Klaus with a sigh and she forced herself to look up and away from her hands to meet his gaze. "He would've locked you away and drained you everyday if it meant he could have power."

"He thought it would protect him from you, from all true deaths."

"And could it?"

She looked away. Her visions had shown her the truth. Not even a stake could kill them, could kill her. But was she sure it wasn't just something tricking her?

"If it did," she said slowly, finding her heart racing, "would you want it? Would you...steal it from me? Use me?"

He sighed again. "You and I both know the last time I used you, it didn't go well. Why would I do it again when I already know the outcome?"

"Fair enough."

"There's not much that can kill me, anyway," he continued. "I wouldn't need your blood."

"But what about your hybrids?"

He met her gaze and she read no deception, not lie, no burning truth. "I've come to realize that my path to a true family and power have ruined what chances I have at something I long for more."

Something stirred in her stomach. Was it hope?

"Like what?"

He bowed his head with a smile that took up his wolfish features smoothly. It was an effortless emotion for him at this moment, it came easy and blissfully.

"Would you believe me if I said it was for love?"

It was strange, because she could. His scent had given away to his truth and it was exactly how he said it. She saw no lie spark against his aura, nothing in his emotions that could tell her otherwise. It terrified her, this raw feeling of truth.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she flinched. Klaus's brows rose and watched her as she pulled the phone out and saw who was calling. With a little frown on her lips, she held up a finger and answered.

"Damon?"

"Colette," breathed the Salvatore brother. There was strangeness to his tone that was difficult to decipher over the phone. "Hi."

"What is it?" she asked, no need in beating around the bush. "Are you okay? Did you find..." She looked at Klaus and chose her words carefully. "...what you needed with Jeremy?"

"Klaus sent Kol," said Damon, "but that's not why I'm calling."

She frowned and repeated her original question, "What is it?"

"Elena...she..." She couldn't smell his emotions through the phone but she knew something was wrong. She could feel it crawl over her skin, this awful feeling. "She kissed me and I kissed her."

She froze and dread washed over her, making her stomach clench with sickness. She opened her mouth and found that it was hard to speak but she forced the words out anyway. "Why are you telling me this?" It was only a whisper, a breath in the air, but she got it out as her hand began to shake.

"Because all I thought about was you," he whispered to her and she wondered if Elena was there with him. "She was just using me to see if Stefan had been right...and I shouldn't have kissed her back, parrot, I know that but–"

"But what?" Her voice came out with a snarl and a hand touched her shoulder. She spun around, keeping her gasp to herself as Klaus looked at her with pity. He touched her face and wiped a few tears she didn't know had escaped from her blurry vision.

"But I thought of you," he repeated again and she didn't know if this was a good thing or not. He'd kissed Elena back, didn't that say something in itself? First Rebekah, now Elena, who was next? Naya? Caroline? "I couldn't keep this from you because you're–you're–"

Klaus's hand was warm against her face and she had to force herself a step back, to turn away from him.

"I'm what?" she breathed. "A distraction? A wall between you and Elena?"

"God, Colette, what?" He was scoffing, probably shaking his head.

He doesn't want you, not like he does her. You know this.

"You're everything," he said to her, desperation dripping in his voice. "I can't get you out of my head and everything that happened with Klaus and Sage and Rebekah and now Tommy, I didn't want to rush you into something you didn't want but, Colette," his breath hitched and she could feel his emotion suddenly. It poured from him. "But Elena kissed me and it's been my dream, it's been something I've thought about for the past few years but when it happened, all I could think about was how I wished it were you."

Colette nodded, maybe to herself and maybe in response to him but she wasn't sure. Klaus was too close and she could smell his own desperation, his own sadness, but here was Damon. He was saying everything she'd wanted to hear.

Klaus had loved her, he still did, and he wasn't afraid to not admit it but he'd pursued Caroline. Even if it had been for jealousy reasons, she knew he liked it. He didn't draw the people he didn't like.

But Damon was telling her he wanted her, but that didn't stop the fact that he'd kissed Elena back. He was in love with her, wasn't he?

"Colette," whispered Damon, "please, say something."

"You love her," she choked out, feeling foolish, "and I know you might want me but that doesn't–" She swallowed thickly. "But that doesn't change the fact that you love her, Damon. You've loved her all this time–"

"I don't want her," he said, fierce and unrelenting. "I want you!"

"Someone has compelled you."

You can never allow yourself to feel loved. Not for one second.

"They haven't," he snapped back. "I'm telling you the truth, it's been the truth for months, I want you Colette. You're all I've ever wanted."

"Then why did you go with her?" she asked, her words threatening to choke her. "Why not just let Stefan go with her?"

"I..." He couldn't finish the sentence.

"You thought, maybe, something would happen with her?" she asked and his silence was her answer. "You say you want me," she didn't know which man she was speaking to when she said it but it came out anyway, "but you turn around and go after someone else."

"Colette–"

"I can't do this right now."

"Colette, please."

"If you want me," she whispered, speaking to them both, "then prove it."

She ended the call and lowered the phone from her ear. Klaus's hand touched her hip gently and spun her to face him where her phone lowered more, landing against his chest.

"You want me to prove it?" he whispered and she had to look up just slightly to meet the fire in his gaze. "Fine. I'll prove it."

He dipped his head and slanted his mouth firmly against hers and everything came rushing back through her in flashes of orange and white lights. His heat wrapped itself around her and she molded herself to him and the power that exuded.

His kiss was chastising, it blazed through her. She felt her lips part for him, just enough for her to properly taste him. He pulled away only slightly to meet her heavy gaze.

"I love you," he told her, one hand against her face and she could feel the need that drew from him. "Every moment I've been with you has opened my eyes to this world. You have made it worth it, you've made me grow soft and I know I haven't shown it but...but I'm willing to show it to you now."

But are you capable of true change? Are any of you?

He bowed his head, resting his forehead against hers. "I know when this began, it was for a different purpose but I swear to you, Colette, that those motives have vanished entirely. I do not wish for that magic inside of you and I would never dare steal it. Our first few dates, I saw you in an entirely different light than before and I stopped caring about what you could do for me but rather what I could do for you."

She started to shake her head, her brows pulling together because this wasn't real. No one wanted her, they never had. "You're only saying this because Damon–"

"I've been saying this for months."

"You're threatened by him–"

"I'm threatened by you."

"You don't–you don't–" She shook her head some more because she couldn't believe this. She couldn't trust this. First Klaus, then Rebekah, then Damon, it wasn't real. None of this was genuine. Was her own smell intoxicating? Too inviting? Was she a magnet to these lies?

"Please," he whispered to her, pleading, "trust me when I tell you this."

"I–" I don't think I can.

"Please," he begged once more, leaning forward to kiss the corner of her mouth, planting another one on her cheek and then her jaw. "Colette, please, believe me."

He is not your destiny. Yours has been death since the start, do not forget this.

"I want to," she whispered but she didn't even trust herself. Her life had been circling the drain since she'd been born through spitefulness and deceit. She had been used by everyone, so what made his so special? What made Damon special then too? She'd already turned away from Rebekah but it seemed her own spirit had guided her right. Rebekah was trapped somewhere, pushed so deep down with rage and now with Esther, she never would've bent a knee for Colette. "But you love Caroline." Just like he loves Elena and Rebekah with her mother. "You don't...you don't see me, not like you do her."

And you never will.

"This isn't you talking," he told her and she believed a part of him. "This is the years of abuse, of the misguided friendships. You deserve to be loved, Colette, and I'm telling you that I love you."

Tears fell furiously down her face and she didn't want to look at him. She didn't even want to breathe. If she allowed these men to love her, she was just a tease. A vixen. Her fate had been sealed before she had been born. Her blood, her very soul, could not exist on this plane without the threat of someone discovering the truth.

"And I will continue to love you," he whispered, "until you see it. Until you believe me."

He pressed his lips to her forehead and it felt like she was burning. She was always burning.

A bell rang through the house and she flinched, Klaus's stiffening against her. He ran his hand down the back of her head and waited for a moment before the doorbell rang again and then a third time and a fourth before Klaus yelled out.

"Rebekah?!"

There was no response.

"She must be disposing of–of Esther," muttered Colette when Klaus took a step back. "I can go get the door?" It was a strange request coming from her but she knew if she stood with him like this any longer, she'd succumb dangerously.

"No," he said, shaking his head as a pounding echoed through the home. "I'll be right back."

She fell back and away from the table she'd been pressed against, watching him leave. Creeping forward, she snatched her bag from the chair and followed him slowly. Whoever was here, it seemed urgent or at least incredibly desperate.

Was it Stefan with the final stake?

She didn't show herself as he opened the door but a wave of anger rushed into the foyer. It was harsh and tasted like bitter cherries and she recognized that taste. It stung her eyes and the back of her throat and she forced herself against the wall to watch the encounter.

"Where is she?" seethed Naya and Colette could only see Klaus's strong back blocking her view. "I know she's here, I know she's with you."

"Who?" asked Klaus and she saw the relaxation spread through his shoulder blades.

"You know who."

Klaus chuckled. "I'm afraid I don't. If you're looking for my sister, she's out for the moment. Come back later?" He tried to shut the door but Naya's excellently manicured hand slammed against the wood and stopped him. Tension spread through his shoulders at her action. "I'm only going to ask this once, leech, take your hand off my door."

"I know she's here!" she screamed, her voice reaching a new level of pitch. "Bring her out, tell her to come out fucking now or I'll come in!"

"Is that a threat?"

"It can be."

"Has no one advised you properly about coming here alone?" he snarled, leaning down and Colette could feel the atmosphere change with his power. "The big bad wolf doesn't do well with uninvited guests."

"And I don't take well to egomaniacs but here we both are!" cried Naya, pushing her way past Klaus but didn't get far.

He twisted her around, wrapping one arm around her neck and the other going to the side of her face, fully prepared to tear her head from her shoulders. She was practically immobile, save for the flailing of her legs.

"Let me go," she seethed and he didn't let up.

Colette found joy watching her struggle and noticed as she tried to claw at Klaus's arms that there was an ugly red mark circling her wrist. She still hadn't fully healed.

"Are you not feeding?" asked Colette, stepping out from her hiding spot. "You really should've been healed by now, it's honestly shocking."

Naya stopped wriggling, breathing hard. "I knew you were here with your pet."

"Pet?" laughed Klaus, taking kindly to the nickname.

"Why are you here?" asked Colette, crossing her arms. She was in no mood to fight.

"You think trying to frame me for Tommy's death is going to get you anywhere?" snapped Naya, her eyes wide and crazed. She was pale, her eyes sunken and dark. She hadn't been feeding, exhaustion leaked from her. "I told you the only way you'll get rid of me is with your blood."

You control what your blood does. You control whether or not it can be taken.

"And I remember telling you to go fuck yourself. Wait." she held up a finger, thinking momentarily for dramatics. "I think I actually told you I'd rather see you dead, but either works for me."

"Tommy is dead!" cried Naya and Colette saw tears well in her eyes. "Do you not even care?!"

"Of course, I care."

"He was your brother and you're here shacking up with the guy who will get you killed! We told you what would happen, with Esther, with Ric, and with all the originals but you never listen!"

"Because you're bat shit crazy, that's why!"

Klaus let Naya go and she stumbled forward, falling to her knees on the perfect tile floors. She wore loose fitting jeans and her cardigan fell down one shoulder and she weakly pulled it back on. "Tommy is dead," she breathed through a sob. "He's dead and I haven't seen you cry for him once."

"You've been following me?"

"Of course, I have!" she cried, her hands clutching at her chest. "Your blood must be protected from–from them! From him!"

Colette stepped forward, forcing Naya to look up at her through her tears and sniffles. She eyed her cautiously, she could smell a facade easily and it was coating Naya's skin. A small smile came to Colette's face as Naya's sniffling slowed, her heaving breathing coming to a rest.

"You really thought this would trick me?" asked Colette as Naya's expression hardened, her brows furrowed deeply and her nose scrunched with her rage. "You think I wouldn't smell your deceit?" She leaned closer, her hand burning at her side. "I know you," she whispered, "I know you better than you'd ever know yourself."

"You're a bitch."

"And you know what I want?" Colette smiled softly. Naya bore her fangs and Colette's hand moved swiftly, cutting through the air. Naya's head whipped to the side and a gasp left her as the stinging swarmed her palm and fingers. "I want you fucking gone."

With her face in her hair, Naya scoffed out a weak laugh but it was only a show. It always was like some grand performance with her. Naya reared up on her legs to pounce but Klaus caught her by the back of the neck before she could jump, tossing her back and against the wall like a rag doll.

"Too predictable," he muttered, watching as she crumbled to her knees. "Has she always been like this?"

Colette walked forward until she was in line with him, nodding.

"What's all the nonsense about Esther?"

Colette glanced at him, feeling the truth bubble in her chest. "She's not really dead, you know that, right?"

Klaus looked at her and a smile came to his face. "You really think I'm that gullible? Of course, I know she's not dead. She's just biding her time, like always."

Naya groaned but got to her feet, using the wall as a crutch. "How heartwarming," she grunted. "You two are more in sync than ever."

"Arguing with an oversized mosquito can do that to us," said Colette and she noticed out of the corner of her eye a small smile coming to Klaus's lips. "I didn't kill Tommy, I did the only thing I could and sorry that you're in the crossfire," I'm not sorry, "but it had to be done."

"I loved him."

"No," scoffed Colette, "you didn't."

"I loved him!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

"He was half my fucking heart, you bitch!"

Colette narrowed her eyes. "If that's what helps you sleep at night then, by all means, Naya, keep telling yourself that. I bet it helps with the guilt, right? Knowing that you were only using him to hurt me?"

"He wanted what I did. I never manipulated him like you might think."

"Oh," Colette sighed, "I know. He told me all about it before he fucking expired. Now, can you leave? There's nothing left for us to discuss, there really never has."

Klaus stepped forward and something inside Naya flinched like a cowardly dog. "You've been putting mistrust into Colette the moment she met you. You've made her turn her back on me when you know all you've ever done is lie to her. You're lucky I don't rip your spine out right now because of all that you've done."

"No one is safe," whispered Naya. "First not from you and now your bitch witch mother. She is going to do something awful," her gaze met Colette's, "can't you feel it? I tried to tell you, days ago, but you wouldn't listen. You never listen."

Colette rolled her eyes. "Go gargle garlic, you bitch."

"You have never listened!" cried Naya, emphasizing every word as if she couldn't make it anymore clear. "You've been so ungrateful, so unworthy. I've been protecting you for years, keeping you safe and readying you for your destiny and you treat me like this?" She placed a hand on her chest, laughing as she eased herself closer to the door. "I have been a savior to you! I have been protecting you, loving you," she glared at Klaus, "more than anyone ever has. I have brought you here, readied you, and you treat me like this? You yell at me? You blame me for your misdoings? You mutilate me?"

She clutched at her wrist and Klaus's brows rose and Colette smelled pride.

"He won't save you!" she snarled once she got to the open door, standing in between the home and the darkness trying to beckon her home. "It will be me, it will be me!"

The only one who will save you is yourself.

"Drink something," said Colette, advising not her enemy but her friend as she came to close the door in her face. "Take a nap, do something because you look like shit."

Naya nodded, just softly and shortly for Colette to see. "I really did love him," she whispered, her eyes downcast and somehow, Colette knew this was real. Just slightly. "He was a good companion."

"I'm sorry he's dead."

"I should be saying that to you."

"Leave," murmured Colette, "and don't come back here, I won't be this kind the next time you show your face."

Naya nodded, taking a small step back before racing off. She always did love a dramatic exit and watching her blur and fade into the night was graceful. Colette closed the door and let it lock but did not face Klaus, not yet.

"She's sick with grief," she whispered and she felt him touch her shoulder. It was comforting. "When she comes back and we both know she will, she won't stop until she has what she wants."

"So why let her go at all?" he asked, curious. "You could've been rid of her in seconds."

Colette shrugged, finally turning. She leaned back against the door, her hands flat against the wood and her ass in a comfortable position. "You'll think I'm stupid."

"Tell me."

She looked away, gnawing on the inside of her cheek. She knew why she let her go, deep down, was because she was putting off the inevitable. She didn't want to see her last anchor to the human world be torn away and no, Elena and Bonnie did not count, and neither did Matt. Naya and Tommy had been her past, her present, and for the most part before now, her future, and now it was ending.

No, it wasn't ending, it had to end.

"I want a fair fight," she whispered to Klaus, speaking the truth. "I want her to be at her best when she realizes how much stronger I really am. I want..." She smiled. "...I want her to know she's never been in charge, not once. I'm the one who's allowed her to live, not the other way around."

"She'll hurt you."

"I know." She shrugged. "In the end, it won't really matter because she'll be dead and it'll all be over."

Klaus nodded, crossing his arms. The muscles in his arms flexed with the movement and she'd be a liar if the sight still didn't make her salivate as it had when she first met him. "All our business here will be finished once mother is dead and so is your friend." He looked at his boots as if they were more fascinating than her and her brows furrowed.

"What are you saying exactly?"

He sighed and slowly looked up to meet her worried gaze. "I know things are difficult between us but...once all of this is done, I'm leaving and I'm asking you to come with me."

"Where?" It surprised her that that was the first word to come from her mouth.

"Anywhere."

"But this house?" she breathed, glancing around at all its beauty. "You just settled here."

"And it'll be here if I wish to return," he said, "unless, of course, you'd like to stay here. It can be yours."

A small smile came to her lips. "Wasn't it always mine?"

His own lips turned upward slowly and she saw that fearsome wolf beg to come free. "It can be yours in proper writing, I've had the drafts made since we began building but I hadn't sent them off yet. If you want the house, it's yours." He stepped forward and his warmth came with him. "Unless you're letting the idea of us traveling together mull over within you, hmm?"

"It all depends on what your mother does," she said instead, her mind still reeling from his earlier confession and Damon's too. There were too many things to think of and she couldn't allow herself to be distracted until it was all done with.

"And Naya."

"And Naya," she agreed.

"Then we'll wait," he said, brushing hair from her face, "At least until all the dust finally settles." He leaned forward and kissed her, it was gentle and made her stomach clench and uncoil. "Until then, I hope you think over my offer."

She nodded slowly, her fingers going to her lips because she was still as lovestruck as she was when they first met and it stung her. It ached and burned and roared. She wanted to cave to all of them, but she had to be strong. She had to keep to her path.

She had woken from death not once but twice and she knew her fate. She knew it but she wanted to run far from it. She wanted to run into the arms of her beloveds and hide away until death came searching.

But as she gathered herself and left the mansion to return to the boarding house, she knew what she had to be, what she'd always had to do and she knew why.

She drank too much of the poisoned water. She had been drowning from the start.

AUTHOR'S NOTE━━so....more confessions from lovers <333 rip rebekah rn....esther SUCKS

so yeah....after this....after all of the chapters yall have read this is the final poll for colettes ultimate endgame lover (and pls lmk realistically who it should b bc im struggling so hard rn w writing bc ....i want her to b w everyone and anyone LMAO)

vote/comment and lmk what you thought!! just a few more chapters left in colette's story rn <33