"You know I get that there's always something crazy going on Jer, but I really just can't believe them." Eden vented to Jeremy on the phone that night after she got out of the shower.
"I mean they have a point, if I didn't know any better-"
"But you do." Eden snapped, knowing exactly what he was going to say.
"Alright but I'm just making a point Eden. Don't hold a grudge. They tried to get rid of them and the plan failed, it's time for you guys to move on to the next step." Eden sighed, knowing that he had a point about the moving on part.
"Alright," There was a knock on the door. "Hey Jer, I have to go. Someone's at the door, I'm guessing Matt." She thought, hoping that he was ready to stop blowing her off since he didn't answer the door when Eden went to visit him.
"Okay, I'll talk to you later Eden." Eden hung up, taking a deep breath before opening the door.
"Oh." She whispered as she looked at Klaus standing on her porch. Part of Eden wanted to ask how he knew where she lived, but then Eden remembered that he sent her flowers on the night that they'd 'met.'
"Niklaus, what are you doing here?" She asked, shivering slightly as the night breeze blew across her bare legs. Because she assumed Matt would be the one at the door, instead of putting on her robe like she would for anyone else, she'd settled for answering the door in her silk cami and matching shorts. Klaus himself was trying to get together what he was supposed to say to Eden but kept coming up empty and Eden looked down her street to make sure that there was no one to watch the exchange.
"Eden, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I should not have grabbed you like that and I can promise you that it won't happen again." There was something really stiff about his voice that caused the brunette to tilt her head.
"How's Kol, is he okay?" Klaus looked at her, searching her face for some kind of deception that told him she already knew what happened. When he came up with nothing, he sighed.
"He's alive, and gone. He left, fled hours ago." Eden pursed her lips.
"Why?" He looked behind him.
"Long story." He murmured, but something clearly was off with him. Without thinking, Eden pulled her door open, giving him enough room to walk in.
"Promise me you won't make me regret this?" She asked him. He looked from Eden to the door and then to Eden again.
"I can't." He admitted, a playful smirk on his pale face. Eden shook her head, a small giggle bubbling from her lips against her better judgement.
"Come inside Nik." His face broke into a wide grin as he stepped past the threshold and into the hallway. He took in the sight of Eden's tiny apartment and she led him to the living room, sitting down on the couch and gesturing for him to follow suit.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" She asked him when he was situated on the suede couch. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again, gaping.
"Start from the beginning." She hinted. He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair impatiently.
"Your friends tried to kill my siblings and I today." Admittedly she was a little surprised that they did try, but more so hurt that this confirmed that it was the secret they were hiding from her.
"How did this happen?" She played with a loose strand of hair that escaped from her messy bun as he watched her.
"You really had no idea?" She shook her head.
"I got into an argument with them today because they were hiding something from me. It was why I was in such a foul mood when you and Kol saw me at the bar. I'm guessing that's what it was." Klaus nodded, his blue eyes still watching her carefully.
"My mother linked all of us together on the night of the ball, and I'm guessing she must have told Elena about it. Elijah found out about this and threatened to have Rebekah kill her if someone didn't find a way to stop her." He searched Eden's face, waiting for her to scold him for threatening Elena.
"I know you're waiting on me to yell, but I get it." His eyebrows raised in shock as she looked down at her freshly painted white toes.
"Elena came after your family, and while my friends had their heart in the right place by trying to keep her safe, she still tried to kill your family. I understand exactly how you feel and I would have reacted the same way if someone had put Stiles in danger." She looked back up at Klaus.
"This doesn't mean that I approve of your methods to get what you want, but for this situation alone I think you did the right thing." He looked away from Eden, staring at her television that was currently off before he snorted.
"I finally have the approval of the great and mighty Eden." He drawled out sarcastically, she rolled her eyes.
"You can tell me that you were afraid, I won't judge you." He frowned.
"I wasn't afraid." He defended, but she refused to believe him.
"You could have died tonight and as much as you don't want to admit it, death is scary. Besides, even if you weren't linked, you could have lost one of your siblings today." He looked at Eden, an unreadable expression on his beautiful face.
"I'm not afraid of anything." He declared, making Eden laugh.
"Careful Nik, I think I see a hint of the big bad Klaus." She joked, standing off the couch before retreating into the kitchen. She searched her fridge, looking for her last bottle of water. She would need to go shopping soon as she'd been putting it off once again. She walked back into the living room where Klaus was now walking around the small area, bending down to look at the various amounts of pictures she had hung up. He stopped at a picture of her family on the day of Eden's graduation. Regardless of Eden's feelings about them, her family all flew into town to support her, putting aside the bitter divorce and maternal relations. It was the one weekend where it felt like their little modern family could work.
"You look like your mother." Klaus commented softly. Eden leaned against the beam as he studied the picture more.
"Which one? Selena or Denise or Marie." She said the second name spitefully, the taste of her name feeling foul in Eden's mouth.
"Well I assume that your mother is the dark haired one, correct?" He asked.
"My Aunt Marie is in that picture too." She commented he traced his finger along the edge of the picture frame lightly.
"Who is this woman?" He asked, pointing to the older woman in the picture.
"That's my grandmother. Astrid." She recalled fondly.
"Where is she?" Klaus inquired, and a small lump formed in the back of her throat.
"In the Mystic Falls cemetery." She answered. Klaus looked back at her, regret seeping onto his face.
"My apologies-" Eden held her hand up.
"Don't, please. She's happier now and so I don't like accepting apologies." Her eyes flitted to another picture of her and her grandmother when she was thirteen. Thankfully her grandmother refused to let Eden wear the then infamous green eyeshadow and she was angry for the rest of the day. She didn't actually appreciate that until she was about sixteen. Klaus pointed to the family photo once again, but this time to the young boy who she had her arms wrapped around.
"This is Stiles?" Nik guessed. Eden nodded, pushing herself off the beam and walked over to where he stood.
"Yep, he's the most annoying little shit ever." She murmured fondly, Klaus chuckled.
"You have the same eyes." He recounted. Eden shrugged, looking away from the picture.
"Brown eyes are a dominate trait." She told him. Klaus sat the picture frame down and followed the girl back to the couch.
"Why don't you go join them?" He asked her softly, motioning towards the picture frames.
"Because, being here, my life is in danger almost everyday. But at the same time, I know that I never have to question ulterior motives. Or at least I didn't until recently." She muttered the last part.
"Family is overrated." Klaus mumbled, causing Eden to laugh out loud. He looked at her questioningly, as though she'd lost her mind in the past two minutes.
"Nik, if everything you told me was true then that means that you have spent the better half of your life trying to keep your family together." She reminded him, and he scoffed.
"And it's all for nothing Eden. They didn't appreciate anything I had done for them-"
"Nik you stuck them in boxes when they didn't do what you wanted them to do." She reminded him again.
"Be that as it may, bygones be bygones. I've finally made it to where our father couldn't possibly hunt us down and just as I think that we could live in peace my mother rises from the ashes to slaughter us." He vented.
"They're afraid Nik, and understandably so. If my life was linked to my brother's, there is a chance that I would be afraid. Hell I would probably lock him away somewhere so he can't hurt himself. But this is your mother trying to destroy you, it's gotta tear at the heartstrings for your siblings. You may be used to your mother's betrayal but they are not. Give them some time to mourn and to cope and then welcome them back into your life. Nobody said family was easy." The last sentence caused a wave of emotions to flow through Eden and Klaus sensed it as well.
"You seem to be speaking from personal experience." She shrugged, picking at the imaginary lint on her shorts.
"After I grew estranged from my parents my brother saw it as me saying that I wanted nothing to do with him either." She admitted, her voice cracking quietly.
"I've tried to reach out to him so many times and now he just doesn't want anything to do with me." She said weakly.
"I'm sure he's just conflicted about what to say." Klaus tried, but Eden laughed.
"No I'm pretty sure he's made it quite clear how much he doesn't wanna talk to me. He's blocked me on everything." She said bleakly, referring to her phone. Klaus thought for a moment before finally he looked at Eden.
"Well, never fret love. If my siblings can forgive me for all the things I've done then I'm positive that your brother will get over your fight soon enough." She leaned back against the couch.
"You think so?" She asked, staring up at the ceiling.
Trust me." He said softly. She smiled without looking at him before she finally realized the time.
"Nik I don't mean to sound rude but, it's getting kind of late and I'm honestly tired." He smiled, standing off the couch and pulling her up with him. She thought that they were about to walk towards her door but to Eden's surprise he scooped her up.
"Nik!" She screamed out in surprise, but he only chuckled. She smacked his chest, trying to make him put her down but he carried her up the stairs.
"I can walk!" She protested, but it to fell on deaf ears. He took her all the way up to where her bedroom door sat ajar before he carried her in and laid her down on the bed with a plop.
"Ugh! Asshole." She whispered while he looked down at Eden, clearly amused.
"Tell me love, where would you like to go tonight? I can take you anywhere in the world at any time in the world. Tell me what you want to see tonight." Eden thought for a moment before she looked to Klaus.
"Were you in England in the nineteenth century?" She asked him. He thought for a second before a fleeting smile crossed his face.
"For about three years, but long enough for me to see the sights." Eden grinned.
"Take me to the Queen." She declared, pointing her nose in the air playfully. Niklaus took her hand and planted a single kiss on the top of it before breaking out into his own dimpled grin.
"As you wish."