Take me to Wonderland

As much as she wanted to forget and move on, there was always a part of her that would know and wonder. Alice didn’t want to forget such a big part of her life. Klaus had helped form her into who she was. Forgetting that? Who knew who she would become. Still, he was an idiot, an ass for ever letting her fall for him. Sure, he might have been evil, manipulated her into it first, but they never expected it to be real, either of them. With him --- it had been more real than anything in her life. Alice sobbed into his chest without hugging him back, she didn’t need too. She didn’t want to? She couldn’t. When he pulled back, she quickly wiped her tears and expected them to stop coming but they didn’t. “It’s not your fault,” she admitted. It wasn’t hers either. It was just the way the world was; him becoming immortal to live long enough to meet her, fall in love. It wasn’t on him, it was on his parents if they were to blame it on anyone. Still being in love though? That was fully her own fault. Alice let out a sniffle right before she was just about to tell him to go, he’d likely gotten what he came for, and she wasn’t good with goodbyes. At least not second ones. However, his lips were on hers before she could even react to him leaning in and for a moment she found it so natural to kiss him back - until reality caught up with her and she pushed him away. Her bright blue eyes stared at him in chock, not founding words to tell him how ruthlessly selfish that action had been. She didn’t want to throw him out, but this had gone too far. “No...” she whispered, shaking her head while looking at him. “You’re not allowed to do that anymore.” Alice swallowed thickly, again wiping tears from her eyes. “You need to go.”

   They’d never been perfect. Hell, with the way they started it was a miracle she ever fell for him but when she did, she loved him deeply. It wasn’t just a stupid teenage crush or manipulation like Matt, and pretty much everyone, claimed. It was way more than that because it lasted, and it could have laster so much longer with the way she was feeling right now. Sure, she was angry, but they both knew it was based in something so much deeper. At his question, she frowned, shaking her head. Of course it had, but he’d been the adult in the situation - more than adult actually. How had they not thought this through from the start? She should have left him years prior to when it actually happened, but she was so young and so in love and she just wanted to have the time with him that she could and ignore the future. The future that was now, the future that she had created for herself in the past six years of his absence. She’d found someone she loved, and she did love her husband, but not that deeply rooted passion and infatuation that she’d felt with Klaus. Finally, she blinked the tears down on her cheeks but she still looked angry --- or broken, maybe a little bit of both. She wanted to push him to the ground when he cupped her cheek in his hand, but she just couldn’t. Not because he was so much physically stronger than her but she didn’t have the energy. it was like he had sucked it out of her and began to drain her of it the moment he walked in through the door. She couldn’t even push him away when he pulled her against his chest; it weakened her even more. He’d broken her, after all these years, he’d torn her open. “I can’t,” she sobbed, closing her eyes. The strong woman she always put on display was a teenager again; the teenager that loved him. 

    “Only if you shut up about it,” she chuckles, nudging him a little before she follows him towards the couch, picking up her present on the way. She sits down next to him, wiggling a little in her seat as she watched him opening her small - but thoughtful gift. It was pure silver, not too expensive though, but her whole heart was in it. Not literally though. “I thought you would,” she grinned. He’d always worn necklaces and she thought it was time he wore something that was her - not just chains and leather. “Okay my turn,” the girl grins, struggling to get the paper off her present and then opening a box where she found a sketch. She’d remember that face anywhere, it was her own, and he had captured it perfectly. A hand over her mouth, she sucked in a breath. “This is so good.” Alice glances over at him before putting the sketch aside to throw her arms around his neck. “I love it.”

    She understood why he’d done it and in a way - in many ways, she was thankful. He’d never be able to give her what she had. Sure, a big house in New York that he could give. Hell, he could take her all over the world. --- But kids? Marriage? None of those could even go in a sentence with his name in it. At first she didn’t understand why that meant he couldn’t be in her life, but she understood later; that they’d never be able to move on unless he just left - and so he did. It had completely broken her and he hadn’t been there to comfort her, only Matt, who’d never understood what they had. “Mhm, mm. Right. ” Alice swallows thickly before letting out a short sigh. She didn’t need to hear his excuses for barging into her home. He went to Mystic Falls, thought of her and came all the way to New York to stalk and visit her? Unless he’d kept track of her all these years, but he hoped he hadn’t. That was just so hard to think about, in a heart aching way. “Do you think I just stopped thinking about you?” This was definitely a mistake, he should have stayed wherever the hell he’d been. Mystic Falls, Europe, New Orleans, all the places he never got to take her to. “Don’t you think I wish every day, that I had this, with you?” Tears began to pool in her eyes but she refused to blink them away to the point that his image became a blur. “You’re selfish for coming here - and I wish I hated you. That’s what I wish.”

     “I’m fine. I do have everything I need,” she laughed a bit before her heart jumped a little in her chest at his fast movement. The laugh turned nervous, however she was just surprised. He definitely needed to stop doing that, even though she didn’t mind the way he was holding her. “Not now.” A grin plastered on her lips, she turned around to roll her eyes at him. Later though, definitely. “Let’s open them!”

    Seeing Klaus kneel in front of her child had her heart skipping a beat, not because it was cute - although it was, but she was scared. Was he jealous? Was her here to hurt and destroy what he left her to become? Alice couldn’t help but seek for ulterior motives. Anything he did, she analysed into detail but she couldn’t find anything. Why was he acting like nothing happened, why was he even here? He’d told her to move on and she had. Her past was her past. She didn’t speak of it, not even with Matt. Seeing her child run to play, she finally let out a heavy breath that she’d been holding in, a facade to make sure her kids didn’t think anything was wrong. How could she possibly explain her relationship with Klaus anyway? “No. No way,” she let out in a heavy breath. The woman collected herself, trying to get out any words that would make sense in the anger bubbling in her chest. “You’re --- out. Get out.” her voice cracked slightly but she still approached him; slowly, an obviously displeased expression on her face and her eyebrows knitted together. “You have no right to be here. This is my life now and you’re not in it. You made sure of that.” How didn’t matter that she’d always love him, because her ‘always’ was just a fraction of the life he’d already lived.

    “Why, because I already have everything I need?” the question was pretty serious actually, but she chuckled as she took the box in her hands. It was rather heavy, so she raised a brow at him while in her head trying to guess what it was. It didn’t go well. “Merry Christmas,” she finally reached up to peck his lips. “Oh right.” The girl set down the box she’d received on the table while digging in her purse, finally picking up a small gift box, wrapped in blue paper with a golden ribbon. “This is for you,” she smiled proudly.

     It was a normal day that day, but what she didn’t know was that it would be her last normal day. It all changed when the doorbell rang that afternoon and Alice told her husband to open the door since she was changing the diaper on their youngest. It only took a moment until she was done however and quickly put the child down, washed her hands and then went out into the hallway to see who was at the door. The voice was similar but with an american accent, she wouldn’t have guessed it was Klaus, not after seven years. When seeing who was standing on the threshold to her house, she wasn’t sure if what she felt in her chest was her heart skipping a beat or sinking down to her feet. After a few moment in silent shock Alice licked her lips. “What do you want?” It sounded more angry than it meant to but he had no right to come here. After seeing the frown on her husbands face, she forced a smile, not wanting to worry him. “This is an old friend of mine, from --- High School. Nick.”