Disclaimer: I own nothing Vampire Diaries related though I wouldn't mind owning Joseph Morgan for a bit. :)

Okay, so I was inspired by all the reviews from this story's prequel "It Will Always Be You, Love" that I managed to write short beginning to the next story of Claire & Klaus. Don't get your hopes up. It may take me a week to get this going off and going, but I wanted to give all of you faithful readers a taste. The story will follow Season 4. I don't know how much I will follow it, but do expect some similar scenes to Klaroline. Maybe not direct dialogue like in the previous story, but a few things will be the same.

And here you go...

Prologue: Lost without You

The soft sounds of water filled her ears as she sat amongst the slowly filling tub staring at the water falling from the faucet. Her chin rested upon her knees as she sat feeling the warmth of the water as it rose and rose with bubbles mixing around her balled up form.

When the tub was filled to an acceptable level, she reached forward and turned off the water and now was left to listen to silence.

Then she felt a hand on her bare, moist back and she felt a shiver pass over her at the touch. She allowed her body to slowly lean back and press against a chest. A pair of arms wrapped around her strongly and she felt safe amongst them.

Releasing a quiet breath, she tilted her head to look at the person whose arms were wrapped so firmly around her and her eyes got lost in a sea of blue.

She found herself staring for a very long time.

"What are you thinking," her companion asked.

"How much I miss you," she whispered as she felt the tears stinging her eyes.

"But I'm right here," the man said with a slight chuckle.

"But not really," she countered. "You're dead."

Klaus stared at her a moment, "But not here I'm not. You can still see me here, love. Anytime that you want to."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, "It's not the same. These are dreams not reality. In reality you are dead and I'm all alone."

"Love," he whispered soothingly as he pressed a kiss against her forehead. "You'll never be alone."

She sniffled and turned her body slightly so she was now being cradled by his arms. "I don't ever want to wake up."

"Unfortunately, that's not an option, "he said simply as one arm cradled her and his hand delicately caressed her face.

She touched the hand that was resting upon her face and squeezed it. "Do you want to know what I wish more than anything in this world?"

"What's that, sweetheart?"

"To relive our past together in the twenties, but this time never separating and without the compulsions," she said with a small smile. "You might have had a different outcome."

"I might have had a different everything," he admitted, but frowned.

"What is it," she asked quickly, but gasped when she saw his face go grey and the veins appear. "No," she choked out. "No, please don't leave me again, Nik."

"Save me," he croaked as his body stiffened and he was now staring blankly at her, desiccated once again.

She shook him and sobbed, "Please, come back to me!" She buried her face into his bare chest and continued to plea for his return.

Claire's body shot up as she finally woke from the dream. Her breathing was rapid and her body covered in sweat.

The tears rolled down her cheeks as she sat staring at the darkness that filled her room. Beside her, her cellphone rang.

She snatched it off the bedside table and saw that it was Damon, again. She let the phone continue to ring as she tossed the covers off her body and swung her feet out. Standing, she headed to the bathroom and flipped on the light. She walked to the sink and quickly splashed some water on her face.

When her back straightened, she head rose to look at the mirror, but a figure standing directly behind her caused her to jump and gasp.

Klaus was standing behind her with a stoic expression upon his face. He was wearing the very clothes that he had died in.

"This isn't real," she whispered in disbelief.

"What feels real anymore," he asked simply.

She did not turn around to face him in fear that he would disappear again. "I don't know," she answered. "You haven't even been gone more than a day and I feel like it's been much longer."

"Well, you have yourself to blame for that, love," he told her strongly as his expression changed. "I am dead because of you."

"What," she questioned quickly, hurt by his words.

"If you had trusted me then I wouldn't have been staked and burned to ashes!" He growled. "I'm dead because you were too blind to see what was right in front of you!"

With the tears streaming down her cheeks, she shook her head and yelled, "Stop it!

"You killed me, Claire," he kept on. "You didn't want your brother's to be disappointed with you so you allowed them to desiccate me and put my body in a bloody box while you did nothing to help me!"

"I was going to help you," she pleaded.

"You lie," he shouted grabbing hold of her and whipped her around.

Claire's body shot up from bed again, but this time fully awakening from the terrible dream that she was having.

Her body shook as she tried to calm herself down. She had been having these dreams all night long and she was beginning to think that she would never have a restless sleep again.

As she sat shaking, she took in her surroundings and found a small glimmer of light peeking through the curtains of the window.

Climbing from the bed, she headed over to the window and pulled the curtains aside revealing the tall buildings of Chicago before her. As she stared at the rising sun, she heard the buzzing sound of her cell phone from its place on her bedside table.

Considering this is what had begun the events of her most recent dream, she wondered if she was in fact still dreaming.

She walked over to the table and picked up the phone and saw Stefan's name appearing on the screen rather than Damon's.

Her brothers had been calling her continuously since she departed Mystic Falls. She finally stopped listening to the voicemails after about the 10th one.

With a sigh, she slid her thumb across the screen and pressed the phone to ear, "Stefan."

"We've been trying to call you for nearly 24 hours," he told her firmly. "What's the deal? Why aren't you answering our calls?"

"What's the point," she asked instead.

"What's the matter with you," he asked. "You up and packed up then left without so much as a note. I could really use you right now."

"And continue to watch the whole dramatic saga of you, Elena, and Damon? No thanks."

"It's not like that. She chose me, remember?"

She snorted, "Keep telling yourself that, brother. Truth be told, I'd rather not subject myself to the whole love triangle thing that you three have going on and certainly not one that will last an eternity. It has become quite trying if you want me to be honest. It's the same damn story just a different chapter. Just call me when it finally ends." She hung up and tossed the phone onto her bed and stared at it a moment before heading off to get dressed.

An hour later, she was walking around the streets of Chicago retracing the steps that she and Klaus had taken.

First, she went to the hotel where she had stayed in the twenties when she had bumped into him on the sidewalk. She remembered his astonished and frozen expression when he had locked eyes with her.

After visiting the same hotel, she headed for the theatre where they had seen Nosferatu and then found herself frozen on the street corner just across the street from Gloria's bar. She found it boarded it up with a For Sale sign taped to the door which had been expected considering the owner was dead.

She stared at it sadly remembering the moments that they spent there.

In her pocket, her phone vibrated and released a growl as she pulled it out. She glanced at the screen before answering, "What?"

"Are you done mourning yet," he asked dryly.

"Screw you, Damon," she snapped.

"Look, let's not get into it, okay? You need to get back home."

"Why," she asked unconvinced and completely not ready to return.

"We have situation," he said cryptically.

Incredulously, she asked, "And?"

"Our brother as well as Elena has been taken by this Pastor Young and the Council," he explained. "And Elena hasn't had a drop of human blood yet and her time is limited."

"I could really care less about the outcome that Elena faces, Damon," she said simply.

"Wow, who'd a thought you'd take his death so damn hard," he said mockingly.

With a dangerous look upon her face, she furiously spoke, "If this is your way of convincing me to come back then you really need to watch what you say next, brother."

"Fine," he bit out. "Don't do it for Elena. Do it for Stefan. Do you really want him dead?"

She slowly felt the anger leave her as she said, "Of course not."

"Then get your ass to the airport. I have a ticket waiting."

With a surprised look, she questioned, "How the hell did you even know where I was?"

"Believe me when I say that I know you better than you think I do," he commented. "Your plane leaves in 45 minutes, so get going."

She ended the call with a sigh and looked back toward Gloria's. Turning, she raised an arm up to flag down a taxi.

Barely gone an entire day and she was going to return to the place that she would rather forget. She really wasn't ready for this.