"I heard," he says, his eyes softening as he looks Klaus over. He takes a deep breath. "Did it hurt?"

His death had, in ways that he still couldn't describe or really even think about, but maybe that was part of why it had taken him so long to let go. The thought of Klaus having to go through that, though is painful to think about.

"Well," he says, dragging out the word and looking away from him. "That's the catch. You are dead. It's just, she doesn't want you here."