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"Seriously?!" Caroline swore loudly. "These damn travelers!"
Caroline looked helplessly and, foremost, angrily around herself. Stefan was half sitting half lying on the couch, breathing heavily; his eyes barely open to a slid. Elena lay next to him unconscious, but her expression one of agony and pain. Across the room Jeremy was attentively wiping the dampness of sweat off Bonnie's forehead and was by now drowning in worry concerning her unresponsive state, taking little to no notice of Caroline's monologue rant.
"...should have listened to me and not just stupidly charged right ahead, what we now know for certain was a big time trap; not that I hadn't been telling you this all along!"
"Caroline, we had no choice..." A weak voice tried to explain. "It was either take the chance or sitting ducks here while hoping Bonnie will come around miraculously, which we knew wouldn't happen since they put a spell on her."
"And look how that turned out, Stefan," Caroline commented sarcastically. "Not only have you not found a way to reverse the stupid thing, you two got yourself put under yet another spell of theirs." She pointed an accusing finger to both Stefan and Elena. "Sorry Stefan if I'm not all too happy about this situation."
"Drop it, blondie," Damon interrupted while he walked into the living room of the Salvatore estate. "At least we didn't come out of there empty-handed." He raised a thin older grimoire, which had seen better times during the last few centuries. He smirked and shook it lightly around in the air. "Now we only have to learn... well whatever language these travelers liked to dot down their creepy witchy rituals in. Any guesses?"
Caroline took a deep breath to calm herself down and after she managed to suppress her anger in order to concentrate on a solution rather than pointing out all the mistakes that have been made so far, she reached out her open hand to Damon. "Lemme see that." She regarded the cryptic symbols with a frown, which soon was slowly replaced by an expression of deep thinking. "I think I know which language this is."
"You do, Barbie?" Damon regarded her surprised and his words were accompanied with an underlying condescending connotation which Caroline chose to ignore.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure this is Aramaic." Her voice was steady, hiding the sudden rise of emotions that started brooding instantly inside her by the sheer remembrance of who exactly helped her once translate some passages of this dead language.
"You're taking Aramaic lessons in college or something?" Damon asked, eyebrow raised.
"I'm a drama major running several event committees, but I'm certainly not some geeky nerd learning Aramaic," she replied almost offended by the mere idea.
Damon sighed heavily. "Great. So how do we read these?"
"We could try the internet, though last time we tried that it didn't make much sense." She grimaced.
"Last time?" Damon raised a questioning brow.
"That time we were on the island trying to find the cure," Stefan answered for her. "You don't know, because we've gotten separated back then. We asked Caroline and Tyler to translate the readings on Jeremy's tattoos."
Even by the mention of his name Jeremy barely looked up. Of course he remembered the time he had been fed to Silas and had died as a result of it. However, he was keeping his focus on Bonnie who had not woken up for four days straight now.
"Do you know for certain these are the spells they had been using on Bonnie, Stefan, and Elena?" Caroline asked.
"Saw them reading out of this one when they slid my little brother's wrist to drain him of his blood. So yeah I'm certain," Damon answered, skimming through the pages in frustration upon not being able to make sense of any of it.
Caroline nodded once when, suddenly, the door sprang open; showing a heavily panting Matt enter the boarding house.
"Guys, we need to get moving. They changed their tactics to offense. Saw them getting ready to march right in here," Matt warned between ragged breathings.
"Shit is juuust piling up..." Dean murmured annoyed. "We should head somewhere safe for now and get these riddles," he pointed vaguely at the grimoire in Caroline's hand, "solved before we face them again."
"Sounds good, but where to?" Matt asked and was met with a brief moment of silence while everyone was thinking about that.
"How about the cabin at the lake?" An almost forgotten voice from across the room proposed. Jeremy's face looked way older than a 17-year-old's was supposed to look like. "The one we had been training at last year. Remember?"
"That will do," Damon decided quickly and made his way to his brother. "Can you walk or do I have to carry you princess style?"
"You do that and I'll kill you," Stefan mumbled and let himself be hoisted to his feet by his older brother. One arm around his waist lend him the necessary support he needed to overcome the short but exhausting path to the front of the mansion. Matt was carrying Elena to the car and Jeremy heaved Bonnie to his arms in order to do the same. Caroline followed hurriedly behind them, grimoire in her hands.
They took Stefan's car, since his SUV provided enough seats for everyone, if still cramped. Before Caroline could step a foot inside though, Damon halted her by grabbing her arm.
"Were you able to translate Aramaic successfully in the end or did the others stumble upon Sila's tomb by luck?" Damon narrowed his eyes questioningly.
Caroline swallowed and tried to hold his gaze. Blood heating up her cheeks from underneath as a result of flashes of memories appearing over and over in her head even though she tried desperately to dismiss them. But the feel of his lips on her skin and his hand firmly in her hair were not easily shaken off like that. In fact had not been since the moment they had parted. For good.
A brief but intense sting formed in her chest and although she hated this familiar feeling, she used it as a reminder that she had to get a grip on herself. This was not the time and place to relive the hot hybrid sex with Klaus in the woods a few months ago.
Slapping herself innerly she focused in order to answer Damon's initial question.
"We had a full translation by the end, but..." she started and nipped lightly on her lower lip.
"But?"
"It wasn't Tyler or me who translated it."
"Then who?" Damon asked slowly, recognizing that there must be a reason why Caroline was so reluctant to explain further.
"Klaus," Caroline answered with a sigh. "Back then Klaus had translated more or less the whole thing." She shrugged.
"So the only one who we know can read the much needed spell of undoing this mess is sitting somewhere in NOLA doing what might be slurping wine and tormenting his next generation of hybrids?" He brushed the palm of his left hand over his face in a sigh. "So it's back to Google Translate..."
Caroline thought about that for a moment and glanced toward her own car in the front yard.
"I can't believe I'm even considering this..." Caroline started, rolling her eyes. "How much time can you buy me? If I go now and don't stop on my way I can be in New Orleans by the end of the day. Can you get by for a day or two?"
"You want to ask Klaus for help?" Damon was still hung up on this part of the plan. "You two are now a thing or something?" He asked rather serious, his eyes slightly widened at the thought of this unusual pair.
"No," was all Caroline replied.
Though her usual response would have been a snarky remark, she found the whole situation between Klaus and her too complicated and exhausting, which was ironic since they had agreed on ending anything between them with this one carefree yet heated moment. It was already hard enough to concentrate on the problem at hand without the over the months build up roller coaster of emotions that had the name Klaus written on it.
"And also no, I rather not want to ask him for help" in fact she did not want to see him at all and that was really the truth. Whatever she felt for him she did want to be free from him more than anything else. "But do you have a better idea? We need to save Bonnie, Elena, and Stefan and the only way to achieve that is by breaking these stupid spells. We can't be picky now."
Damon contemplated her suggestion for a moment.
"You coming or what?" Matt asked from inside the car and was indirectly prompting Damon to come to a decision.
"Fine you go and ask the big bad wolf, but don't forget about us while you two hit it off- And now the image is forever burnt into my head! I think I'm gonna hurl..." Damon faked sickness half-heartedly.
Caroline just rolled her eyes at that and already rummaged through her pockets for her car key.
"Just remember to get the translation before you celebrate your reunion, okay? 'Cause if you don't Elena dies."
"Thanks so much for your consideration, brother. S'not like your own living blood is affected by the spell as well..." Stefan felt the need to muster up his little energy to comment on his brother's last statement. Damon and Caroline could almost sense the small smirk on Stefan's face while he was complaining. It made them chuckle as well.
"Keep me updated," Caroline commanded in full Caroline mode. "I'll be as quick as I can."
Damon was about to retort something, his mouth already in opening motion, when Caroline shot a dark glare in his direction. He wisely shut up and moved to the driver's seat.
"Good luck, blondie."
"Good luck, Damon." And with that last goodbye she went to her car and stormed off into the opposite direction of the rest of her friends'.
The drive had been long and her worried thoughts did nothing to shorten the time span; it rather made the trip feel like it lasted an eternity. Finally in New Orleans she had to admit she had no idea where Klaus was. She had deleted his phone number after an especially bad drinking session which initially did not even have anything to do with Klaus. But back then everything seemed to come back to Klaus, unfortunately. So where to start?
She spotted a bar across the street and considered that this was as good a start to look for him at as any other. It was still closed, but she could see someone working already inside. A blond young woman was cleaning the counter on the far end of the bar.
The door bells rang as Caroline entered and the bartender jumped around startled. Caroline could not put her finger on it, but she had the feeling this one was a little paranoid for whatever reasons.
"Sorry, I didn't want to scare you," Caroline started the conversation and put on her Miss Mystic Fall’s smile.
"We're closed," the blonde did not seem so eager to talk and just continued her chores.
"I know, sorry about that too. I'm looking for..." the word had trouble sliding off her tongue, "a friend. And I'm kind of really in a hurry. It's literally a matter of life and death," Caroline chuckled nervously. "So I hoped you could help me out?"
The blonde turned around and after a few seconds in silence she seemed to had taken pity on her and decided to be a little more friendly.
"Yes, of course. Who are you looking for?" As the local bartender she was indeed the right person to come to. She knew the frequent visitors and even knew about many more, a circumstance she wished was not the case. Her life had been turned upside down since a certain vampire came into her life. Since then she had been involved in a war between vampires, witches, werewolves, and humans.
"His name is," she hesitated a brief moment before she said his name. "Klaus. Klaus Mikaelson. Do you know him by any chance?"
Yep, she knew him quite alright. The widening eyes, the gaping mouth, and the sudden rise of her pulse were certain indicators.
Oh my what did he do to her? Caroline thought pitying her. She looked scared and furious at the same time. Although the fury seemed to overtake slowly.
"How do you know him?!" The bartender stepped back warily.
In all her messy thoughts about remembering being compelled, about finding out about her brother, about being tossed into the world of myth there was one thing that kept her alarmed.
The girl had said Klaus was her friend.
Firstly, that meant she could be as evil as him and secondly, chances were good she was also a vampire, or a werewolf, or hybrid, or whatever mythical creature that was out there she had only months ago thought were all anything but real.
She quickly grabbed the next best thing that could be turned into a weapon and found a stake like piece of wood.
"Get out!"
"Woah, woah, woah, relax! I'm not gonna hurt you-" Caroline tried to reason, her hands held up in front of her in an attempt to give her no indication she was here to harm her.
"You said you were a friend of Klaus'! Didn't know he had many friends considering his murdering tendencies." She stepped further away from her.
Caroline immediately regretted her choice of words. But how had she been supposed to know Klaus had already terrorized the whole town?
Okay, that was a silly excuse, she thought to herself. She should have known, of course he had already traumatized the innocent humans since his arrival!
"That didn't come out right. And your reaction is totally justified. Really, I get you! I mean he's a psychopath who manipulates and kills and takes whatever he wants and doesn't care about anything, but power, revenge, and probably world domination. And suddenly there comes in a total stranger declaring she was his friend. I would be wary too," she ranted, pausing to take in a breath. "I really don't know what he did to you, I'm sure it's horrible, but I swear to you, I'm a good person. I- I just need to find him." Caroline gave her her most sincere look and hoped she would believe her.
And for some reason she did. The girl seemed honest and she actually had never heard someone bad mouthing Klaus in such a way. She wondered if he had heard it, would she still be alive? And she could not explain why, but somehow she had the opinion she would be able to say much more and could walk away afterward without so much as a scratch.
Her stance relaxed, though only a little. But it was a sign she was willing to believe her.
"Why are you looking for him?"
"There is something I need his help with. Given your reaction," Caroline briefly looked at the wooden stake, "you know what he is?" She said carefully and earned an affirming nod from the bartender. "So you know that he's been around for a while so to speak. And I need his expertise on something. Believe me when I say I rather not want to ask him for help, but I truly don't have any other options. Please tell me where he is."
Caroline waited a long moment for her answer. She seemed to contemplate her words, but luckily for Caroline she believed her.
"He's only two blocks away from here. Walk down the street and you'll already see where he lives. He's not one to live beneath his standards after all," she remarked venomously.
"Yes I know." It took Caroline all her restraint not to roll her eyes at that. "Thank you."
Caroline gave her one last grateful smile and vanished quickly.
"Well done, sister. You have yet again conspired against me and look at the results," Klaus said in an almost sing song voice while pointing at the corpses lying around them in the inner courtyard. At least twenty men were painting the ground red with their blood.
"You bastard! How did you know?!" A furious and also devastated Rebekah yelled.
"You mean your little scheme with that witch Genevieve?" An arrogant smirk formed on his face. "I knew all about your plans to 'take me down for good.'" He quoted her, a hint that he had been keeping taps on her all along.
"You knew from the beginning?! And you let me continue nonetheless?! Why? Because I wasn't a threat to you?! You pretentious overbearing selfish arse!" By now tears were forming in Rebekah's eyes and her emotions of anger and humiliation were struggling with each other for domination. Marcel sighed feeling pity for Rebekah, but he knew all to well this one Klaus had won.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out about your petty alliance with the witch? Sorry, sweetheart, but I made sure to have eyes and ears everywhere." He grinned content and gestured with one of his index fingers around him.
"What did you do to her?"
"What I've always done, what I always will do to the people you're in league with," he replied nonchalantly. "I kill them."
"I swear to you I will kill your sorry little ass one of these days! And if it's the last thing I do, Nik!"
"Please can we tone down with the insults and at least try to talk this out?" Elijah was annoyed about the constant fights between his siblings, but also concerned about the death toll it brought this time. He just wished they could get along finally. Especially now when the baby was almost due to arrive. He cast a brief glance over to Hayley beside him.
"Oh no please, Elijah, let her go on. I get the impression she has more to say," Klaus said not even trying to hide the smugness.
Yes, Rebekah had a whole lot she was eager to get out in the open.
She straightened her back and a condescending look filled with disgust formed on her face. "You might think you have it all: an army of servants, power, and the town WE have once build! But at the end of the day you're utterly alone. None of us is here because of loyalty or love! You just took what you wanted from Marcel, because you were jealous of his devoted followers. Jealous that he made something out of this town what you could never have done on your own! And seeing how you couldn't achieve the same by your means, you just took everything by sheer force. You might command them now, but that is all this is! You bark orders at them and they listen, because they don't have any other choice. Once they'll see a chance to throw you from your scrawny pitiful throne they will. And don't expect your family to stand beside you then. As far as I am concerned I wouldn't even reach out one finger to help you. Even our brother, who has tried to find a path of redemption for you for centuries will not forever tolerate your psychotic tendencies. And then who is left? Finn and Kol are already dead, their deaths not entirely unrelated to you! You have no one. Or do you think the woman you impregnated would even so much as stop in her tracks to look at you when you're on the ground. Or that baby? I feel sorry for the girl who will soon realize what a pitiful father she has-"
"That's enough!" Klaus silenced her. The smugness long gone. "I will hear none of it any longer. I advice you to be silent." He stared at her menacingly.
"Or what? You gonna dagger me again?" The disdain visible on Rebekah's face.
"That doesn't sound like such a bad idea..." Klaus said lowly, his patience running thin.
"Stop it you two! Nobody is daggering anyone. Nobody," Elijah emphasized with a stern glare at his brother.
"It might make her learn her place, being daggered for another fifty years or so," Klaus replied, knowing this one would sting especially.
"You cocky shitty bastard!" And they were back to the insults, Hayley thought rolling her eyes.
"Klaus, that's enough," Marcel stepped in, feeling very sorry for Rebekah by now. She was terribly hurt that even after a millennium spent to find a way to subdue her brother he still had his thump on her.
"Look at that. Your prince in shining armor is coming to your rescue. Funny, considering you chose yourself over Rebekah last time I daggered her," Klaus pointed out. His smug tone returned, although a keen ear would have noticed that it was marred with hurt over Rebekah's earlier spiteful words.
But they were more than enough to shut Marcel up. He did decide against Rebekah and for himself back then. Rebekah, on the other hand, felt new rage pumping through her veins and before she could stop herself she blurted out the words which should have never been uttered to her brother.
"Although that was unforgivable at least he tried to make it right to me afterwards!"
"Rebekah, don't!" Marcel tried to stop her, but she would not listen.
"What do you mean?" Klaus' voice was guarded.
"Who do you think brought Papa Tunde to this town and put him against you in the first place?"
Klaus turned around to Marcel shocked. And by the widening of Klaus' eyes Rebekah knew she found the right place just where it hurt. But she was not finished yet.
"Oh, that's not all. There is more," she said with a twisted but mostly sad smile.
"Rebekah!" Marcel tried to warn her again, to stop her from telling their secret. He could not even imagine what Klaus would do to them once he knew.
However, Rebekah did not hear him.
"Who do you think tipped off our father as to where you were?" She added menacingly.
That was it - the final blow. Klaus had had no idea about this revelation. His face was pale as a sheet and he could not find any words to respond. Even Elijah was frozen of shock and horror. Never could he have imagined his little sister was capable of doing such an atrocity.
Klaus had no control over his facial appearance anymore and the hurt in his eyes was palpable. Even Hayley felt sorry for him who knew only vaguely about their family history. But even she recognized this was a betrayal on a whole different scale.
The air was thick and silent with the aftershock. Nobody dared to say something or rather they were not able to say anything.
Suddenly, a figure appeared, vamp speeding its way into the inner courtyard and stopped right behind Rebekah, snapping her neck in one swift movement.
"Bitch!" A high pitched voice accompanied the sick sound of bones cracking. "That is even low for your standards."
Everyone looked at the new arrival curiously, only a few of them recognizing the beautiful woman standing in the middle.
One of them was Klaus.
"Caroline?" His eyes wide with surprise.
"Klaus," the familiar voice responded.
---
"What are you doing here?" Klaus regarded her perplexed, still not sure if he could trust his own eyes.
"I'm actually looking for you," she replied slowly, staring at all the corpses around her - suddenly, getting angry. "The hell, Klaus?! Did you kill all of them?"
"He did," Hayley answered for a still frozen Klaus.
"I don't believe you! You didn't change one bit!" Caroline, who had only heard the last part of Klaus and Rebekah's fight, was furious that after the first time she saw him in months, she just had to find him in a pool of blood. It made her feel dirty and hate herself for having had that one time in the woods with him. How come he could be so sweet with her and at the same time commit quite literally mass murder? It made her frantic. "What did they do this time, huh? Did someone unsire them as well?"
Klaus was finally finding his equilibrium again. He had felt elated upon seeing her again after so long, especially after he had been sure he would not see her again for a very long time. However, now the familiar bickering began to immediately get on his nerves.
"They were trying to kill me, love. You expect me to stand still and let them?" He replied defiantly.
"Don't give me this crap! As if they had anything up against you." She put her arms on her hips angrily. "You. Can't. Be. Killed."
"And that's why I should just let them have themselves at it? Is that it? Get myself beaten for nothing?" He took a step closer to Caroline.
"Why not? Worked for Gandhi, didn't it?" She did not back down and took a step forward as well, throwing at him a fake smile.
"Certainly, but you will have to admit we don't quite share the same believes," he responded and took another step toward her.
"Oh, I know," she said under her breath, staring up into his eyes deeply, having closed the last gap between them by striding in front of him.
"Somebody care to explain to me who that is and why she just broke my sister's neck?" Elijah tried to snap out of his daze, having been overwhelmed by the chemistry between his brother and the to him unknown girl.
Marcel was just as curious to learn about this young woman who was brazen enough to speak to Klaus in such a manner.
"Her name's Caroline. She is from Mystic F-" Hayley started, but was interrupted by Caroline.
"Falls. Thank you, I can introduce myself," Caroline cut her off, folding her arms in front of her, but not breaking the eye contact with Klaus yet. They were staring at each other stubbornly. Nobody really understood what was going on between them.
"What are you doing here, Caroline?" He as well did not turn away, but a sudden change in his facial expression took place. "Don't tell me you missed me?"
Caroline just scoffed at that. "Yeah, you wish."
He sighed in a mix of annoyance and frustration and broke the connection between them at last. He thought they had been finally past the concealing of true feelings.
"Then what are you doing here, love? Not that I don't appreciate the sight of you, but I'm kind of in the middle of something here," Klaus said, stepping away from her.
"I can see that-" She was about to start her disapproving rant again when he shot a dark glare at her.
"Don't start again, Caroline," he warned her menacingly.
She held his gaze and after a long moment she pressed out a response. "Fine."
Caroline looked around once more, this time her eyes moved between the living - or rather the living dead.
"Hello, Hayley," she greeted her quiet spitefully. She regarded the closeness between her and Elijah and of course the huge baby bump she had. "I see you're still the old tramp."
Hayley, as she once had put it, did not do 'teen drama'. Thus, she just ignored her. Elijah, on the other hand, did not like Caroline's comment much.
Caroline cast a glance toward Klaus and he had the decency to at least look ashamed. His mouth was in between opening and closing several times, trying to find the words to explain Hayley and the baby.
"Oh, leave it, Klaus. I know all about your little one night stand with her. Though I must say I really did not know how to take the baby news," Caroline said, having known about Hayley and the baby for a while now. Tyler had told her after he came back from his revenge spree. Of course he had told her only after she slept with Klaus, making herself feel like throwing up.
Klaus did not know what to say and just kept silent. That had not been one of his proudest moments.
"And you must be Elijah." She turned back around to face Klaus' older brother. "I thought you were the reasonable brother," Caroline said in reference to Hayley.
"You heard quite right. Then you must also know that I don't tend to take violence against my family very well," he replied and vamp sped toward her in an attempt to retaliate for what she had done to his sister.
However, before he could lay a hand on her, Klaus stopped him in his tracks and blocked his attack.
"Do not hurt her, brother. She is not to be harmed," Klaus demanded insistently.
That made Marcel furrow his brow. Who was that girl?
"Would you please elaborate as to why?" Elijah asked, his patience running low.
"She is an old friend," Klaus simply stated and ignored the incredulous look on his brother's face.
"A friend?" Marcel was just as perplexed as Elijah about this revelation.
"I think we're past that," Caroline interjected in defiance to that term.
"Oh, I do believe so," Klaus replied, a fat smirk plastered on his face, remembering her against some trees. "After all, what kind of friends-"
Caroline did not let him finish and sped toward him, putting one finger on his lips to shut him up. "You say one more word and I'll scratch that smug smile of yours off your face!" She hissed so only he could hear.
That threat turned his smug smile only bigger.
Oh yes, he had missed her. He had not even realized how much in fact.
There she was, that beautiful, feisty angel. If not for everyone around them, he would have taken her here and now.
"This is getting nowhere," Elijah sighed in frustration. He still did not know much about this stranger, who had quite the effect on his brother.
"Remember Tyler? She is his girlfriend," Hayley told him quietly, but not quiet enough.
"Ex-girlfriend," came the immediate reply, both from Caroline and Klaus. Though Caroline sounded more offended and Klaus rather delighted.
"You-," Elijah halted, remembering what his brother had once told him about his former prodigy. "You're the one?" The one his brother went after?
"In flesh and blood. But I don't have the time for that. Klaus, could you leave the blood spilling for ten minutes and help me out with something?"
Normally one would sugar coat his words to ask for a favor, especially in front of Klaus, but this girl just demanded it as if it was her natural born right. Not in hundred years would Marcel have imagined to meet such a person.
"Don't tell me Damon has had himself bitten by a werewolf again and you need my blood to heal him?" Klaus sighed. Always the same with the Salvatores. They had the tendency of getting themselves into trouble.
"No, no werewolf bites this time," Caroline replied. She pulled out the grimoire from the back of her jeans and held it in the air. "I need your help translating this. You're the only one that I know who speaks Aramaic."
Klaus smirked upon her request. He remembered the last time he helped her with the translation. It had been quite the adorable sight to see her try encoding the cryptic symbols with the help of the internet.
"Let's head to somewhere more private, sweetheart," Klaus proposed and there was a hint of indecency in his words only Caroline could hear.
"I'm fine with staying here," she said, suddenly, not that feisty anymore.
"Well, have it your way, but I'm sure my sister won't feel so welcoming once she sees who broke her neck so brutally," he smiled smugly at her, knowing full well she had no other choice.
She sighed. "Alright, lead the way."
He held his hand in front of her, waiting for her to take it.
She could swear his grin could not possibly stretch wider. Caroline narrowed her eyes at him defiantly and he raised his brows expectantly, being amused at the same time.
With much reluctance she put her hand in his and let herself be taken away by him, jolting innerly by the electrical current running through their hands into the rest of her body.
"I expect this place to be clean by the time I come back," Klaus said stopping in front of Marcel. "And I dare you to leave town, Marcel. After all it seems we have a lot to catch up on." His voice sent shivers down even Caroline's back.
After they were gone, the rest seemed still shocked about the happenings from just now.
"Somebody pinch me please. I'm not sure I'm awake," Marcel said stunned.
"So I am not the only one having this odd day dream?" Elijah muttered as stunned as Marcel.
Hayley scoffed and turned around to get back inside. "It's just Caroline."
Klaus led Caroline up the stairs into his room, never once letting go of her hand. It was Caroline who pulled her hand back eventually, knowing full well she had to build up all walls around her to prevent being sucked in their connection. She had hoped their connection was long gone, but oh how wrong she had been.
"It's good to see you, Caroline," Klaus broke the silence between them. His voice was unusually soft.
Too flustered to answer she just looked everywhere but at him. How was she possibly going to handle being alone with him in his bedroom? She could feel the tension in her body rising by the second and she was sure he was not unaffected as well.
"So you need my help? Is that why you're here?" Klaus slowly walked toward her.
"Yes, I told you I need your help translating some spells," Caroline replied, finding comfort in her stern words.
"I see," Klaus simply responded and was by now standing in front of her. She did not flinch, just kept staring at him, knowing she had to put on a hard front for him to not notice how much she actually would like to throw herself at him.
But she couldn't. Her friends' lives were on the line. So she used all her self-restraint and ordered her body not to move a muscle, even if his scent so close in front of her send her senses spiraling.
"That's all you came here for?" His head was slowly moving next to hers and she lost him from her sight. His voice was barely more than a raw whisper.
"Yes," she managed to hold her voice steady. "What else would I be here for?"
His movements halted for a split second at that, but Caroline saw it and it gave her new found strength to resist him. Yes, he got under her skin, but she could do the same to him. The game was on.
"I thought we were past the lying?" He pulled back just so he could stare into her eyes.
"Who says I'm lying?" She held his penetrating gaze.
They stared at each other for a long moment, trying to read each other, until Klaus raised the corner of his mouth up into a small smile.
"Very well." There was something mischievous in his eyes that send a shiver down her spine.
"So you're going to help me?" Her big blue eyes locked with his.
"Who am I to send away a maiden in distress?" He slowly brushed her hair behind her left ear, exposing the tender flesh of her neck. His eyes left hers, entranced by the allure of her white skin, covering the healthy rhythm of her blood pumping through her veins. "Especially if she came all the way to New Orleans."
"But you want something in return?" She finally caught on.
"Just something to reimburse my efforts," he grinned lightly and looked back into her eyes. "First, I want you to recognize my promise of never seeing you again as void, given the circumstance you yourself came to me."
She narrowed her eyes at him. He had promised her to set her free and never come back again. And she needed that to get her life back together. Now he was asking her for an out. How very sly.
"First? What else do you want?" Caroline pressed out, trying not to get angry.
He caressed her open skin with his finger and he could feel the light tremor that it caused in her. He got closer and he placed a feather like kiss right under her ear.
"If you so much as even suggest I whore myself out for your help, to let you force yourself on me-"
"Force myself on you?" She could feel his breath on her neck and she felt him move upwards slightly. "We both know that this is not what this is about," he whispered right into her ear.
Oh god, yes he was right. How much she wanted it...
But still...
"The answer is no," she stayed determined even though she was trembling by now.
For a very long moment they stayed like that. Neither saying anything, neither doing anything. Until Klaus sighed and pulled back. He could see she wanted him as much as he wanted her and for now he would be content with that.
"Okay," he replied, staring into her eyes to see if there was the slightest faltering on her side. But she was stubborn as usual.
Caroline let out a breath she did not even know she had held in the first place. She relaxed, but tried not to let the relief show in front of Klaus.
To her surprise he raised his left hand and placed it on her cheek. Klaus could see the confusion in her eyes. He stepped yet again closer and locked his eyes with hers. His other hand found his way to the small of her back and drew her closer so that their hips touched.
What was he doing? Caroline thought he just respected her wish not to repeat what they did a few months ago in the woods.
Klaus kept looking into her blue eyes and caressed her cheek with his thump softly.
"I will have to insist on the first one though," he said finally.
She could see it in his eyes that he would not back down on this one. And if she had to be honest, she was relieved he did not. He had her completely seduced. Apparently she was not so smart after all.
He waited for her to answer, but she was still too dazzled to reply.
"Do we have a deal?" Klaus pushed once more. And she finally found it in her to respond, if only with a shaky nod.
A small smile appeared on his face, a rather seductive smile than a triumphant one, and he leaned in closer, stopping right in front of her lips. His hand moved down her back slowly and all the air seemed stuck in her lungs.
"Good," he simply said and his eyes left her lips to find her eyes. His hand stopped from exploring her back and grabbed the thin grimoire that was in her back waist band. "Let's see what I can find out for you." He smiled mischievously.
"I see, so the doppelgängers are on the spur of death and the witch - no, former witch and current anchor, did I get that right? - is in a deep slumber whilst the rest of your pathetic group of friends is trying to fight off the travelers who did all this?"
Caroline nodded simply. She had not been aware of how much actually had been going on since Klaus left and it took a while to fill him in. It was true that they could never catch a break apparently.
"But you managed to steal their grimoire and are now looking for a way to break the spells," he grinned at that. "Did I summarize everything correctly?"
"Yes, Klaus. You see we don't actually have that much time to spare for chit chat," Caroline prompted him to finally start with the task that was given him.
"Very well," Klaus said, skimming through the pages. "Which spell did they use?"
Caroline looked at him incredulously.
"You don't know..." Klaus concluded with a sigh. This would take a whole lot longer now. Before he could even start translating he had to figure out which spell had been used.
"Of course I don't know, Klaus! That's why I'm here!" She threw her arms up in the air in frustration. "If I could read it I wouldn't bother driving all the way here to see your smart ass."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I personally regard my 'smart ass' worth visiting," he threw a fake smile in her direction.
She just scoffed and stopped her nervous pacing, slumping down on his more than extravagant couch. Caroline briefly wondered somewhere in the corner of her head from which period this antique probably was.
Klaus continued through the pages, reading them superficially, only so much as to know what the general topic of the single sections were about.
Minutes passed and the only thing that echoed through the silence was the sound of turned pages.
"So you never thought about it?" He asked her after a while.
"Thought about what?" Caroline did not bother lifting her head from the top of the couch to look at him. Her eyes were staring at the ceiling forlornly.
Klaus did not immediately clarify and Caroline grew impatient, sighing and sitting up to finally look at him. "Thought about what, Klaus?"
He hesitated once again, but this time answered her in the end.
"Thought about visiting me?" His voice was soft, a little bit guarded even.
He stopped reading for a moment and looked up.
It felt like the air was kicked out of Caroline's lungs. Her brain and her emotions were struggling with each other, trying to put her thoughts in perspective. But the vulnerable look on Klaus' face rendered her unable to think clearly.
Yes, she had considered visiting him a few times. More because she had felt the urge to kick his ass, especially after she heard he was going to become a father. Klaus Mikaelson taking care of a kid? Who had heard of something this absurd? But she would be lying to herself if that was not also a tiny excuse to see him again. After all there was a part inside her that felt attracted to him. And even after months she had not been able to shake it loose. He was just so damn frustrating! She wanted to leave this chapter closed once and for all, but she could not get the damn door to shut close.
She wanted to lash out on him, tell him that she had done a big stupid mistake, throw some hurtful words into his face, and leave, smashing the door behind her herself. But it was not because she needed his help that she did not follow through with that, it was because she could not hurt him like this. Not while he was looking so exposed, his emotions written all over his face even though he himself probably thought they were hidden under a solid mask.
"Maybe," she said barely audible.
A glint of surprise shimmered in his eyes. He had been expecting a harsh remark upon his question and even though she was not entirely honest she was not brushing him off either.
"I did," Klaus conceded after a minute in quiet and seeing Caroline's perplexed expression on what he had meant he elaborated. "I thought about breaking my promise to come back a few times, truth be told."
Caroline opened her mouth to protest, but Klaus signaled her to let him continue.
"But I knew you wouldn't want that. I understand that you want to be free from me, that your plans don't involve me. I accept that. However, you should still know that I'm thinking about you, that I'll always be thinking of you."
Klaus locked his eyes with hers and even though he was sitting on the edge of his desk a few feet away from her, it felt like there was no room to breathe in between.
"I thought that I would be okay after knowing the truth, that that would be enough. And then you kissed me and you showed me that you truly felt something for me. I thought that I would be okay after having been able to share this moment with you, that that was even more than I hoped for. But when I came back to New Orleans, despite the busy schemes and warfare I had to deal with, I could not stop thinking about you. I thought that that wasn't nearly enough," his expression was serious, his words genuine. He stood up and walked toward Caroline while he continued to talk. "You are more to me than a heated infidelity. As beautiful as it may have been it showed me that the permit to taste heaven can turn earth into hell if one is not allowed to keep it."
His left hand went lightly through her hair, making Caroline shiver in response. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, shaken by his words.
He cupped her face and she was unable to look anywhere but at him.
"I- I can't, Klaus," she gasped. And the sadness in her eyes was almost as heartbreaking as Klaus' next words.
"I know," he replied. "But that doesn't mean I won't wait for you until you're ready." A small smile crossed his lips at his next statement. "After all I have an eternity I can wait."
A pressed witty huff escaped her mouth and she wondered how he was able to make her cry and laugh at the same time.
"You are always welcome here, Caroline," Klaus said and tried to lighten the mood a little afterward. "It is a beautiful city. You should explore it one day and come see it for yourself, even if not for my 'smart ass'." He gave her a playful smile.
It worked and Caroline blinked away her tears, sniffing once.
"I keep that in mind," she said with a chuckle, that was trying to sound cheerful but was marred with a tinge of sadness.
He turned around again and got back to his desk in order to continue his read.
"Why don't you lie down for a while?" He pointed to his bed. "This will take a while."
Now that he had said it she felt incredibly tired. Both physical and emotional.
She nodded once in agreement, but instead of walking over to his king sized bed, she got rid of her boots and threw her slender legs on the couch.
Defiant to the core.
It made Klaus chuckle.
---
Three hours passed in silence, but this time it was a comfortable quiet.
Caroline had drifted asleep early, having been tired from the long drive.
Klaus had drawn the curtains close and had dimmed the light further, so that she would feel more relaxed.
He figured out which spells were used against Stefan and the others, but he was not ready to wake Caroline yet. She looked peaceful in her sleep.
He stepped closer to the couch where she was lying and heaved her into his arms. He carried her to his bed and lay her down on the left side.
She squirmed slightly and he froze in response, not wanting to wake her up. His face was right in front of hers and he could not prevent being drawn to her natural beauty.
His finger brushed a lose strand of her hair behind her ear and relishing in the feeling of their skin touching, he started caressing her cheek lightly with his index finger.
And before he could even think about what he was doing he leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
A sudden gasp made him draw back and he saw Elijah at his door. His expression one of wonder and bewilderment.
He had never seen his brother treating someone so affectionately. All these years he had tried to get his brother on the path of redemption. Always trying to convince his siblings, everyone, and especially Klaus himself that he had it in him to change who he was, to find compassion in himself.
But could it be that he himself did not believe what he was trying to make others believe in? Because clearly his brother did have a tender side to himself, might have had it all along, he just saw it himself. And the disbelief he felt was prove he might have been the one believing least in his brother, that he had been a hypocrite all along.
Klaus raised his finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. He walked to the other side of the room and halted in front of his brother.
"What is it, Elijah?"
"Rebekah has woken up and she left," Elijah informed him.
"Let her pout for a while. She's probably just in town drowning herself in alcohol and some cheap affair," Klaus replied matter-of-factly. "She'll be back."
Elijah contemplated his words and nodded after a few moments. "Perhaps."
His gaze wandered to the blond girl again, who was still sleeping soundly.
"Who is she exactly, Niklaus?" Elijah demanded to know.
"She is a friend of Elena and Stefan's. Came here to seek my help on a private matter," Klaus explained briefly. He was not really in the mood to roll up his history with Caroline in front of his brother.
His eyes also drifted to Caroline and he kept being entranced by her angelic form.
The look in Klaus' eyes was puzzling. The way he looked at her... it softened the usual pretentious facade Klaus put up daily in front of everyone.
And Elijah could see it in his eyes, recognize the reason why.
"You love this girl..." He realized in utter shock.
Klaus' head snapped back immediately. His eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing repeatedly to respond in any way.
But the words would not come. His brother's words threw him off track. Not knowing what he should reply to that he quickly tried to change the subject.
"I need you to send one of the nightwalkers on an errand."
Caroline woke up to her cell phone buzzing. After opening her eyes, she felt disoriented and confused. This was not her room. This was not her bed. Slowly the memories came back and she remembered she was in Klaus' room, though she was sure she had fallen asleep on the couch not his bed.
Klaus was sitting on his chair, his legs resting comfortably on his desk, reading from the traveler's grimoire. He looked up from it and greeted her with a charming smile.
The display read Damon and she quickly answered her cell phone.
"Damon, everyone alright?" Caroline asked concerned.
"For now, but time's running out. Did you get into Klaus' pants already?"
Klaus smirked mischievously from over the room, hearing every word they were saying.
Caroline rolled her eyes, annoyed about Damon's usual dumb comments.
"Shut up," Caroline replied and gave Klaus an insistent look to get to work already. Why did he look so carefree? He was supposed to work on this. Their friends' lives were on the line. "He's translating as we speak."
"Good. How far is he?"
"Wait, I'll put you on speaker phone." Caroline got up from the bed and walked over to Klaus, putting her cell phone on the desk in front of them.
"Hello Damon," Klaus said in a good mood.
"How's my least favorite Original?"
"Not helping, Damon," Caroline groaned.
"Apparently better than your brother," Klaus simply replied.
"Yeah... He says hi by the way," Damon said. "As much as he would have loved to visit his old murdering buddy, he's currently incapacitated. Any idea how we can change that?"
"Well, you could put him out of his misery for one thing," Klaus answered nonchalantly, but earned a hostile glare from his favorite blonde. "Or you could break the traveler's spell."
"Genius, why didn't I think of that before? Wait, I did. That's why I send you blondie. Late christmas present; hope you like it," Damon responded snarky.
Klaus looked into Caroline's eyes and the amusement he felt was more than apparent.
"Oh, I do appreciate her presence very much. Can I keep her?"
"I'm not a cat," Caroline whispered indignantly.
"Tell me how to save Elena and my little brother and you may have her," Damon stated.
"Hello?! I'm right here!" Caroline interjected.
"Take one for the team here, Caroline," Damon reasoned.
"You know what, screw you!"
"Relax, love. We'll talk about that later," Klaus replied, grinning widely.
"So, what's the deal, Klaus?" Damon asked, now serious.
"I think I found out what the travelers are planning."
How long had she been asleep, Caroline wondered. Did he already finish the translation?
"If I am right, you have less than 24 hours before Stefan and Elena are dead," Klaus started. "I am pretty convinced that the travelers used a spell to bind the doppelgängers together."
"Why would they do that?" Caroline asked confused.
"If they were to kill one, they'd kill all of them," Klaus answered.
"Like your mom did with you and your siblings?" Damon taunted Klaus.
"Wait, how many doppelgängers are out there?" Caroline asked incredulous.
"The question is not how many are out there, the question is how many were out there," Klaus corrected.
"What?" Damon and Caroline choked out simultaneously.
"See, I presume that your friend Bonnie, who I've heard is now the anchor, was hexed so that they could access the border of the Other Side. In doing so they could connect all doppelgängers that ever existed."
"But why? This doesn't make any sense," Damon wondered.
"Their motive is to get rid of all the doppelgängers for good. Past, present, and, foremost, future," Klaus explained. "If they succeed, there won't be anymore doppelgängers in the future."
"Talk about new year's goals..." Damon commented.
"Since they are connected to the dead doppelgängers Stefan and Elena don't, let's say, feel that well, understandably," Klaus continued.
"You said we have less than 24 hours, what did you mean by that?" Caroline asked worried.
"For this spell to work they need to kill one doppelgänger each for every doppelgänger lineage. I. e. one for Silas and one for Amara. And they must do it on an eclipse. Which is-"
"Tomorrow," Caroline finished his sentence.
"Great. So, how do we stop them?" Damon asked.
"There are two ways you can break the spell. One, you can kill every traveler who was part of the spell. But they tend to act in large groups and a splitter party will probably stay hidden for the duration of the ritual."
"The beginning with the 'kill everyone' sounded so promising," Damon complained.
"Two, you can just reverse the spell," Klaus put it simply.
"Reverse? How does that work?" Caroline asked.
"Just perform the reverse ritual that is written in this book," Klaus explained holding the grimoire symbolically up in the air for Caroline to see. "You need some ingredients of course, but all in all it's rather simple."
"You kidding? That's all? We're never that lucky..." Damon asked skeptically.
"That's all," Klaus replied. "Just some salamander blood, fluxweed, blood root, and a snake fang among some other things."
"Seriously? How are we supposed to find all these before it's too late?" Caroline asked desperately.
"No worries, it's been taken care of, love," Klaus replied smug. "While you were sleeping in my bed so soundly-"
"Blondie, learn some self-restrain, will you?" Damon interjected amused.
"Shut up, Damon! And you, Klaus, stop insinuating!"
Klaus started chuckling, but decided not to push his luck.
"While you were sleeping, I ordered one of my men to gather all the necessary items for the ritual," Klaus finished.
Damon wisely kept his mouth shut, but he really wanted to comment on how incredibly amusing it was that Klaus was wrapped around Caroline's little finger. He did everything for her. In times of need this really came in handy, Damon thought. It had saved his life not too long ago too, when he was infected with werewolf venom. Back then Klaus had come rushing with his personal antidote as well after getting his ass ordered to Mystic Falls by Caroline.
"Th-That's," she tried to find the right words, "helpful."
"Stop with all the praise, I'm getting embarrassed here," Klaus replied in irony, but amused by Caroline's flustered expression nonetheless. "He'll be here soon and you'll be good to go."
"Good, as soon as you have everything get your ass up here. You know where we are," Damon demanded and hung up.
"It's really that easy?" Caroline asked, still not believing that the answer was so simple.
Klaus did not respond and she could see that he was hiding something from her.
"What is it, Klaus?" She demanded to know.
"I will provide you with the necessary ingredients for the spell, but it is still a spell, sweetheart," Klaus pointed out. He looked at her as if she was missing a vital point, which she should have noticed all along.
The realization hit her like an ice cold bucket of water. "This is a traveler's spell, so we also need a traveler to perform the reverse spell... Why didn't you say so earlier? We have to find someone. I have to call Damon-"
"Hold your horses, love," Klaus stopped her, before she could dial the number. "It is true that it is a traveler's spell, but that doesn't mean you need a traveler to reverse it."
"What do you mean?"
"Travelers are a subgroup of witches. Thus, for a spell like this an ordinary witch would suffice," Klaus explained.
"Okay, that's better. But it's still the same problem, we don't have a witch," Caroline replied.
"You may not have any at your disposal, but I do," Klaus grinned mischievously.
"Wait, what?"
"I am the ruler of this city, I can easily lend you a witch, love."
"O-okay, thanks I guess," Caroline stuttered. "Since when are you the 'ruler' of New Orleans," she asked incredulously.
"I once build this city, love. I just came back and reclaimed my rightful position," Klaus responded smirking.
Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, but really did not want to know more than she had to. She decided to drop the topic.
"There's one more thing I forgot to mention," Klaus said.
"What is it?"
"You need the blood of the doppelgängers for the ritual to work," Klaus confessed.
"That's not a problem, we just take some from Stefan and Elena," Caroline replied.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. The witches of the quarter draw their powers from their local ancestors. Once they leave this city they are powerless. Which means the ritual has to be held here and since you won't have enough time to go to Mystic Falls, get the blood, come back here, let the tonics be prepared, and then head back again to save your friends you have a small problem."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?! Now everything is useless!" Caroline complained frantic.
"I said it's a small problem, love," Klaus smiled wickedly.
He opened his drawer and pulled out a vile with blood.
"Are you telling me this is...?" Caroline asked hesitantly.
"This is the last doppelgänger blood I have. It's Elena's," he explained.
"You still had her blood?"
"Just this one."
If he needs Elena's blood to create his hybrids how come he was willing to give it to her?
"Why would you give this to me? Don't you yearn to build an army of hybrids?"
"Yes, love, an army. This is sufficient enough for one werewolf at best," Klaus replied. He acted like it was not a big deal, although it had been a hard decision to let her have it. It was the last doppelgänger's blood and he was not sure when he would ever see the next one.
But Caroline was not deceived. She knew it cost him a lot to be this selfless. And, most importantly, he did it for her.
She walked to him, leaned down, and surprised him with a tender kiss.
"Thank you." Her words tingled on his lips. "I know this wasn't easy for you."
Dazzled by her initiative he regarded her with awe.
"Everything for you, love," Klaus said smirking.
Caroline felt the electrical pull between them building up and she quickly drew away.
"Okay, that takes care of Elena's blood, but we still need Stefan's, right?" Caroline asked, her back facing Klaus.
"Yes, but I believe I can help out with this one as well," Klaus replied and got up from his chair.
He walked to an old chestnut chest and opened it. In it he seemed to look for something and when a sound of satisfaction escaped his lips Caroline knew he had found what he had been looking for.
A white shirt dangled in the air in front of Klaus, a shirt from the twenties it seemed, and it was covered in blood stains.
"Some of this blood should be Stefan's. I remember him being shot in his right kidney. That should suffice for the ritual," Klaus said.
There were so many things Caroline wanted to say at once she had trouble finding an order what was the most important in this situation.
"I find this disturbing on so many levels, I don't know where to start," Caroline replied with a gaping open mouth. "Why do you have Stefan's old bloody shirt? Why do you have a shirt of Stefan's in the first place? Why is it bloody? And do I have to tell you that this is extremely creepy considering you have kept it for decades?"
"Some local authorities caught us once when we were relinquishing in some fresh veins. Let's just say it got a little bit messy in the end," Klaus explained amused.
"So you killed them?" Caroline asked appalled, though she was the least bit surprised. "You could have just compelled them."
"As you know, Stefan wasn't really the diplomatic type back then," Klaus replied unaffected. "And I rarely am."
The only reply Klaus earned from this statement was an angry scoff. She turned her back on him and her golden locks bounced delightfully with every step she took away from him.
A knock on the door broke the silence and shortly afterward Elijah, another man, and a woman entered the room.
"I brought what you asked for, Niklaus," Elijah announced.
"Patrice, so you volunteered?" Klaus sauntered in front of the woman, a smug smile on his face.
"Your words, not mine," the woman named Patrice replied.
"Don't be difficult now, sweetheart. I just need you for one little ritual," Klaus said, showing her to his desk. The unknown man followed them and put various things on top of it. Apparently these were the ingredients they needed for the ritual.
Elijah sat down on the couch, eying curiously the situation in front of him.
"What do I have to do?" Patrice asked, visibly not very happy to have been asked to help out Klaus.
"Perform this ritual," he handed her the grimoire and another sheet of paper on which he had written the translation and phonetics of the spell.
Not wanting to be longer among vampires than she had to she went to work right away. She studied the translation and started with the preparations.
"You can go now," Klaus told the nightwalker.
"May I ask what this is about?" Elijah looked at Klaus, expecting to finally get real answers.
"The doppelgängers are in imminent peril and Caroline here needs this ritual to rescue them," Klaus said simply.
"Katarina?" Elijah asked concerned.
"She's god knows where and I'm fine with that. But if they're connected like Klaus said then she will most likely be in pain at the moment. The thought shouldn't make me happy, but here I am not being able to stop smiling," Caroline replied in sassy mode.
"She's alive?" Klaus asked, his attention all hers now.
"Of course she is, she's Katherine Pierce. She found a way to cheat death. Again," Caroline told them.
Elijah seemed visibly relieved hearing these news and she wondered if he had still feelings for her.
"Let me know if there is anything I can help with," Elijah said.
"Why?" Caroline asked judgmentally. "Why are you concerned all of a sudden? When she lay dying your brother, her worst enemy, came to see her on her deathbed. Granted, not with much good intentions, but you weren't there."
Caroline did not know why she felt the need to point this out, why she was protecting Katherine like this. After all she deserved to be left behind by the few people that cared about her and she deserved much more, however, she felt strangely agitated by Elijah since the very beginning when she saw him with Hayley.
Elijah regarded her perplexed. They did not even know each other and she was already asking him to justify himself in matters of the heart. There was no fear in her voice even though she was confronting an original, a creature far older and stronger than she was. It reminded him of the dispute between her and his brother when she arrived. She just had spoken her mind freely, harsh words pouring out without any regards of their possible consequences. Or maybe she just was sure there would not be any consequences. But even Elijah had to watch his words around his brother, not even he could be sure his brother's temper would not take a turn for the worse. And yet this young woman could not care less.
Which meant that she must know Klaus loved her.
What a daring woman, Elijah thought.
"Matters were complicated," Elijah answered at last.
"I saw that," Caroline commented in regards to the intimate relationship between him and the woman who was pregnant with his brother's baby.
"I believe this is not a matter of your concern," Elijah dismissed the topic.
"Don't worry I'm not eager to talk about your weird family constellation either," Caroline replied and turned around to see how far the witch was.
Klaus poured himself a drink and cocked his eyebrow in amusement. He walked toward Elijah and offered him another glass of bourbon.
"Isn't she lovely?"
"She certainly knows her way around words," Elijah replied, not meaning it in a very praising fashion.
"We can start," Patrice interrupted at last.
The ritual in itself was simple, just as Klaus had said. In the end Caroline was left with two potions, one marked for Stefan the other for Elena. The witch had left as soon as she had been done, not uttering a word to anyone. Elijah had followed her outside, leaving Klaus and Caroline alone.
It was one in the morning and Caroline knew she had to compel at least five police officers to forget about her exceeding the speed limit and running over a couple hundred red lights if she wanted to arrive on time.
The good thing about being in such a hurry though was that she could practically run away from Klaus without so much as an excuse as to why she could not stay and let herself be seduced by Klaus.
"Thank you," she said, walking toward the door where he was standing. "You really saved us."
"Next time you need an Aramaic translator you know where I am. Although if you want me to teach you I am more than willing to accommodate you with a sleeping quarter here. You could stay as long as you want," he offered smirking.
Caroline scoffed in response, but it was a playful scoff and they both started chuckling.
"Does the ruler of New Orleans really have time to play tutor for a college student?" She raised her eyebrow skeptically.
"It's all about delegation, love. Do we have to add human resources to the study list?" Klaus showed his adorable dimples.
"No thanks, I think I know one thing or two about ordering people around. How many school dances do you think I have already planned?"
"I remember one. I faintly recall dancing with a stunning beauty back then," he perked his lips, his eyes glimmering with amusement.
"Yeah, I know which dance you mean. There was this one jerk who thought he had to prove he was the alpha male..." Caroline pointed out with a fake, yet not offensive, smile.
"And I think I told you I don't have to prove anything, love. I am-"
"-the alpha male. Yes, yes, I know," Caroline finished the sentence for him.
They fell silent for a moment and the light atmosphere threatened to change into something way more intense.
Klaus seemed to want to say something, but had trouble getting over himself.
"I missed you," he finally said.
She could see he meant every word and she also recognized that he would only show this side of him when they were alone. Ultimately, this was the main reason she had trouble condemning him, there was more to Niklaus Mikealson, the big bad. And for some reason she was the only one who could see that.
"Strangely enough I admit it wasn't so bad to see you again," Caroline replied.
It was the best thing she could muster to say that would not hurt his feelings and let him down easily at the same time.
And Klaus took it. Her witty response made him smile again.
He got the door and held it open for her.
"Let me escort you to your car," he said and followed her out of the room.
Over the veranda she could see familiar faces downstairs. Elijah was sitting at a table drinking coffee next to Hayley.
Some other men were lurking around and she could recognize one or two from earlier.
She remembered what Rebekah had said about tipping off Klaus' father as to where he had been so that he could hunt him down. Caroline did not know why Klaus decided to go to New Orleans, but she could see it was not all rosy here either. He had mentioned something about warfare, his own sister betrayed him, and his brother was unusually intimate with the mother of his unborn child.
She sighed loudly when they arrived at the car.
"This is none of my business and I blame my general nosy attitude for what I am about to say," Caroline started rambling quietly, visibly not sure how to address the topic. "Don't let them get to you."
Klaus looked at her perplexed, he was not sure what she was getting at.
"There are certainly some unresolved issues between you and your sister and your brother is really irritating in my eyes for going after Hayley... I guess what I want to say is..." she looked up and stared into his fair colored eyes. "This must be a hard time for you at the moment. I can see it in your eyes that you feel betrayed and left alone." Klaus broke the eye contact, not comfortable about her reading him so easily like this, letting her see his vulnerable side. "I have the feeling you are fighting constantly for recognition and it hurts you more than you let on how they can't see it and how they brush you off repeatedly." She paused and took in a deep breath. "So if you ever find yourself in need of a friend, I guess you can come by..."
That made Klaus look up. "I thought we were past that?"
"Well knowing your personality that would leave you with no friends at all, so I find it hard to revoke our friendship status. And I guess I owe you for helping us out," Caroline caved in.
"I fully intend to collect my debts," he replied with a serious, almost seductive, edge to his voice.
She leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "See you."
She climbed into her car and while driving off she could see in the rearview mirror a small smile forming around his lips.
Yes, she would definitely see him again.