A/n: Edited on 2/26/2015. Alright, at the time that I wrote this, I thought I was going to write it around 2K to 3K words. Well, as you can tell it'd been a year or so since I updated. I need to work on this and actually get back into writing this again. Hopefully, I will remain consistent in the writing volume of the chapters. So like I said, I'm doing a lot more editing on this since my previous processor didn't have the grammar checker (which is stupid if you ask me.) Hope you still enjoy the fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.

Chapter 1: Midnight Shift

Dr. Niklaus Mikaelson had his fill for the night.

Time was a funny thing. People had different perceptions about it. For some, it could go faster than they realize. And for the unprivileged rest, time could be as slow as molasses. (Or whatever how people talk about it around here.) The New Year had been starting slow, and it continued to tread on slow at a snail's pace. 2013. Ha! This year just crawled with bad luck and all of its ilk.

That's at least how Klaus viewed of it.

Anyway, back to topic. Klaus had his fill for tonight. He had been working a long shift, and he was ready to have company with solitude in his own bed. Hell, he had been feeling like that more than usual. However, tonight wasn't any different. He really didn't care really much for tonight. At this point, he was just looking forward to getting some sleep. The cold weather really didn't make things easier either.

He often wondered why he even volunteered for the night shift. He guessed that sometimes he liked the more or less absence of excitement when it came to the graveyard shift. Quieter, so he called it. When it comes to a small town like Mystic Falls, he didn't mind the silence. It was rather peaceful and healthier for him. Even his own physician in the past had told him to make the change.

Living in the bustling city of London for almost all of his life, Mystic Falls was pretty much a 180 degree turn. Goodbye to the big city and hello to the small town. As soon as he moved here, Klaus worked hard in his shifts. He volunteered for the shifts no one wanted to take. Sometimes, if there's an extra shift, he hoped onto that faster than a jackrabbit. Thank God for the overtime pay that came with it. He won't admit that he's turned into a rather weary workaholic (not that he was neglecting anything important.) He helped his family when they needed it. He got his daily fill of what every man needs. He's single. No kids.

Nothing to worry about, right?

He got his medical degree a while before he came into the United States. He seriously contemplated about going there where his older brother and his wife invited him to stay with him and his family. That was two years ago. At the time though, it was the best option he had. It was either to start fresh or keep on reliving the bitter and damned memories that showed up everywhere in London. Therefore, Klaus grabbed everything he owned and never looked back.

And, he hadn't regretted that decision since.

"Alright, Bonnie. Everything seems to be well so far with your grandmother. You're lucky, though. That fall she had didn't injure her too badly." He explained to the distraught woman sitting in front of him, shaking her leg up and down as he wrote down on his clipboard.

"Are you sure? I'm mean you could have missed something. No doctor is perfect." Bonnie pointed out.

Just what he needed. Someone questioning him how he did his job. He understood how worried she was about her grandmother. Sheila Bennett, one of his most vocal and frequent patients, was all Bonnie Bennett had left as family so she had every right to be concerned. Even Klaus had been in the same spot as she had, and he was even a doctor too as well. Nevertheless, there was a certain line of when to stop.

Klaus often wondered how that tough old goat was still living with all the appointments she comes in for. It really boggled him because of the fact the elder Bennett drank like a whale and wasn't the one for sitting around all the time.

"How about you just worry about her wellbeing more than worry about how I do my job, love?" He asked, hiding his annoyance to himself away from her.

"My wellbeing is just fine, child! There's nothing wrong with me. Don't let my granddaughter get to you," Sheila cut in.

Klaus couldn't help, but smirk at the older woman's remark. She was a Bennett after all.

"Grams…" Bonnie scolded.

"It's okay, Sheila. I don't mind at all. It helps me to keep on my toes. I always like a challenge." He placated the situation, hoping that this will no doubted help him get into speed of going home.

He had to admit that he didn't mind of the challenges of this job. It helped him to stay focused. Working in this field for a while, you get a completely wide range of patients that come into the hospital. The one in Mystic Falls was a lot smaller, but it still functioned well enough on its own. He and his brother were both doctors at the hospital they worked. Elijah was actually the one who helped him land a job at Mystic Falls General in the first place. Klaus had told him more than one occasion that he owed Elijah for helping him when he was in a rut, but often Elijah refused him. He only wanted to help his brother. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Family is family. Always and forever, Klaus recalled.

"Well, I'm going to recommend that you just be careful of where you go. Watch out of how much alcohol you intake, though I would advise you not to take any at all if possible. Moreover, maybe if you want, I can prescribe you with some antibiotics to help if there is any unprecedented pain. If there is anything unusual, call me. You already have my number on my card. If I'm not in, call my brother. He'll let me know what I need to catch up on." He made sure to explain as he wrote down more on his clipboard. Nothing wrong with being prepared.

"WHEW! I'm finally out of this place! I need to get out of this chair before my back gives out again. I feel old." The older exasperating Bennett was already up and ready to get out, almost like she was getting released from prison.

"Grams, you're…" Bonnie started, but was cut off silently by the older woman's sharp glare.

"Don't even start if you know what's good for you." Sheila went out of the room making her way assumingly to the lobby. Bonnie rolled her eyes at her Gram's antics.

"We'll keep in touch." Bonnie said to him in gratitude as she finally followed her grandmother out of the room too as well.

When Klaus was alone to himself, he made his way to the bathroom stopping in front of the sink turning on the faucet with his hands.

Letting the cold water splash his face, Klaus made note of the dark circles under his eyes. Definitely not good. The nightmares hadn't been coming as much anymore like they used to be, but they made their presence known once or twice sometimes. Sighing heavily, he ran a hand through his hair. He knew he couldn't go on like this. If he kept on, he's not going to be able to act well enough to work. As much as he would rather not admit to such trivial weakness, he was human and his body has needs. It needed rest.

He exited the bathroom and before he could think of sitting down to rest, alarms blared out in loud volumes, always hurting Klaus' eardrums. Thankfully, he was able to learn how to ignore them and just tackle on this emergency at hand. His attention was stolen when the emergency room doors burst opened wide open.

His best friend (and future brother-in-law), Stefan Salvatore carrying an unconscious blonde woman in his arms. And there was his youngest sister, Rebekah, rushing behind him. What in the bloody hell was going on?

Klaus' eyes then flickered to the blonde in Stefan's arms, inspecting the extent of what could be her injuries.

Her body had cuts covering her pale skin in little red stripes. The female's eyes were closed and appeared sunken in with dark circles under her eyes, making them seem hollow. Her face appeared sunken in too, showing more of the cheekbones than they shouldn't have. There were also dark bruises peppered around the skin too, and it left blue-purplish spots following along. He had enough suspicion to know there was a factor of abuse somewhere in this and judging from the severity of the bruises, they didn't appear all too well. However, what really sent a chill down his spine was her pronounced pregnant belly looking like it was about ready to pop at any time. He narrowed his eyes, knowing that this was really going to get serious to a completely new level.

"Stefan, what happened?" he asked his best friend as his usual response to an emergency.

The Salvatore's face was grim and worried as he laid the blonde woman on the hospital stretcher that stood in the hallway. Even though he was the younger of the two brothers, the frown lines on his forehead aged him about five years with the worrying he puts himself through. He already had enough on his plate as it is.

"We found her on the side of the road coming back from meeting with the planner about the wedding." Stefan explained.

"Was she unconscious when you found her?" Klaus asked as he tried to see any other injuries she may have had.

"Of course, she bloody was, Nik! We're not daft! Shouldn't you be checking to see if she's gone into the labor? I mean she is pregnant." His sister almost screeched.

His tolerance level was already at a low-level tonight, and he didn't need to worse than it already was. His sister was the last person he needed to aggravate him by telling him what he needed to do. That was one of his biggest pet peeves. He had enough from some people questioning him when it came to his job. He didn't need an interrogation from his own family. And seeing the woman in front of him, who could be possibly dying with the innocent life inside her was pushing him closer to the edge.

"Unless you want to keep your head, I suggest you keep your mouth shut," he spoke in a dark tone.

His sister's body bristled with anger, but Stefan calmed her down. "Easy, Bekah. Let's just get her to Elijah. He'll help her."

Klaus hated the fact that he was probably violating some part of the woman's privacy, but he had to do his job. His hand went in between her legs, twisting his two fingers to feel for her cervix. He did quick check on the area, but quickly frowned at the result. The woman's cervix was already dilating. She must have been in labor for hours. It was getting close too. If they didn't get it out in time…no. That's not going to happen.

"We need to get this baby out now," he stated as he quickly he paged his brother. "Elijah! We need you in the Emergency Room! STAT!"

Thirty seconds later, his brother stormed in with his white lab coat whipping behind him. "What happened, Niklaus?"

Klaus's facial expression darkened as it turned grim and determined. "She's needs a C-section quickly. The baby could be dying."

That was enough for Elijah not to question his brother about what he had to. There were no more words needed. "I'll take her in and operate. It shouldn't take long. Nurse!"

Soon enough, nurses came around doing their duties with the pregnant woman lying there on the stretcher. Elijah and the nurses rolled their new patient down into the O.R. until Klaus, Stefan, and Rebekah could not see them anymore. Klaus was tense and frozen trying all that he could to keep his mind from reeling off. His mind went blank. The image of the blonde woman burned into his memory. It reminded him too much. Not again. It couldn't happen again.

"She's in good hands, Klaus. Your brother will take care of her," he reassured the troubled doctor. "Do you want me to go back around the area and ask around? We could find out who she is."

Coming back to reality, Klaus shook his head. "No, mate. Let's just call in the sheriff to see if maybe she can identify her. She knows practically everyone in this one pony town. It shouldn't be that hard to do. It's also getting late. Go home and get your rest, and I'll keep you posted on what happens."

Stefan and Rebekah didn't say anything else. They went ahead along their way as Klaus stood there holding himself against the wall trying to steady himself. He didn't know who that woman was, but he knew her story probably wasn't great as a spring day picnic. There was more to her than meets the eye. Little did he know, it was only a matter of time before those things for him would change directly because of that woman who was brought it.