"Come on, Tyler. You can't be serious!"
Caroline rolled her eyes at Matt and the ridiculousness of this conversation, but he refused to let it go.
"If you had the power to compel, that's what you would use it for? Of all the things in the world, you would want a lifetime pass for all-you-can-eat Taco Bell?"
Caroline tuned out Tyler's impassioned response and turned her thoughts to the scene around her. Sitting in a booth at the Grille with Tyler's arm around her and Matt and Elena sitting across from them, it almost felt like old times. It reminded her of the uncomplicated days when they were all human, back before the disasters of recent years. Of course, life wasn't so easy anymore and it had taken awhile for them to get back to a position where they could laugh and joke after the news of Bonnie's death, but they were slowly clawing their way back to a semblance of normality. She and Elena were currently home for Christmas break from their freshman year at Whitmore and Tyler and Matt had some time off from the local community college, so Caroline had insisted they all sit down to lunch and had proceeded to place a ban on any and all potentially depressing subjects of conversation. So far it had been going pretty well and Caroline was extremely pleased with herself, until she happened to look up and see a sight that had been blessedly absent for over six months now. An Original had returned to Mystic Falls.
The lack of Originals had greatly contributed to the peace that her group of friends had enjoyed recently, so she couldn't say she was exactly pleased that the vacation appeared to have ended. Nor could she mask her surprise when said Original's eyes lit upon seeing her and he proceeded to beeline towards their table.
"Elijah?"
She couldn't quite mask the shock in her tone, while in the back of her mind she registered that the conversation at the table had abruptly ceased and three heads snapped in the direction where her gaze was already locked. Elijah seemed only to have eyes for her though; he reached their table and directed his words solely to her.
"Caroline. May I have a word? It's both urgent and extremely important."
His ingrained sense of propriety prompted him to offer a polite nod towards the other inhabitants of the table, but Caroline could tell he was on edge and wanted desperately to speak with her alone. Despite his rather sudden appearance, Caroline had no reason to expect he meant her harm and couldn't see a reason to refuse one of the most powerful beings on the planet, especially when he was the picture of civility. She exchanged some wary glances with her friends but could see they had reached the same conclusion, so she accepted and proceeded to follow Elijah outside. Feeling off balance, she waited for him to speak first.
"Caroline, I must apologize for interrupting what appeared to be a very pleasant lunch. I am sure my appearance was a shock, as well as an unpleasant indicator of what's to come. However, I assure you that my family's departure from Mystic Falls remains in effect and we shall not be permanently returning to inconvenience you and your friends anytime soon.
I wish I had the luxury of divulging my true purpose in a more delicate manner, but I'm afraid time is of the essence so I'll be blunt. Klaus needs your help. It's a matter of life or death. I'd like you to come back with me to New Orleans at once."