"What if it was Caroline Klaus picked up out of the debris and raised her as his own, a handful of centuries ago? Taught her in all the arts imaginable; though patience proved to be difficult as Caroline, created in his image, never took 'no' for an answer. The streets of the quarter are now crushed underneath the throd of her black high heels. And when that Hybrid - once a father to her, a superior, her God - returned and had the audacity to call her a queen, she sneered right back into his face: 'Not a Queen'. Oh no, never a queen. She made sure of that. A leader to some. A suppressor to others. But never a queen. Queens didn't make it into history with success. 'I'm the King'." - madampuddifootsteashop (link in the authors note)
She watched with her eyes wide and unblinking, fear shooting through her body and freezing her in her tracks. She couldn't move. She felt like she couldn't breathe. All she could do was watch as the four family members she thought were her saviors turned into hell demons. Their eyes darkened and webbed with black veins, teeth extended into fangs that tore into the people's throats. Their victims made no sound as requested, and for some reason they did everything they were told to do by those four frightening family members.
She had thought she would be safe. Was she wrong?
"There's no need to be afraid." The tallest one, Elijah, called out to her as he sensed her fear. He was the honorable one, she knew that. He carefully lowered his prey until they were seated again, before slowly approaching her, wiping his mouth to catch the traces of red that lingered there.
"We trust you, darling." The blonde lady, Rebekah, soothed her with equal measure. She smiled reassuringly at the younger girl before sinking her teeth into the neck of her victim again.
She turned back to Elijah, panting rapidly with fright.
"Don't scare her, Bekah." The younger brother, Kol teased. It was almost comforting how he still remained his mischievous self even as he progressed into monsterly behavior.
"She needs to learn." Said the man who had saved her, the middle brother who they all turned to. Klaus. He surfaced from his drinking with a satisfied sigh, letting the body drop gracelessly to the floor.
"Don't be a beast." Rebekah scoffed.
"Niklaus, your manners are, as always, without equal." Elijah shot his brother a disapproving look, still approaching the girl. Klaus held out a hand to still Elijah, striding over to the girl himself and crouching down till he was at eye level with her.
"This is who we are, love. And one day, this could be what you become." He held her gaze. "Are you ready for that?"
She locked her trembling jaw, a determined look crossing her features. "Yes."
.
"Welcome to the dark side of New Orleans." A tour guide announced to a group as they milled down the sidewalk. "A supernatural playground where the living are easily lost, and the dead stick around to play."
Klaus watched the wide eyed tourists take everything in as they passed by him snapping up shots of the street and the culture with their iPhones. He shook his head. The trivial ways that human kind had progressed over the last century. Sure, they had their technology, but where was the art and culture of the past few hundred years? Left to rot while they gorged themselves on the bubblegum pop that was todays culture. It amused and disgusted him simultaneously. He made his way through the crowded marketplace towards the witch he had been observing for the past hour. She was the key to finding what he was looking for.
The woman glanced up and looked straight at him, like a bird sensing its predator was about to pounce. Her fear was eminent as she scrambled to pack up her things.
Klaus sauntered over and sat down before she had even managed to put four candles in her box.
"Good afternoon." He nodded politely. "Time for one more?"
The woman clearly didn't feel like exchanging pleasantries. "I have nothing to say to you."
"Oh, now that's not very amiable, is it?" Klaus tsked. "You don't even know me."
"I know what you are." The woman gritted. "Half-vampire, half-beast. You're the hybrid."
Klaus smiled, pleased that his reputation still proceeded him. "I'm the Original hybrid, actually, but that's a long story for another time." And he was proud of it too. It had taken a thousand years to track down that doppelganger to Mystic Falls, and even more of a struggle with the Salvatore brothers to complete the sacrifice. But as far as he was concerned, everyone seemed to be fine in the end.
He was the Original hybrid and that girl - Elena - had somehow irritatingly survived with the help of her witch friend Bonnie. At least he had managed to acquire a few pints of her blood until the Salvatores had swept in, saved the day, and yet still managed to lose the girl when his sister Rebekah caused Elena's car to crash and consequentially turn the doppelganger into a vampire. The Salvatores got to squabble over Elena for the rest of eternity, and Klaus still had some doppelganger blood set aside for a rainy day when he needed more hybrids.
But it still was a long story for another time.
"I'm looking for someone- a witch. Perhaps you might be able to help me find her. Jane-Anne Deveraux."
The woman's face paled considerably. "Sorry. I don't know." She attempted at a monotone.
Klaus smirked. "Well, now that's a fib, isn't it? Now, you see, I know that you're a true witch amongst this sea of poseurs, so enough with the fabrications. I've quite a temper."
The woman frowned at him. "Witches don't talk outta school in the Quarter. The vampire won't allow it. Those are the rules. I don't break Caroline's rules."
His easy mood vanished in a flash. "Caroline's rules? Where do you suppose I might find Caroline?"
.
Caroline hopped down from the stage to join her companions at the bar. Jones handed her a shot, which she accepted with a smile, downing it to their cheers. As she returned the shot glass to the bar top, she sensed eyes intently following her every move. Caroline glanced over to the door to find Klaus staring at her, hands clasped behind his back. Her friends fell silent as they noticed her diverted attention.
"Klaus." Caroline greeted him cautiously.
"Caroline." He said with a faintly fond lilt.
"Must be a hundred years since I saw you last." She noted.
"Has it been that long?" Klaus quipped with a wry smile.
Caroline strolled towards Klaus with the grace of a lioness. "As I recall, your papa ran you out of town. Left a trail of dead vampires in his wake."
"And yet how fortunate you managed to survive, love." Klaus raised his eyebrows, walking towards her with the same leisurely pace. "My father, I'm afraid, I recently incinerated to dust."
Caroline shrugged. Her companions took that as a sign to stand and form around her, not too close, but there as a warning, strength in numbers behind their leader.
"Well, if I'd have known you were coming back to New Orleans, Klaus…"
"What?" Klaus asked, his voice low and dangerous. "What would you have done?"
Caroline held his gaze levelly, her face a blank canvas. "I'd have thrown you a damn parade." She finally said with a smile.
Klaus returned her grin. Caroline eased the tension with her melodic laughter.
"Niklaus Mikaelson. My mentor, my savior, my sire." She regarded him fondly before nodding her head towards the bar. "Lets get you a drink."
The bartender passed her a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, and Caroline led Klaus to a more secluded room in the back of the bar. Her companions sat themselves back down and carried on as usual, save for the two that followed.
"Marcel, Thierry, wait outside the door and amuse yourselves." Caroline said to the pair. "Klaus and I have some catching up to do." The two men nodded to her and she gestured for Klaus to sit. He did so with the air of a king, causing Caroline to frown slightly but replace the expression with a smile before her sire could catch it.
"It is good to see you." She said as she sat opposite him and poured a generous amount of the amber liquid into the tumblers.
"It's good to be home." Klaus replied with a sigh. "Although please tell me the current state of Bourbon Street is not your doing."
Caroline laughed. "Oh, something has to draw in the tourists. Otherwise we'd all go hungry."
"Ah yes." He raised his eyebrows. "Are you still limiting your intake? Still on the path of redemption?"
Caroline rolled her eyes. "I don't limit myself, I know when to stop. Elijah taught me that." She smiled fondly. "How is your brother?"
"Self righteous as usual." Klaus savored the liquor, telling Caroline without words that he didn't want to talk about Elijah.
"Well some of us have to be. Still going on your usual blood benders?"
"Yes."
"Still terrorizing the villagers?"
"Yes."
"No questions for me?"
"Just one."
Caroline raised a brow.
"For now." Klaus amended with a smirk. "I see your friends are daywalkers."
She knew he would spot the rings. "I shared the secret of the Mikaelson daylight ring with a few of my close companions. Just the inner circle though, the family." She eyed him curiously. "But that's not the question, is it?"
"How did you find a witch willing to make daylight rings?" He asked.
Caroline knew he was up to something. "I got the witches here wrapped around my pinkie." She said, holding up the mentioned finger before dipping it in her drink and bringing it to her lips.
Klaus chuckled. "Is that so?" He asked darkly.
"I thought you only had one question." She retorted.
"Then make it two." He said, leaning back in his chair. "I'm looking for a witch by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux. She has some business with me."
Caroline exhaled. "You're looking for Jane-Anne." She smiled at Thierry and Marcel through the doorway. "Then you probably should come with me." She stood in her high heeled Prada boots and downed her drink. "Hope you're ready for a show."
.
They walked out into the street where the sun was swiftly setting. Caroline's lackeys fell in place behind her. As they continued, more began roaming the streets with increasing displays of supernatural abilities. Klaus glanced with the barest amount of interest. Caroline didn't even acknowledge them.
"Forgot to ask about dear Rebekah." She said as if their family conversation had never finished in the bar.
"She loathes me." Klaus replied.
"What else is new?" Caroline scoffed.
Klaus cracked a smile.
"And Kol?" She continued.
"Still wreaking havoc in a small town in Virginia." He glanced at her. "You'd have a field day if he came here."
"Nonsense." Caroline replied with a cheeky smile. "I could use a little rough housing with Kol."
"If it's rough housing that you need, I'm sure I could do a far better job." Klaus said slyly, glancing sideways at her.
She avoided his gaze, secretly worried about how it might affect her. "Perhaps. I'll bet that Kol would argue over who is best at pleasing a lady, but I'm sure we'll see in good time."
"I thought we already did." Klaus said, and she bit her lip.
"Oh, I don't know. It's been a hundred years."
"Then I'll have to prove myself." He said in a low voice that sent a shiver of anticipation up her spine. She exhaled, trying to let go of the emotions that clung to her. No. She would not fall for this. She was stronger than this.
"Are Rebekah and Elijah with you? We could have a big family reunion." Caroline returned to the topic.
"Rebekah is traipsing about Europe with some boy."
"Of course." Caroline nodded. "But Elijah?"
"Who knows?"
"Then since you're guaranteed to be here, I hope you find your stay here enjoyable." She said warmly. "And remember, what's mine is yours. You should consider yourself my honored guest." Her colder message was clear: you're staying, but you'll also be leaving.
"Are these your guests too?" Klaus gestured to the riffraff of vampires that reveled in their new powers, leaping from roof to roof.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Don't mind them. There's no need for anyone to be subtle here in the Quarter."
They rounded a corner where a mob had gathered in the street, and Caroline placed her fingers to her mouth to pitch a high whistle. The vampires cheered in response. She egged them on as she stripped a branch off one of the nearby trees.
A woman was shuffled forward from the crowd with her hands bound by rope.
"Jane-Anne Deveraux." Caroline greeted her, walking to the middle of the circle that had gathered around as if it were her god-given right. Klaus watched with calculating eyes from the edge of the circle.
"You have been accused of the practice of witchcraft beyond the bounds of the rules set forth, and enforced, by me. How do you plead?"
Jane-Anne stood silent.
"C'mon, Jane." Caroline cajoled, pacing back and forth in front of the witch with a carefree air. "You know how this goes. How do you plead?"
"I didn't do anything." Jane-Anne gritted out.
The crowd jeered and Caroline smirked.
"Well that's a lie. You know it's a lie. I know it's a lie. And you hate that I know it. It just burns you that I'm aware of every move made by every witch in this town. It drives you crazy that you can't do magic without being caught." Caroline flashed a grin in Klaus' direction and he started to realize this was all being directed at him. It wasn't just any show of power, it was a show of power against him.
"So why don't we cut to the chase." Caroline faced the witch again. "You tell me what you're up to, and I'll grant you leniency. I'm a merciful girl, after all. Just tell me."
If looks could kill, Jane-Anne's eyes would have set Caroline aflame. "Rot in hell, bitch."
Caroline's award-winning smile shrank a few molars. "Oh dear, that wasn't the answer I was looking for." She whipped the branch in her hand in a sudden striking motion, and Jane-Annes throat was slashed. The witch gagged, clutching at her neck with her bound hands as her lifes blood poured out of her.
"You know the rules." Caroline reminded her as she collapsed to the ground. The night-walkers cheered. Caroline walked back through the crowd with a self-satisfied smirk, accepting the cheers with barely a nod of thanks.
"What was that?" Klaus growled, appearing next to her shoulder.
Caroline motioned for him to walk a few paces away from the crowd, and he followed, much to his displeasure.
"The witches aren't allowed to do magic here." She clarified for him. "She broke the rules."
"I told you I wanted to talk to her." Klaus snapped.
Caroline bit her tongue against the anger welling up inside her. Did he seriously think that she would answer to him still? But she knew she had to play her cards right. "I got caught up in the show. The witches still think they have power in New Orleans – I have to show them that they don't. You taught me to never waste an opportunity for a show of force."
Klaus still looked unmoved. His jaw clenched as he stared Caroline down.
She compromised. "I'll find out whatever it was that you needed from her."
Klaus glanced away, back to the crowd, and she knew he was replaying the whole scene, looking for a loophole. She knew him too well, and that would be his downfall.
"Well, whatever it was, it doesn't matter anymore." Klaus said, and the issue was apparently passed over – but Caroline knew better. Still she beamed at him.
"Great. Now, lets eat. I might be 'repressed' as you say, but all that blood still makes me hungry."
"I'll be along. Run along, baby vampire." Klaus shot her a look through his long eyelashes that she remembered well. It was a look that had once made her blood boil with lust back when she had needed the air in her lungs and when her days were limited. But she was older now, and a new kind of monster, and she steeled herself against his dark seductive gaze.
"I'll find you later then, Nik." Caroline reminded him, the nickname slipping easily off her tongue.
He strolled off into the crowd with ease and Caroline watched him go. "Tony, Dan," She called, never taking her eyes off Klaus' retreating back. "I think Klaus needs a guide or two. Follow our old friend."
.
It was only a matter of time before the witches came to pay their respects to the dearly departed, as Caroline knew they would.
"Ah Sophie." She greeted the witch with a smile. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up. Although, this street corner hasn't proven to be the luckiest for the Deveraux's tonight."
"I get that you like a show, Caroline, but did you have to kill her?" Sophie asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
Caroline was unmoved. "We had to teach your sister a little lesson. You know the rules just as well as I do."
"Then let us put her to rest. Leave us alone."
Caroline shook her head slowly. "I never said you could move her. I left her here for a reason. A message to all of you." She raised her voice to speak to the witches gathered behind Sophie. "If anyone is thinking of joining some sort of rebellion, just remember that I know when any of you practice any kind of unlawful magic. Food for thought." The blonde turned her attention to Sophie again. "Now, if you'd be so kind, I have few questions for you Sophie. My dear friend, the hybrid called Klaus, just happened to show up asking for your sister of all people. Why?"
"I don't know." Sophie replied hollowly. "Witches don't get involved with vampires."
Caroline studied her. "That would be a stupid idea if they did." She sighed. "Alright then, run along." She nodded to Marcel and Thierry. "Take the body."
"No!" Sophie shouted, moving forward, and within an instant she was held back by two vampires. "Caroline, please – "
"No need to stress, Sophie." Caroline said soothingly as she walked away. "Your sister is merely going to be our guest until you can remember why Klaus is here."
"Her body wont be at peace!" Sophie shouted.
"Not my problem." She sang back over her shoulder.
.
"Here we have the crown jewel of the Crescent city, the French Quarter." Sabine announced to the group of tourists she was taking around the city. "Jazz and jambalaya, romance, poetry, not to mention the things that go bump in the night. Monsters that feed off human blood, vengeful spirits of the dead, and my personal favorite, the witches." She gestured towards the witches shop. "Here we have the voodoo shop, Jardin Gris. Go on, browse for a hex."
The excited tourists milled into the shop as she held the door open for them. She paused before she entered the shop, sensing a presence behind her.
"Are you going to continue following me, Elijah, or do you want to talk?"
Elijah stood on the pavement, one hand casually tucked into his the pocket of his immaculate suit. "You know who I am."
Sabine folded her arms. "Original vampire, always wears a suit. You and your family are famous amongst the witches, especially with your brother back in town."
"Well, Niklaus is here because he learned that a witch was conspiring against him." He watched her carefully. "Someone by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux."
Sabine's pained eyes gave her away. "Well, if he's looking for Jane-Anne, he's a little late."
Elijah's eyes narrowed. "Are you telling me she's dead?"
She pursed her lips, glancing towards the shop. Katie caught her eye from the counter and nodded. Sabine glanced back at Elijah. "Come on. Her sister Sophie's going to want to talk to you."
The pair quickly made their way through the streets. However, there was something wrong as they arrived on the designated street corner. They were too late. Elijah's keen eyes picked out a bloodstain on the road, but no body.
"They've moved her." Sabine murmured.
"Who are 'they'?" Elijah asked. "Please tell me that my brother had nothing to do with this."
"No." Sabine clarified. "Jane-Anne died because she got caught doing magic. And that goes against Caroline's rules."
Elijah's head snapped up. "Caroline?"
"Things have changed since your family left town. Caroline has changed."
"I refuse to believe that." He said adamantly.
"Ask her yourself." Sabine challenged. "She's apparently living in the same manor your family set up as home 300 years ago."
Elijah frowned, taking in the new information. "First, the sister. Sophie. Where is she?"
Sabine sighed. "Probably back at the bar. She's responsible for keeping the tourists and locals fed with the best gumbo around."
.
"You mean to tell me, after all these years, Caroline is alive and well?" Rebekah said indignantly, trying to remain emotionless at the mention of the woman she had considered a sister in centuries past.
"Quite." Elijah said as he walked along the streets towards Rousseau's. "Our brother seems to have wandered into a war zone. And I haven't found him yet. Caroline, who Klaus sired and brought up beneath his own wing, now reigns over a menagerie of savage vampires running wild. She has created her own rules for them to follow, but it has come at a price. Witches are held in subjugation. I doubt Niklaus had any idea what he was walking into."
"Sorry, what was that?" Rebekah droned, sensing another call to family arms. "I stopped paying attention at 'our brother'."
Elijah sighed. "Rebekah – "
"Our hateful, traitorous, bastard of a brother, who's negated any sympathy I once had for him by his repeated efforts to ensure neither you nor I know happiness outside of his own selfish universe." Rebekah growled.
"Always and forever, Rebekah." Elijah reminded her. "That is what we once swore to each other."
Rebekah sniffed. "Consider this me calling take-backs."
"Well, you've called take-backs dozens of times over the centuries and yet when our father found us and chased us from this very city – "
"I may be old, Elijah, but I'm hardly senile." She snapped. "I know very well. I stuck with Klaus, and not three years later he stuck a silver dagger in my chest and sent me into a magical slumber for ninety years. Do you know why? Because I had the audacity to try and live my life on my own without him."
"Enough." Elijah said, his voice like thunder, and Rebekah knew she had pushed him too far. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I believe our brother is in trouble, so whatever is going on between Caroline and the witches, it's dire enough that they would risk bringing an Original back to town. The witches have lured him here. I would like to know why."
Rebekah's scoff was the last thing he heard before he hung up the phone, storming the rest of the walk to the bar in seething silence.
.
Sophie turned with a gasp. She settled herself with a frown at the Original who had appeared at the bar.
"You're Klaus."
"I am." He confirmed, noting the unshed tears that lingered in her eyes. "And you're upset. Sophie, isn't it? I assume this is because of what I just witnessed with your sister on the corner of Royal and St. Ann?"
"Did you enjoy the show?" She snapped.
"It was a little melodramatic for my tastes." Klaus admitted with an almost fond smirk. "But that's Caroline for you. What did your sister want with me? Why did Caroline kill her?"
Sophie eyed him suspiciously, then glanced at the bar behind him. "I see you brought friends."
Klaus turned to look at them, then glanced back at Sophie. "They're not with me."
"No. They're with Caroline. That's all that matters." She sighed. "I know you might have built this town, but this is her town now. She killed Jane-Anne because my sister broke the rules. So if I talk to you in front of them, then I'm next."
She slapped the rag down on the counter and stormed off through the kitchen doors. Klaus shrugged to himself and walked over to the men that she had deemed as 'Caroline's'. He gripped their shoulders tight enough to feel the bones bend a little under his hands.
"Are you two gentlemen following me?" Klaus asked pleasantly.
"Caroline said we're your guides."
Klaus scoffed. "Of course she did. Well then, let me be exceedingly clear about something: if either of you follow me again, you'll do so without the benefit of a spine."
He felt their bones fracture slightly and both men hissed.
"If dear Caroline wants to know what I'm up to, she can ask me herself." He growled, before storming off outside. He'd get to Sophie later. He had bigger issues to deal with. Namely the girl he had turned a hundred years ago.
Sophie stepped out into the back alley and the cool night air. She'd had enough. It hadn't even begun to get ugly yet, and already she'd had enough. She thudded down the stairs towards the make-shift memorial the coven had set up in Sophie's honor, the candles glinting in the dark night. As if she wasn't emotional enough already. Sophie thought to herself sarcastically, trying to hold back the tears that had threatened to show all night. But she allowed herself to break down just for the moment. She had every goddamned right to, anyway.
Sophie lit another candle in honor of her sisters memory before bracing her hands against the wooden tabletop. "You got me into this, Jane." She murmured thickly, letting the tears spill down her cheeks. "Give me the strength to finish it."
Bang.
Sophie whirled around at the sound of the door shutting, her senses on edge. Naturally, no one was there. But that didn't mean all was well nowadays. If anything nowadays, if you didn't see the monster that hid under the bed, it meant that there was more fearful things to come.
She heard a whisper of air, and her mind clicked into gear.
"The doors work, you know." She snapped, her fear dissolving into anger.
"You're doing magic?" A voice sounded from behind her, and she turned to see one of Caroline's vampires – the one from the bar. Terrific.
"I'm praying to my dead sister." She snapped bitterly. "Go ahead. Pay your respects."
"Don't make this a thing, Sophie." The other vampire said from behind her, and she didn't let him have the pleasure of seeing her jump. "The hybrid was looking for Jane-Anne. Caroline wants to know why."
She sent him a scathing look. "That sound's like witch business. I'd say ask her yourself, but I guess you can't, seeing as Caroline killed her."
The vampire sneered, speeding up and grabbing Sophie by the shoulders. Her heart lurched in panic, but he suddenly disappeared. She spun around, wondering if the bigger monster was about to appear. A soft thud brought her attention to the ground, and she recoiled.
The vampires heart leaked dark blood onto the concrete.
The other vampire glanced around in fear, before starting towards Sophie as if she had been the cause of his companions death. But before her attacker could even reach her, he was shoved backwards onto an ornate lamp post. He gave a deathly rattle before slumping forward, the iron post sticking out of his chest.
Sophie jolted backwards in shock as a man in a suit appeared before her. He shook out a pristine white handkerchief before wiping his bloodstained hands meticulously. She watched him with wide eyes.
"I'm Elijah." He introduced himself. "You heard of me?"
"Yes," She choked out with a nod, her heart rate barely calming.
Elijah tucked away the now ruined piece of cloth before turning to her with the barest of smiles. "So, why don't you tell me what business your family has with my brother?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Sophie managed to scoff, gesturing to the two dead vampires. "We have a vampire problem, and we need help. Caroline may have meant well in the past, but this is out of control. She has an army backing her now. The witches have been trying to fight back. We haven't had much luck, until my sister Jane-Anne met a girl, a werewolf passing through the quarter from a small town in Virginia. She had a special connection to your brother."
Elijah frowned. "What kind of connection?"
"Familial." She replied cryptically. "But whats more, she is also connected to one of the oldest surviving werewolf clans. And they were pushed out of the city by Caroline, and want back in."
"So I'd be correct in supposing that my brother would be involved in a scheme of some kind?" Elijah narrowed his eyes. "What precisely do you want?"
Sophie lifted her chin challengingly. "We want to run Caroline and her vampires out of town. Klaus is the key. Everything Caroline knows about being a vampire, she learned from Klaus. Caroline trusts him, looks up to him, and she won't see the betrayal coming."
Elijah already objected. He cared about Caroline still, it was ingrained in him after centuries of considering the girl as family. But he still listened, playing along with the witches game. "I'm sure you're aware that my brother Niklaus doesn't like to be told what to do."
"That's why I was hoping to talk to you." She admitted. "Caroline drove the werewolves out. She would welcome a werewolf girl almost as readily as she would welcome the Original hybrid into the neighborhood. You want your family safe? You want to return to the place that was once your home? Then help us."
Elijah considered his options. "I will need to speak to Niklaus about this, and meet the girl – " He paused. "You said she was from a small town in Virginia?"
"Hayley Marshall." Sophie said slowly, watching Elijah's face carefully. "We've heard that you two might know each other."
Memories of the girl and her involvement with her friends in Mystic Falls, protecting the doppelganger who was an exact copy of Tatia and Katerina. Hayley had been intriguing to say the least, but Elijah had refused to allow any feelings to develop for a girl who's friends constantly tried to destroy his family. Though she had proved herself by foiling some of their plans in favor of the Mikaelsons, though no one knew why.
He blinked, and shrugged elegantly. "In passing." He remarked. "Regardless, I will need time to talk to Niklaus."
"Naturally." Sophie sighed. "Come to Lafayette Cemetery when you and Klaus want answers. I'd guess that your brother has gone to confront Caroline for having him followed."
Elijah grimaced. "I have my work cut out for me, don't I?"
.
The party at the mansion was in full swing. Booze and blood flowed freely, as was Caroline's way. She never condoned killings unless someone had broken her rules, but she did allow for a good time. And she always made sure to provide for one hell of a party. If Caroline Forbes was anything, she was not boring.
Klaus, however, clearly didn't get the memo. He wasn't up for one hell of a party – he was up for hell. He stormed through the courtyard, his eyes scanning the room for his prey. He spied Marcel and his target was locked.
"Where is Caroline?" He asked with a snarl.
"Why the hell are you asking?" Marcel snapped back, ready to protect his pretty blonde sire.
"I assume you're joking." Klaus scoffed.
"I only answer to Caroline." Marcel replied.
Klaus set his jaw. "Well then, perhaps you'll answer to this." He grasped the man by the collar, allowing his eyes to shift to their golden hybrid hue. "You're aware that the bite of a werewolf can kill a vampire? Well, as you can see, I'm now half werewolf, Marcellus." He shook Marcel by his collar. "Now I'm going to ask you one more time. Where is Caroline?"
"Up here." Caroline called from the balcony above the courtyard, her voice ringing out across the crowd despite the din of the party. She waited for his eyes to catch hers before she flipped herself over the railing and landed cat-like on the ground below. She walked over to Klaus, the consistent click of her heels against the stone floor like a reminder of time passing.
"Any reason why you're causing an uproar at my party?" She asked calmly.
"There is only an uproar because some people only answer to you." He huffed, releasing Marcel's collar regardless.
"And the reason why they only answer to me is because people like Marcel are looking out for me. Like family. And nobody harms my guys – those are the rules." Caroline's voice was hypnotic, soothing, authorative. It rubbed against Klaus's skin irritatingly. She was sired to him, she should answer to him.
"I don't care about your rules, sweetheart, and I certainly don't appreciate the chaperones." Klaus glared down at the blue-eyed girl. "Why are you having me followed?"
Caroline had the audacity to laugh. "I get it. A show of force. You've made your point, okay?"
Klaus watched her, noticing how reluctant she was to discuss finer details in front of her lackeys. "Fine. Why don't you show me what you've done with the place, while you explain exactly what it is you've been up to in my town?"
She visibly bristled at the mention of it being his town, but nevertheless shot a smile towards Marcel and the others before beckoning Klaus over to the stairs.
Caroline led him over to the balcony that looked down onto the street. She went to lean against the ornate railing, her eyes locked on the city that loomed overhead. "Look at the skyline. Hotels, tourists, fresh blood. This city thrives for us. And the humans? I taught them to look the other way. Being a vampire isn't a problem here. It's a gift."
Klaus wasn't there to wax poetic. "And what of the witches? When I was last here, they were a force to be reckoned with, and now they live in fear."
Caroline kept her eyes focused on the lights. "Yeah, well a lot has changed since you abandoned me."
"Are you still sore about that, love?" He murmured.
She gritted her teeth. "Nope. I've got my own family now."
"And your own lover?"
Caroline brought her gaze back to his sharply. "Lets not start that again."
His eyes continued to bore into her, reaching inside her and lighting something that she had kept cold and dark. She looked away, and he was back to business again.
"How do you know when the witches use magic here?"
"Maybe I've got a secret weapon, an ace up my sleeve."
"Is that so?" Klaus asked, humor edging his voice.
"Maybe I'm bluffing." Caroline shrugged, not letting him get to her. No way. Just because he was back in town didn't mean she was going to roll over. She had climbed her way to the top and she wasn't going to give it up for him, even if she did love him once. It was once, and it wouldn't happen again.
Caroline took out her vial of vervain and added it to the ornate crystal glass of bourbon and coke she was holding.
"You take vervain?" Klaus noted. "I always thought that if you were determined to get blind drunk there might be other more sanitary options."
She gave him a contemptuous look and drained the glass, wincing only slightly at the burning pain it brought to her throat.
"Well then." He smirked. "You showed me."
She chuckled. "It burns like hell, but I figure I should limit the number of things I'm vulnerable to."
"Like emotions?"
Caroline placed the vial back in her pocket and sighed.
"Don't think I haven't noticed, love." Klaus continued, drawing nearer to her. "How you run everything meticulously, like clockwork. How your smile doesn't reach your eyes. How you have 'guys', not 'friends'."
She remained impervious, watching the street below them.
"Did we really have that impact, Carolina? Did I – "
"Don't flatter yourself." Caroline finally snapped. "You said I was nothing more than collateral damage, right? So just leave it."
"You know I never meant – "
"It's fine." She shook her curls and smiled at him. "You know I'm just teasing." She bumped shoulders with him, as if everything were fine. "And don't be mad about that chaperone thing. I just told some of my guys to look out for you. That's what family does, right?"
Klaus watched her emotions flip like a dime and nodded. Caroline held his gaze as she greeted someone who stood in the doorway behind him.
"Evening, Elijah."
"Caroline." He replied warmly.
The blonde girl stepped away from the railing and sped her way over to Elijah, engulfing him in a warm hug.
"Niklaus." Elijah said over the top of her head.
"Brother." Klaus returned coolly. "What an entirely unwelcome surprise."
"And what an entirely unsurprising welcome." He quipped, before smiling down at the younger vampire he embraced. "And how are you, my dear?"
"Quite well, thank you." Caroline smiled. "Much as I'd love to catch up on old times, I have a party to host. I'm sure you have something to discuss with your brother anyway." She reluctantly stepped out of Elijah's hold. "I'll see you some other time?"
"I will make sure of it." Elijah responded, watching her step back inside to join her cohort.
"Our own sweet Carolina, commander of the Quarter." He remarked to his brother who stood against the railing taking in the same city Caroline had studied only moments before.
"Queen of the Quarter." Klaus corrected. "And in need of a King. But she refuses to relinquish her hold."
"Why should she?" Elijah shrugged. "She has all she has ever wanted."
"And in lifetimes past, she wanted me." Klaus reminded him.
"But no longer." His brother stated.
Klaus turned to him with anger in his eyes. "I'll be the decider of that. Just as soon as I figure out what business the witches have with me."
"Already done." Elijah commented. "Follow me."
.
The brothers entered Lafayette Cemetery with the assistance of one of the witches. They were led to one of the mausoleums, and Klaus slowed his pace as he saw who stood before them.
"Sophie Deveraux. What is this?"
"He's all yours." Elijah said to the witch with a polite note. "Proceed."
"You know you're famous in this town?" Sophie smirked at Klaus, who returned the expression with pride. "Witches tell bedtime stories about the powerful vampire Klaus. We know Caroline was nothing but an orphan street rat, until you made her what she is. And now she's out of control. She does what she wants, she kills who she wants. I'm gonna stop her. And you're gonna help me."
Klaus scoffed. It was tempting. But absurd.
"This is why you brought me here?" He asked Elijah.
"Hear her out." Elijah said patiently.
"I don't need to hear her out." Klaus snapped at his brother before turning back to Sophie. "I assure you, there is not a thing on this earth that will matter enough for me to waste even thirty more seconds of my time." He swung back around to face his brother. "Elijah, what madness is this?"
"Klaus." Another voice rang out in the stone mausoleum. Hayley stepped out from an arch doorway next to Elijah. "You need too listen to them."
Klaus didn't hold back his derisive laugh. "You're all out of your minds if you think some small town girl who helped me with a few schemes - no offense, sweetheart - means a thing to me."
Sophie held her ground. "Caroline may be able to keep up from practicing real magic in this town, but as keepers of the balance we still possess certain skills. For example, I have a special gift of sensing supernatural creatures. And more importantly, their lineage."
Klaus remained impassive, aside from his smirk. "How does this concern me?"
"You remember that random birth mark you commented on once?" Hayley reminded him of the mark on her shoulder that he had spotted in the summer in Mystic Falls.
"What of it?" He asked, palms out nonchalantly.
"You said you had only seen it on some members of a werewolf clan." She continued. "But it wasn't just any clan, was it?"
"She is a descendent from your werewolf father." Sophie clarified. "And her own father is the recently deceased leader of the last surviving werewolf clan in New Orleans."
"Are you trying to persuade me to fight for Alpha control with this girl?" Klaus scoffed.
"No." Sophie said carefully. "But if you want control of New Orleans, then it'd sure help to have the witches and the werewolves on your side, don't you think?"
"I see. You're prepared to offer an enticing deal." Klaus mused. "Gain control of New Orleans with the joint efforts of the leaders of both werewolves and witches alike. Take down Caroline's regime and replace it with our own. But where's the guarantee that you wont simply turn on me once the deal is done?"
"My sister gave her life to perform the spell she needed to confirm this lineage." Sophie said lowly. "Because of Jane-Anne's sacrifice, the witches are bound to an agreement such as this."
"And what do you gain from this?" Klaus continued with suspicion.
"No more of our kind will be slaughtered by Caroline for doing what we were born to be." Sophie gritted.
Klaus studied her for a long moment, weighing his options.
"But you would have us kill one of our own." Elijah interjected.
Sophie straightened her spine. "We have a clear plan that we need to follow, and there are rules. If you don't help us, then Caroline – "
"How dare you." Klaus voice was as quiet and deadly as an assassin's blade, cutting across the commotion that had begun to rise. "How dare you command me," He raised his eyes to Sophie, his rage rising with his voice. "Threaten me, with what you wrongfully perceive to be my weakness. I won't hear any more of this."
"Niklaus, wait." Elijah called after his brother as he strode towards the stairs, making him pause. The elder Mikaelson turned back to Sophie. "We cannot condone the death of one of our kind such as Caroline."
"She has proclaimed herself as Ruler of New Orleans." Sophie shook her head. "That is too high a title for anyone. Nature won't allow it."
"But nature allowed me." Klaus shot back from where he paused, head tilted slightly back towards the gathering. "The abomination. The hybrid. Clearly I have the power."
"Not here you don't." Sophie countered.
Klaus went rigid with anger before he shot one last murderous look at the witch. "Kill Caroline. What do I care?" He snarled before storming out.
.
"Niklaus," Elijah's voice sounded from behind Klaus, and his frown deepened.
"It's a trap, Elijah." Klaus said without turning, set on his course to go and confront Caroline. There had to be other ways to get his power back. This was his town.
"No, brother. It's a gift." Elijah was adamant. "It's your chance, our chance."
"For what?" He scoffed, turning around to face his brother.
"To start over. Take back everything we lost, everything that was taken from us. Niklaus, our own parents came to despise us. Our family was ruined, we were ruined. We ran for a thousand years, and we were at our happiest here. This is our chance to become a family once more. A true family."
"And you would happily kill the one you once called sister just to get that back?" Klaus taunted, taking delight in how he could make Elijah's jaw clench. "No, you wouldn't. But I would."
"There is no need for her blood to be shed. And while I would not like to be proven wrong, I don't believe you are capable of such an act."
Klaus laughed at his brother's insistence. "And why is that?"
"Because you love her. You always have. And you still do." Elijah said, his voice soft.
Klaus would not be sentimental. "I will not be manipulated." He snapped, turning away from his brother to continue his plan.
Elijah was already blocking his path. "It is not manipulation when you still feel those feelings towards her. Tell me that I'm wrong."
"You're wrong." Klaus growled in his face, but the truth of it was in his eyes. He turned away from Elijah again.
"Is it so important to you that people never see the good in you? That the only emotion they feel for you is fear when they hear the sound of your name?" Elijah blocked his way again.
"People quake with fear because I have the power to make them afraid." Klaus stated, proud of his fearsome status. "What good would it do to be loved? Will it guarantee me power?"
Elijah shook his head sadly. "Family is power, Niklaus. Love, loyalty – that's power. This is what we swore to one another a thousand years ago, before life tore away what little humanity you had left, before ego, before anger, before paranoia created in this person before me someone I can barely even recognize as my own brother. This is us, the Original family, and we remain together, always and forever." He placed a caring hand on his brother's shoulder. "I am asking you to stay here. I will help you and I will stand by you. I will be your brother. We will build a home here together. But the only way for that to happen is if we side with Sophie and Hayley and change their plan to suit our needs – to protect Caroline, so our family may be reunited."
Klaus brought his hand to Elijah's neck in a brotherly gesture. He looked him in the eye, and Elijah dared to hope that he had broken through to his true brother.
But then Klaus' expression changed to its familiar one of anger, and Elijah knew that all was lost.
"No." He snarled, before turning and stalking down the street. And this time he was not followed. This time, he was alone.
Hey!
I'm notoriously terrible for finding new ideas and getting way too excited over them, but I couldn't resist when the idea for this popped into my head (and my tumbler news feed).
The idea is not entirely my own. Credit and kudos goes to madampudifootsteashop on tumblr, who created this amazing set of gifs that I shall reblog on my tumblr wall.
Naturally I couldn't resist attempting to write Caroline into The Originals in this new way.
History, of course, has also been changed. For starters, Caroline was never in Mystic Falls. I've taken this as my creative licensing to also save a couple other characters from terrible fates. Kol was never killed, Jeremy earned his mark and the map the hard way by killing the vampires Klaus created for him. Hayley also got mixed up with the Mystic Falls gang, helping them out through her link with Tyler. Since she was friends with Elena and co, she of course would have never slept with Klaus, thus not creating a little hybrid baby. Good thing too, since in my story they're related, and that poor child might have come out not just a hybrid, but a hybrid with an unnatural number of toes.
As always, a thousand thank yous to my sister from another mister across the ocean, magically-muddled, for beta-ing and being my crazy idea expander. Whenever I get excited about an idea, she only helps heighten that feeling while still managing to keep me fairly sane.
Read and review and all that jazz. Plenty more chapters to come!
Next update will be by the weekend.
xx
