Chapter 2: Professor X

*****Two Days Later*****

Klaus left Mystic Falls after staying to make sure Stefan and his brother were freed from their prison. He still thought of his time with Stefan in Chicago fondly. Not to mention, Mystic Falls held more than one fond memory. He didn't like to see it in such dire straits and was confident his Caroline would put everything to right eventually. The woman was a born manager, and the men she surrounded herself with were putty in her hands. Now that the fair Elena was taking a permanent nap, there was none to gainsay Caroline. It brought him comfort to know that she was being granted her heart's secret desire. He vowed to keep a better eye on the town and ensure no harm befell her.

Bonnie, for all her gifts, was unable to aid him in his quest to free Rebekah. She did, however, assure him that Cleveland, Ohio had become a vortex of mystical power. Just as New Orleans' ancestral magics drew in witches, werewolves, and Mikaelson vampires, so did this city. Except it drew in other supernatural and more dangerous creatures. Bonnie said some referred to it as the mouth of hell. She'd laughed when she'd said it, but she assured Klaus that a powerful magical force was in the area. Grateful for his help with the Salvatores, she offered to go with him to smooth the way. Klaus, though, wasn't ready to be so social and declined her invitation. He'd call her if he felt he needed her help. Matt was still fond of Rebekah and asked to be kept informed of her well-being. Klaus agreed and left Mystic Falls before feeling too strong of a desire to beat Damon Salvatore senseless. It seemed that without Elena the man was even more tiresome than normal.

Klaus drove toward Cleveland, enjoying the countryside view. He drove to Pittsburgh, stopping before it got dark. He decided against drive through to Cleveland, preferring to find a hotel and arriving at his destination that was just about two hours away. Before going to sleep, he called Hayley as he did every night.

"May I say goodnight to Hope?" he asked her.

"Of course," she said. "I'll put the phone on speakerphone. She's over here in her crib, playing with that little doll you got her for Christmas—mostly she chews on it."

Klaus smiled at the image. "Do her teeth pain her still?" he asked. He hated when she had begun teething.

"Not much. It's just normal for babies to stick everything in their mouths. It's how they learn Evelyn tells me," Hayley said. "Go ahead, she can hear you."

Klaus spoke to his daughter like he did every night. Telling her how much he missed her and how much he loved her. Then he asked Hayley, "All is well?"

"Yes. The city is preparing for New Year's Eve tomorrow. There's a lot of visitors but not trouble so far. Marcel and Elijah as well as Jackson are keeping an eye on things," she shared.

"That is good," he said.

"Where are you now?" she asked. She'd been surprised that he'd called so regularly. Hope, though, always smiled whenever she heard his voice. She'd look forever and get fussy after the call ended. She didn't quite know why she could hear him and not see him.

"I'm in Pittsburgh. I decided to rest here and drive to Cleveland in the morning so that I'll have an entire day to uncover something," he said.

"Good idea. I hope you find something. Freya's still looking, too," she added.

"I will call you tomorrow," he said.

"Hope misses you, so hurry and get this done," she urged.

"I shall. Goodnight to both of you," Klaus said, hanging up. He went to bed determined to find something to free Rebekah in the morning.

*****The Next Day*****

Klaus drove into Cleveland without any real idea how to approach his query. He had a name of a school: Professor X's School for Gifted Girls, which he thought must be a joke. He knew enough about American pulp culture to get the X-Men reference. Klaus couldn't help but wonder if the founders just had a whimsical sense of humor or if the school carried girls with special powers. Could it be a school for witches? Now that was fascinating and unexpected.

He decided to go into the school and get a meeting with the leader—the Professor X. Of course, the person may not exist as the title could just be completely made up. However, it was a good a place as any to start.

The address led him to a place on the edge of the city, surrounded by a massive gate. "These blokes really take the security of the girls seriously," he murmured. Klaus rolled down the window and pushed the intercom.

"Yes?" a female voice asked.

"I would like to speak to whoever is in charge," Klaus said into the microphone.

"Why?" the girl asked.

Klaus blinked, not expecting that. Nor did he expect to be questioned by such a young woman, and he wondered how he should answer. Grinning, he said honestly, "I'm looking for a witch."

"Which one?" the girl asked, surprising him.

Klaus grinned into the place he figured was a camera. "The most powerful one you got," he said.

"If you're looking to destroy the world, we don't do that here," the cheeky girl replied. Klaus heard someone else yell, "Tami! You are not supposed to engage people we don't know! How many times does Xander have to tell you that!"

There was buzzing sound, and the gate opened. "You can come in if you're not evil," the girl said.

A surprised laughed escaped Klaus; he didn't know what to think. The school was obviously run by mad children. He slowly drove his car through the gate and a wave of nausea hit him. His insides felt like they were about to explode. "What the hell?" he said. Then he realized that if witches were in the school they'd put some type of protection barrier on it. It was probably meant to detour anyone dangerous or supernatural. The girl told him that he could come in if he wasn't evil. Being judged by someone or something he didn't know enraged him. However, he wasn't about to be knocked off course by young school girls. He pushed the gas pedal, propelling the car through the gate.

Fortunately, the pressure and sickness eased off as soon he completely crossed the threshold. For the first time, Klaus was hopeful that he'd find a witch strong enough to help his sister. This level of protection spell wasn't done by an amateur.

He drove up a long driveway. A very large building that looked more like an old hospital than a school sat at the end. A few smaller buildings were scattered around. However, Klaus figured the person he'd need to speak with would be in the largest building, so that's where he went.

A very tall and attractive African American greeted him. "Hello, may I help you?" he asked. He had a goatee and was seething with repressed energy.

"Are you in charge?" Klaus asked.

The man held out his hand. "I am Robin Wood, the principal," he introduced, giving Klaus a warm smile.

Klaus took his hand. "Klaus Mikaelson," he said, returning his smile. "No Professor X?"

Robin rolled his eyes. "Xander is one of the professors here and best friends with the founder. He convinced her to let him name the school," Robin said.

"How could we pass up the chance to honor the great Professor Xavier?" another voice said. Klaus looked and saw a much smaller younger guy in a suit and bow tie.

"He is a fictional character, Andrew. You do not name buildings after imaginary people!" Robin Wood exclaimed in annoyance. Klaus got the feeling this was an old argument.

"Lucky for us Xander is very real," Andrew said smugly. He glanced curiously at Klaus. "Is this a new potential Watcher? How come Giles didn't call me? I'm supposed to know about all new arrivals! Buffy says I'm in charge of the Watchers!"

"Uh, no, you're not," another male voice said. Klaus looked at him with interest. This man actually sported a black leather jacket and an eye patch. He was much more casual than the principal and sported a mocking grin. "What Buffy said was, 'Xander, keep Robin from killing Andrew as he helps you with the watchers.' I'm in charge. You help me."

"Mr. Mikaelson, this is Xander Harris, one of our professors," Robin said.

"The Professor X, I presume?" Klaus asked with a grin.

Xander just smiled back, unashamed. "What can I say? Since I lost my eye, my ladies have trouble saying no to me!" he shared.

"Willow loved the idea," Andrew reminded them.

"Gentleman, our guest did not come to hear about our silly dramas," Robin chided. He looked at Klaus. "Forgive their poor manners."

"We were raised on a hellmouth. What do you expect?" Xander said with a grin.

"A hellmouth?" Klaus asked curiously.

"It's our pet name for Sunnydale, California. It was more like Sunnyhell. Lots of crime and death. Eventually, God did the world a favor and swallowed it up in a giant earth quake," Xander said. "So you're not a new Watcher?"

Klaus shook his head. "I'm not sure what that is," he said. "Watcher of what?"

"Let's go into my office," Robin said, interrupting. Conversations with Buffy's friends always took over any group setting. The man was a stranger, and they had no understanding of decorum. He told Andrew, "Will you make sure that Faith doesn't push the girls too hard? They all had a late night."

Andrew looked scared. "You want me to try and reign in Faith? I value my unbruised and unbroken body!" he said dramatically.

"I didn't say for you to try to stop anything," Robin said impatiently. "Just come get me if the girls seem too weary." They'd been up late stopping an apocalypse.

After Andrew left, Robin turned his penetrating gaze to Klaus. "So what can we do for you, sir?" he asked.

"As I said at the gate, I'm in need of a witch," Klaus said.

"And what makes you think we would know anything about witches or witchcraft?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A witch friend in another state told me that you might. She said Cleveland was a vortex of some type of magical power that attracted a lot of bad element," Klaus said.

"Yep, we traded one hellmouth for another," Xander said with a sardonic smile.

"So this place really is the mouth of hell?" Klaus asked. He'd heard rumors of such things but had dismissed them as exaggerations or excuses to explain crime waves.

When Xander started to answer, Robin cut him off. "Look, we don't know you. We don't know why you need a witch. Until you tell us more about yourself, we won't be revealing anymore about this school."

"So it is a school?" Klaus asked curiously. Never in his many years had he come across a school with leaders like this. The principal carried himself as the leader, but Professor X seemed to not respect his authority as one would expect.

"It was once a hospital for the criminally insane. We converted it a few years ago," Robin said. "So where are you from?"

"New Orleans most recently. My family originates from Norway, but I was born here. A life abroad, though, gave me my current accent," Klaus said easily.

"When the girls hear it, they'll go nuts," Xander said with a grin. "Are you single?"

"Excuse me?" Klaus asked.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Xander asked. When Klaus' eyes grew dark and somber, he winced, sensing the man's pain. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry."

"It is alright," Klaus said. "I just lost someone I cared deeply for. And now my sister has been cursed. I really hope someone here can help me."

"What kind of curse?" Xander asked.

"It was put on a dagger. She was stabbed with it and does not die. It's like she's a sleep, but the sleep is one of torment. She suffers greatly. It's apparent for anyone to see," Klaus explained.

Xander and Robin both looked at him thoughtfully. Robin sensed there was more to this man than his easy manner implied. Used to being surrounded by powerful people and raised by one, he knew when a person had power. This man had ample. Robin wasn't quick to offer more power to an unknown player.

"We might know someone who could help," Xander said. "I can make a call."

Klaus found it was interesting that the teacher didn't defer to the principal. Just exactly who was in charge here?

"You know Faith has to approve that," Robin said.

"Faith isn't the boss of me," Xander insisted. Then he looked sheepish. "Except when she is."

"Who is Faith?" Klaus asked.

"She's in charge of our self-dense classes," Robin said easily.

Why would someone in charge of self-defense be the boss of any adults? Klaus was finding this group of people more and more intriguing.

"Why don't I take Klaus to meet Faith and explain the situation?" Xander suggested.

"Fine," Robin said. "Keep me in the loop. Tell Faith to ease up today."

"You know they're not built that way," Xander chided.

"Try," Robin ordered.

Xander got to his feet and Klaus followed. "Let's go," Xander said, beckoning him to follow him.

Klaus followed the professor out of the room, leading them down the hall. Then a question occurred to him. "So what exactly are you the professor of?" he asked the man.

Xander stopped in front of some double doors. He laughed and turned to Klaus. "That is not as easy question to answer as you'd think," he said. Then he opened the doors.

Klaus peered into the room and was astonished. He saw about two dozen young girls in various ages engaged in hand to hand combat like he'd never seen.

What the hell kind of school was this?

*****Chapter End*****

I hadn't planned on the Professor X stuff, but I found it entirely too amusing. I hope you did, too! Your reviews are so appreciated! Thanks!

Next Chapter: Klaus meets Faith